Roc87

The fusible link blew for the electric fans in my '81 elky, in addition to the drivetrain, it has ALL wiring for the battery and dual fans from the GTA. I have driven the thing for over a year with no problems as far as that goes. I did have a paperclip jumping the terminals in the high ac pressure switch so one of the two fans would come on, as the high pressure switch didn't work at all. Worked fine up until a week ago when the fusible link by the battery blew. I took out the paperclip jumper as I am not using the ac as much, but not having fusible links, I replaced that section of wire with a fuse holder and a 30amp fuse. It keeps blowing the fuse too!

Both relays are working fine, there doesn't seem to be a direct short, as it takes different amounts of time before the fuse will blow. One lasted 2 days, then I replaced it and it didn't last 10 minutes... Will putting in a fusible link cure this? Any help greatly appreciated.

jimdutro

iTrader: (1)

No, a fusible link won`t fix the short. That is going to take some time to track down where it is and repair it. The only thing I can suggest is to track down all the wiring to the fans and check it all, there has to be bare wire somewhere that is shorting out. Take 1 wire at a time and check them all and you will find it. Set up a test light in the fuse holder and start moving wires around and you should find the culprit.

Roc87

Thanks! I believe I found the problem. The wiring at the auxillary fan relay looked like the insulation has shrunk back exposing the wires. I put some heat shrink over it, so fingers crossed it won't blow any more fuses.

Roc87

Well, that wasn't it. Hit 240 on the way to work this morning. Pulled over to replace the fuse, and got it back down to 190 the rest of the way. Blew it again on the way home .

Guess I'll try bypassing most all the factory wiring from the fusible link/now in line fuse to the relays, and the power/ground to the fans. Almost upset enough to put a clutch fan on it

Fullsizewagon

I guess the fan itself could be at fault. Sometimes failing fan motors tend to draw excessive currents.

jimdutro

iTrader: (1)

Roc87, electrical problems are the most difficult to diagnose. At this point, you are probably correct to bypass the wiring and to connect it directly. Make sure to use an inline fuse and if it blows you know your fan motor is bad. At some point soon you will want to find your short as it may continue to cause problems somewhere else in the system. If you do not have a wiring diagram for your car, PM me your e-mail address and I will see if I can e-mail some wiring diagrams to you.

Roc87

Thank you guys. I bought some 12ga. wire and another inline fuse holder. Now running two inline 30 amp fuses, one for each relay. Now at least I'll be able to tell which fan &/or relay is at fault. The really strange thing is, when I put the paperclip jumper back in the high pressure switch wiring, both fans came on. This wiring is nuts . From what I could tell on the schematic I have they are completely separate circuits. I'll PM you my email and if you have anything for an '88 GTA cooling system, it would be greatly appreciated.