Hey Buick 430...my buddy gave me a 16" single electric fan of unknown origin. It has a black and a blue wire coming out...I bought an led toggle and an inline fuse. Help me put it all together mounting everything's not an issue it's what wires to where so please if anyone can explain how to do this for dummies please it would be a huge help. I'm mounting the fan inside between the rad and the fan on the motor, not between the bumper and rad
You are right Ponch but just getting power from the fuse block or other places can cause all kinds of problems. Once I started hooking up more and more electrical items to the 70 GS race car I started getting less voltage to things like ignition and other electrical devices. There is 2 wires coming from the starter that feeds the whole system. I think one of them goes to the alternator and the other goes to the ignition switch. Those fans draw alot of amps. Most power wires on older cars are getting old and can't handle extra amps so you need to make a better way to get the power from the battery to the fan and switch it on through a relay to keep the high amp draw off the original wiring of the car. Than if you have a volt meter in the car coming off the ignition powered fuse and your volts is less than 13 with the engine running and your fan on than you will need a bigger amp alternator. I ran a fan of of the back of the alternator to the switch in the dash and it worked ok. Then I added an extra fan and blew the inline fuse that I had on that wire coming off the alternator. Now all cars have a 100 or bigger fuse going to the underhood fuseblock and a bunch of relays to control the heavy amp draw systems like cooling fans. I know this sounds like overkill but if you start now with a relay to run you fan you will do it for things like ignition, fuel pump, fans and other electric controlled items. So if you just want to hook up a cooling fan come off the positive battery cable with a thick red wire like the one off the back of the alternator, "that size" wire and go directly to a 30 amp inline fuse connector to a relay that you can buy from Autozone. You need to insulate all positive wires so it will never contact ground. Then the relay will have a power out which you will run the same thickness of wire to the fan. The other wire from the fan will go to ground, same size black wire to the closest metal frame like the radiator core support. If you get a 4 terminal relay you will have to connect one positive wire to battery of fuse block or ignition depending if you want the fan to run whenever you want or with ignition on and the other will go to ground. If it is a 3 wire you will just have to run the other lead to ground whick will turn on the switch when you flip it up. I know this sound complicated but it will keep you from melting original wires in your electrical wiring. Welcome to GM wiring! Feel free to PM me for answers. I have been through alot of car electric power problems.
Yea i just wanna wire it straight to the battery...your recommending a relay? Please explain a little more I'm really a Moran when it comes to electrical stuff. The switch I have has 3 leads?
The relay is responsible for making sure the high current drawn by the fan doesn't cook your switch and burn your car to the ground. A relay is basically a heavy duty electromagnetically controlled switch that can be triggered by a light duty toggle switch. If you're not familiar with the concept then find someone to help as this is something that needs to be done right. Here's a simple wiring diagram, the indicator light and sensor are optional. Devon
Yes, I tend to oversimplify things. My Battery is in my trunk, Passenger side. I didn't want to move all of that jack stuff. Also, I'm not going to be pulling 5 Grand holeshots with my Vert. The Battery is hooked up to a junction block on the inner fender. I have a 100 Amp single wire amp ( Chrome!!! oooh) connected there and also the starter. So I have Three What, OO, Wires on it. I connected my fan wire there too. Ten ga. with a 30 Amp inline fuse. It runs to a fan switch that can be set for On-Off at any temp you set. So it's a stand-alone, you dont have to mess with it unit. The Temp probe goes between the Radiator fins right at the outlet point, Top Left. The Fan shroud I have has a hole right where it should be. It's a dual fan system pulling 22 Amps. So when the fans are running, You Know It. The controller also has a wire you run to a switched wire to tell the unit to stay off if the car isnt running. I used the Windshield Wiper Motor. No, It isn't simple, like my head, but it works. I also have a selenoid in the trunk on the battery Pos side that I can turn on or off from a switch inside. The Selinoid has a 50 Amp fuse on it Right off the Battery and the switch a 5 Amp. There's also a Pos 10 ga wire that goes to the fuse box to run things like the radio, lights etc if the selenoid is off. If you try to hot-wire it the 5 amp switch will blow turning off the selinoid. Them you have nuttin. You have to open the trunk and replace the 5 amp ( or whatever you have handy) fuse. I have a box of them laying there. If I go to a store I push the button for Off. I get in, turn on the Ignition switch, hear a click, Drop my head and shake it, Open the trunk and replace the fuse, get in the car, push the button, start the car. Almost EVERY TIME. It's a push on, push off inside the ashtray. Maybe if I put it next to the ignition switch I'd remember it. But like you said, I gotta get a relay for the fans. Sometimes when I go to start the car the fans will come on and drain 22 Amps from the starting power. I will have to go a long way to charge the battery back up. Maybe I can get a bigger Alt. Or if I install a selenoid I'd have to run wire inside and have another switch. When I got my car it had One wire for the Heater fan going through the Grommet. Now I dont know How many wires I have running rhrough there. 10, a Dozen? But Hey, It's All Good. Good Luck with your set-up. I remember "The Old Guy" telling me a long time ago to use the KISS Method while working on things. Keep It Simple Stupid. I Still cant figger out if he was being personal or not. PONCH
Wow Ponch! Any room to put a generator on that car! Sounds like you got that one ready for any electrical mods. Good job.
For about 40 bucks you can buy a temp relay that controls it at the right. Nicer than having to flip the switch.
I still have one of those Derrall or how ever you spell it on my truck but I have the oem fan on it for now but it still gets a little hot in the summer waiting in line for the dragstrip.
Ron, Thanks. It's Derale. All of my cooling stuff is Generic Jegs. Aluminum Radiator, Dual Fans and controller. Six Years or so and no problems. A Be Cool Rad would cost more than my whole set-up. The Selenoid in the trunk is from Painless. It isnt Painless every time I gotta replace that Fuse tho. I dont keep anything in the trunk. Maybe I can get One of those small Generators to fit in there. But I think that long wire from the Trunk to the Terminal takes up a lot of the power. I'm planning on replacing the Volt Meter with a Ammeter. Or maybe both. I've got more gauges than anyone needs so what's wrong with another? PONCH
Mine sits outside in the cold but still trying to get the engine built. So what's wrong with your mind?
