QWKDTSN Posted April 26, 2003 Share Posted April 26, 2003 So I've had this new two-speeder hanging around for a while and I'm finally home for summer so I can get to work. Now, I put the first hundred miles on my car with the fan about as ghetto-rigged as possible - after I finished all my wiring per JTR, there was a big black ground wire left over, so I kept it around. I hooked up the black wire of the one-speed to that and ran a red wire straight from the positive side of my battery to the orange wire on the fan. Yup, that's all I did, just put a quick-connector on it, and whenever I needed to start or stop the fan, I got out of the car, pulled the hood pins, and manually disconnected the fan. Doing it this way put a huge draw on the battery, with a big fat blue spark whenever the connector touched, and the wires getting nice and hot. Anyway, I want to hook up the new fan in the best way possible. I will probably just be using the top speed. I'd like to have it running as much as possible, because I like to not have to worry about my coolant. So. Thermostat switch or manual switch? What about relays? I know nothing about relays or how they work. Where do I get the wiring from? Can I continue using that 12gauge black wire that I was using before? It's been so long that I don't even remember what it was originally connected to. What about the positive side of things? My car is wired very strictly according to JTR so anybody who's in the same boat hopefully can give me some ideas. What positive wire should I run off of? Should I splice into something somewhere? I hate electrical stuff. I feel that if I can accomplish this I'll be satisfied. It was easy to do the other stuff because everything is laid out very simply and all I had to do was snip, snip, measure measure, snip, connect. Now, I have to come up with a battle plan myself and I really don't know where to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greimann Posted April 26, 2003 Share Posted April 26, 2003 I used a Hayden electric fan relay and thermostatic control. You can find them at Pep Boys. It has a thermostatic probe that slips between the radiator fins and the turn on point is adjustable. The wiring is pretty straight forward because it is a kind of a kit and comes with diagrams. I would recommend replacing the 20 amp fuse that is supplied fuse with a 30 amp fuse if you are going to run on high at all times. I would run 10 gauge wire from the battery to the relay unit just to be safe. Make sure your connections are firmly crimped, or bettter yet, soldered. In a high current application, a bad crimp or frayed wire can cause a hot spot and be a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QWKDTSN Posted May 2, 2003 Author Share Posted May 2, 2003 I went and bought that kit and spent a long time today installing it (like 3 hours, making sure everything was correct). The thermostatic sensor is faulty. Awesome I have to try to get Pep Boys to take it back tomorrow, clipped wires and everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greimann Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 That's too bad. I wonder if Pep Boys has an elecrtical curse. I just had to take back a reman alternator after only 4 months because it went on the fritz. At least changing the alternator in a Chevy converted car is about as hard as filling it up with gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QWKDTSN Posted May 2, 2003 Author Share Posted May 2, 2003 Well now WTF They took back the old relay no problem and I picked up a brand spanking new one. Took about 15 minutes to install this time since I knew the layout well. Turned on the car, fan came on almost immediately. Turned the adjustment pot all the way to the right, let it warm up, turned the pot back down to set the fan - nothing happens!! I ran through all the checks again and it looks like the relay burned out somehow?? When I ground it out like the troubleshooting guide shows, it doesn't click over and turn on the fan. The other relay did, yesterday. A couple of drops of coolant splashed onto the new controller, but that shouldn't do it? This thing is pissing me off. Why can't anything I install ever just WORK? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Briguy280Z Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 I used the Taurus fan for my ls1 install. same as you a two speeder with the orange and brown and slow and fast and black for ground. I connected to an ampmeter to the fast speed, it pins about 15-18A so i put a 30A fuse. I used a relay colume out of a gmc so that i can use both high and low speeds off the computer. Make sure that the relay goes to ground through the thermosister. Thats how most fords work. If your used to Datsun wiring it goes to power opposite from what you are doing. i found that out when i connected the LS1 PCM into the fuel pump. I had to dedicate a diffrent relay for that. Sounds like the relay they are supplying is cheep if it burns up that easy. This is how i would do it. 1. Connect accessory power to one side of the coil (unless you want it to run untill cool...then connect it to constant power) 2. Connect the otherside through the thermostatic sensor to ground. 