Ok, so friday im driving my vert in the heat without to many issues, and wham i notice its getting hotter than usual. So then i see the tell tale sign, steam from under the hood. Now, it was running fine all day, so I pull over, and its literally boiling out of the overflow tank. So i cool her down, (was at a wand car wash) and start troubleshooting. I find the electronic fan is not turning on. SOO I check all fuses under the dash and they all look good. My next step was well try to get her home, and work on her frmo there. So I go to put the top down, and lo and behold, the tonneau switch stopped popping the top too. so now I have 2 issues. Electric fan for radiator not turning on, and the tonneau top button not popping the tonneau any more. I checked all other things, door locks, window motors, etc, all functioned. I know for a fact that 3 hours earlier my tonneau button functioned without issues, so.. now Im drawing a blank...

My question :

What controlls the Tonneau power, and the electronic fan power? is it a fuseable link somewhere?

Any insight to what could cause this issue?

thanks in advance guys.. I need all the help i can get.
-steve

 

Have you double checked to see if maybe the e-brake wasn't up or the car wasn't in park or something simple to keep the tonneau switch from working.

I quickly scanned over the schematic for vin code e's fans in my '92 manual. I didn't really see how the fan could be connected to the tonneau.


BTW the fan relay is either located on the drivers side firewall near the brake booster or maybe near the radiator.

You could have a bad fan switch, CTS, fan relay, fan.

 

thanks man, I preciate the input. Yea the brake was not up, and the car was definatly in park. used to be that when the car was off and keys out of it, I could pop the top, so i tried that too, and It didnt work.

I dont think that its connected to the fan, other than the fact that it no longer will pop and the fan no longer works either.

I'll check the relay and fan motor soon.. but im really worried that it may be wiring somewhere else..

thanks.
-steve

 

For the tonneau cover:
pull the switch from the center console and ground the tan wire. If it doesn't pop, most likely the relay in the center console is not working the solenoids. Check the ACC fuse.
So if the tonneau cover pops, check if you have ground on the grey wire coming to the switch (engine off, transmission in P or N, parking brake set).
If no ground, there might be a problem with the gear selector switch, parking brake switch or wiring.
If you have ground, the switch might have gone bad or the contacts are dirty, check resistance on/off.

Tonneau cover release - diagram 1
Tonneau cover release - diagram 2


As for the fans, locate the fan relay on the firewall (pass side). Turn the key on.

Ground the green/white wire. The fan should come on. In that case, it points to a bad coolant fan switch (I believe on the pass side of the block, above the starter). Find it and ground the black wire (with key on) that's connected to the sensor. If fan turns on, it's the switch. If it doesn't, it's either a blown FAN fuse under the dash or a wiring problem.

If gronding the green/white wire doesn't turn the fan on, check if the relay clicks when you ground it. If it doesn't, it could be a blown FAN fuse under the dash again or bad relay (the tan/white wire will tell you if you get 12V from the fuse or not).
If relay clicks but nothing happens, check voltage on the red and black/red wires on the relay. The red supplies voltage from the battery through a fuse and fusible links. Check those. The black/red goes to the fan. If it doesn't get 12V when relay is on, it's a bad contact in the relay, replace.

1989 L03 5.0L TBI engine wiring

Let us know what you find out, we'll continue troubleshooting until you get it fixed. If you wish, you can talk to me on AIM. I'm on during business hours and then sometimes at night.

Lou

 

Wow, BigBabyLou ... you really know your thirdgen electrical. Nice.

 

Thx. I do what I can.

Lou

 

jeeze lou, you really come through!!! im gonna look at it tonight and see what i can figure out! Thanks for your help man, AGain!

-steve

 

The Fusable link is a good idea.

Check other things, like windows, locks, cigarette lighter, headlights, anything that uses power.

The Toneau and the fans seem like they would be independant. As the Hatch release has power to it while the car is off or in park, and the Fans are on only when the engine is on...

Take a tester and start testing power to the fuses... I think you can put a lead on the back of the fuse and then the other to ground to see if there is power.

If your not getting power then you may consider the fusable link there are 3 of them under your car by the starter. I had a car with that problem and it would not run. Start by pulling on them gently to see if there is one that is loose, if it pulls apart easily then there is your problem.

Take it one step at a time... I have a car that the lights dim the fan blower dims randomly, etc. With the car OFF I can push the brake pedal and have my idiot lights turn on like I just turned the car on without starting it, the radio will come on etc... I checked all of my grounds I just cant find the problem. Electricity is simple, but because of the complecxity of a car its more complecated because of the several curcuits.

JOhn

 

Update :

I was able to troubleshoot the cooling system last night. The Fan switch sensor in the head gave me no fan when i grounded the wire. So I moved to the relay. Bad news is that the weatherpack connector was so corroded it broke and crumbled in my hand and part is still broke in the sensor itself(plastic part) So now im gonna have to replace that switch/sensor. and jury rig a connector to replace the one on the line that I broke.

Good news is I found the Relay for the fan (driver side firewall by master cylinder) and was able to jump the wires, fan kicked on. So i went and bought a new relay and that seemed to solve my issue with the fan. Bottom line is my cars fan kicks on when the AC is on, or when it reaches an operating temperature( unfortunately my guage is not accurate, so i have no idea how hot it realy is)

Now i gotta troubleshoot the tonneau. The switch is getting 12 volts but its not popping the solenoids.. so i'll trouble shoot it some more when i get more time.
-steve

 

So I take it you measured 12V on one side of the switch. I take it it was the tan wire? Did you try grounding it? Did you hear a quiet click from the center console? That would be the relay. If it clicks, you probably have a blown fuse (ACC) or it could be the solenoids. Though, I've never heard of both of them going out at once.

Did you try "slapping" the tonneau cover while pushing the switch? I have to do that on mine, to release the locks cuz there's too much tension on them and the solenoids can't do that much work.

Lou

 

i did measure the wire, but didnt try grounding it or slapping the tonneau.. i guess that will be my next course of action for sure. Hopefully there isnt a underlying reason the relay burnt up for the fans and the tonneau if thats the problem. I'd say it was pretty odd for both to go out at the same time.. who knows though.. this is my first vert, and im still learning.

-steve

 

Does anyone know where you can buy a new weatherpack connector?

I am thinking about connecting the grounds together at the fan relays (two fan system). I am hopeing that I can get both fans to come on when my 200 degree fan switch kicks on.

I'm trying not to hack the wiring harness.

 

I dont knwo, but it would be worth learning as I need a new weather pack connector for my fan temp sensor.

-steve

 

What thermostat do you have? If you have 180, you can always use the 180-deg switch I got. The switch mounts anywhere on the engine, has two blade connectors (you can buy a box of them for $0.99) and has a flange to hold in place by two screws.

Let me know, I can send you one. Heck, I can throw in the two blade connectors, I got a full drawer.

Lou

 

HOLY ANCIENT THREAD REVIVAL BATMAN!!

So i finally got off my lazy duff and went out and checked it.. The tonneau wouldnt pop when i grounded the tan wire. So i took the back panel off the trunk and looked to see if the switch on the trunk motor was bad. The switch was broke, to the extent that it wouldnt push down. So I unpluged the switch, ran a bypass wire to the two leads and sure enough the solenoids pop every time.

The Thermo is a stock one.. I havent had any more issues with overheating since i swapped the relay on the firewall that you described. the car runs and drives like a dream still. So im happy once again!

Thanks for all the help again guys.