Installed Manual Switch for Rad Fan

[Whorse]

Well, since it's starting to get warm out, and I've been driving around with no rad fan for a couple months, I decided it was time to do something. I bought a T2 rad, mounted it, and decided just to wire it to an on/off switch in my console.

Since I couldn't get any voltage at the plug off the wiring harness (I think the relay is shot from when the fan blew up), I cut the wires and plug off of the old garbage fan from my 87TBI, which matches right up. The black wire with the white stripe goes to ground or (-) on the battery, and I ran the positive inside the car to the switch. I ended up using some 14AWG speaker wire I had kicking around since it's a 2 conductor wire and I would only have to run one wire to make the connection. Drilled a hole in the little dish below my convertible top switch, ran the wires and the switch under the console and mounted it in the bottom of the dish (took about a 3/4" hole).

On the battery side I had two loose wires, so I just shortened one and connected it to my positive (luckily I have an aftermarket battery terminal and all I had to do was strip the wire and put it in an empty slot on the terminal and tighten with an allan wrench). Ran the other to the bare wire I had left on the plug I cut from my TBI, and used a butt connector to splice them. Little piece of wire conduit for protection and it worked like a charm.

Sucks that I can't run it through the relay so the computer will still control it, but that's another problem, and easy to fix if I replace the relay. For now I'm just happy that I'll finally be able to keep my car cool when I'm in traffic and parking lots.

[Riverratt]

LOL the people that owned my GLH-T "hot wired" and spliced and hacked it so that when you cut the foglights on, they rad fan came on....I was NOT..happy about it...:mad:

[Whorse]

Yeah that would bother me for sure. I added an inline fuse just in case anything goofy happens.

[turbovanman²]

Wow, all you need to do is run a switch to the ground wire at the relay, the switch is then grounded so when you flip the switch, you ground the relay and this turns the fan on, and you keep computer control.

[Whorse]

Yes but my relay is doesn't work, and there's something wrong with the circuitry.

[turbovanman²]

Ok, well in that case, :thumb:

[A.J.]

Did you check the fuseable link before rewiring your car? . That's what goes, not the relay.

A.J.

[Whorse]

The fuses under the dash are all good.

[turbovanman²]

The fuses under the dash are all good.

Not those, over at the drivers strut tower, you'll see a bunch of wires and some of those are fusible links, they always blow.

[Whorse]

I tested a couple wires and still had power. Doesn't explain why the old fan started smoking though. Maybe the rain shorted something.

[A.J.]

When the fan motor starts to drag and build up resistance (or smoke) due to old age and wear, the amps go up. That put more load on the circuit than what was originally intended and blows the fuseable link. It's like a fuse but looks like a wire. It just happened to me in my '88 van. If you don't have power to the relay it's because the fuseable link blew. Take it to a professional if you don't know where they're located.

A.J.

[The S is Silent]

A fusible link is a gap in a larger wire that is connected with a smaller gauge wire. When the current through the larger wire exceeds the limit, the smaller gauge wire fries.

[zshadow]

i actually had to do the same exact same thing today!... we started up the daytuna for the first time in a good 6 months and since the t2 swap and it was real hot, since the fan wasnt turned on... apperently not getting any power from the engine harness... basicly just hardwired the ground wire up into a switch in the console and wahla! instant cool :)

[Whorse]

I work at an electronics/electrical business, so it's not a problem, just have to find where they are on the 1990 vehicles.

[WVRampage]

I didnt know that when I did mine I ran a second hot to the fan and a seperate relay,should have looked around first I now feel stupid but it works on the switch or computer and with the key off so it can cool in the staging lanes with me no were around.