3. Connect the fan power with 30A fuse through N/O and Common Simple Install Use a heavy duty relay that you took out when you did the V-8 install. it will work alot better and use a plug that was ment for it. Coolant shouldnt damage it, altho it is from pepboys! Good Luck Briguy280z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greimann Posted May 3, 2003 Share Posted May 3, 2003 Just curious Nion, is your fan new or a salvage yard unit? The reason I ask is it may be the fan that is destroying the relays. If it was a salvage yard unit that was either defective or was exposed to the elements that caused it corrode internally then perhaps that is the problem. Perhaps the reason the car was in the salvage yard in the first place was because the fan stopped working and fried the engine???? FFT (food for thought). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QWKDTSN Posted May 3, 2003 Author Share Posted May 3, 2003 Well, OK, here's the current status. I discovered that it stopped working because a fuse blew inside the car (I wired up the positive feed kind of shadily... Don't ask. It's direct from the battery now.) Relay is fine, etc. However, even with the pot turned all the way to the right, the fan comes on as soon as the ignition is turned on - and immediately blows the 25A fuse in the orange lead. I have no idea why the fan turns on without any input from the thermostatic sensor (unless it's shorted) and I'm starting to wonder about the fan. It is a junkyard fan, so it might actually not be in the best operating condition. It certainly pulls a lot of juice, enough to immediately blow that fuse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denny411 Posted May 3, 2003 Share Posted May 3, 2003 If it starts immediately it can`t be the fan. The relay could be sticking or the sender could be faulty. The fan will not run without current. I suppose if the fan is drawing too much current it could cause the relay to overheat, and the contacts in the relay could burn and stick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QWKDTSN Posted May 3, 2003 Author Share Posted May 3, 2003 OK here's the deal. Thermostatic sensor is good. Control box checks out. Relay is as perfect as possible. Wiring is spot on. Potentiometer should be in perfect working order. I replaced the 25A fuse in the orange lead with a 30A. The fan turns on as soon as I turn on the ignition. Even with the thermostatic sensor wiring cut, creating an infinite resistance that should keep the control box from turning on the relay. It's like... the first wiring kit I had would never turn on the relay, no matter what, and the new one turns it on all the time, no matter what. I just don't get it. I can't even express how frustrated I am by this simple job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72zcar Posted May 3, 2003 Share Posted May 3, 2003 maybe you need a BFH... I hope not. I am about to install a taurus fan sunday I got at the wrecking yard with a thermostat. I hope it works. Its also a two speed fan. Man, I hooked it to a battery to see if it worked and on high speed that thing really blows.. I was thinking of putting it in front of the radiator in back of the grill but then it would suck everything off the road like one of those giant vacuums u see in parking lots. haha ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zfan Posted May 4, 2003 Share Posted May 4, 2003 Oh yeah! The taurus two speed is bad ass. I will never run anything else ever again!!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QWKDTSN Posted May 4, 2003 Author Share Posted May 4, 2003 BFH? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72zcar Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 BIG F%#@ING HAMMER... I didn't get around to installing my taurus fan yesterday, spent all day replacing all 16 wheel studs. Had a few stripped ones so went ahead and relaced them all and all new lug nuts too. Now I don't have to worry about my tires falling off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 What year Taurus fan's or are they all the two speed, super awhhhhsome type? What is usual price range at a salvage yard? Thanks Len Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zfan Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 No they are not all two speeds. Look for the 3 wire unit from a 3.8 litre ford Taurus or Mercury Sable. I believe they are on the late 80's, early nineties units. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greimann Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 The fan comes from the following cars: 86 - 95 Taurus / Sable 86 - 94 Lincoln Contenintal 94 - 97 Thunderbird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 What about a 96 Taurus? I was calling salvage yards and they have one for $75 out of a 96. I'm also doing searches as we communicate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 Or better yet. An old post mentioned either a one speed or a two speed. How would you identify a two speed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greimann Posted May 8, 2003 Share Posted May 8, 2003 Two speed units have three wires. black, orange and green I believe. a '96 is different than the previous years. Smaller. If you are doing some research, look here for new fans and what they look like. http://www.autobodypartswholesale.com/cgi-bin/autobodypartswholesale/flypage?mv_session_id=nU6R4eH7&mv_pc=148&sku=F160912 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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