Need help with fans please...

[projekt1]

I'm looking for some help with my fan wiring. She was running fine for the 6hr drive to San Diego until the last half hour when she began to overheat. The relays were fine last night when I double checked everything for the drive. I suspect something happened to the wiring because it wasn't until the last half hour that she began to over heat. The first time I stopped at a shell and waited for about 45min while running water on the rad. The second time was once I got into the city driving that I had to pull over.

As far as the wiring, originally I had both fans wired together to the stock fan harness (going to the thermo sensor on the rad) but the same thing happened that is happening now. I taped into both the power and ground to test the fans. The fix that worked then was that I ran the ground wire (taped into the fans wire) direct to the battery and that's how shes been running fine until now. Well now something happened to the power wires cause they don't kick on. When I do place the power wire (taped on the fans wires) direct to the battery they kick on but the wires get hot so I can't leave it like that all the time, not even more than minute..

I appreciate the help.

 

[Absit]

What size wires are you using? Have you considered replacing your fan temp sensor?

 

[projekt1]

The wires are what came on the fans so I'm assuming they are like 16 gauge or something small. I had replaced the temp sensor not too long ago maybe 1200 miles ago.

 

[Absit]

If the wires are getting hot you need to run bigger wires, 16ga is kinda small, but it's usually sufficient. Try larger wires hooked up properly and see what happens.

 

[projekt1]

The wires from the fan are I'd say 12 to 16 gauge. The other wires that are tapped into the power and ground are about the same size. I only had the ground harwired to the battery and it would not heat up. It when I connect the tapped power wire to the battery that the power wire will begin to heat up.

If I do need to run bigger wires, do I need to do so for the wire that I'm using to test the fans, the "taped" power and ground? Or do I need to replace the wires that the fans came with?

 

[Absit]

I'd replace your ghetto rigged wires first and see if it works before I'd go cutting up wires and connectors that may be fine. This is just one idea based on the fact that your wires get hot. If you're going to keep it ghetto rigged, fuse it too.

 

[projekt1]

The ghetto rigged that your referring to are the wire tapped into the original fan wires. So your saying just get bigger wires and re-tap into the original fan wires then fuse it and that should be good? I know that's a temporary fix what what should I do so they operate like they should normally?

 

[Absit]

I'd say give it a shot until someone with more knowledge than me comes in. I just know if a wire gets hot it's too small or has too high resistance.

 

[projekt1]

Okay, well thanks for the help. I just arrived in San Diego and never been here so I'll try to make something work.

Thanks again Absit.

 

[projekt1]

Okay so this is what I did: for one fan I left the wires alone that were already connected to the temp sensor wires so that one fan should get kicked on automatically. The other fan I ran the power wire all the way into the cabin, ran another line from cabin to battery and a ground wire to a ground point all hooked up to a switch. It's working great so far. The fan wired up to the temp sensor still won't kick on but the switched one does. She's started to heat up today just passing the marker so I turned the one fan on and the temp went back down very quickly.

What can be causing the other fan (wired to the temp sensor) not to turn on?


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[Absit]

If you're still stumped:

Test the voltage across the fan wired to the sensor both when you're below operating temp and when you're starting to go above the halfway mark. Check continuity as well. If the wire shows 0v when below operating temp and some voltage when overheating wire try wiring a relay into that to kick the primary fan on instead of a direct wire.

If it's 0v when overheating I'm going with a bad sensor again.