This electrical thing is just hanging off my battery and I have no idea what it is.

Any ideas?

 

i think( again im just making an assumption) it may be for a car alarm. i have something like that in my car, but mine is located in the driver side kick panel.

 

Hmmm, the weird thing is that I found a spare one of whatever it is in the center console when I bought it.

 

Looks like what's left of a relay after someone broke the dust cover off.

 

Because it's installed with crimp connectors, it's most likely aftermarket. What it is for is anyone's guess.

 

It's the fan relay. If you look between the radiator and the battery, you'll probably see the top cover off the relay bolted/push pinned to the radiator support.

 

Well I guess it makes sense because whoever owned the car in the past hard wired the cooling fan to turn on when you turn the key. I guess I can just snip it out then right?

 

I would actually rewire the relay and make it back to stock. Your engine needs the heat and if the cooling fan runs all the time it will burn up the motor of the fan !!!!

 

I can't really do that because my temperature gauge doesn't work right. I've replaced the coolant sensor AND the gauge itself but it still doesn't work.

Maybe you guys can help me out. The gauge sits at the 100 degree line when I start it but when it warms up as soon as it reads anything above 100 it rockets to the top and just gets pinned there. It will drop down again when the car gets cold though. It's got to be something in the wiring but I have very little knowledge on the wiring of these cars and would have no idea where to start looking.

IF I can get my gauge working, then I will hook up the fan relay correctly.

 

On the driver side , between the 1st and 3rd cylinder , there is a sensor for the gauge. take the wire off and ground it. If the gauge hits 12 NOON , it works. but maybe your sensor is screwed !!!!

 

Doesn't matter, the gauge has nothing to do with the operation of the fan.

 

I guess he just wants to be safe ..is what he is trying to say.

So i would still repair the gauge but defenatley rewire the fan to stock.
Stick 195 instead of a 220 sensor in it.

195* is a must, then if it runs at 185 u are kind of ok.
But they actually don't like it cold ( below ~190 )

 

Ok so I grounded the sensor wire and my gauge doesn't move at all. I already said that I replaced both the sensor, and the gauge, so that's why I'm asking if the problem could be some other wiring issue. Maybe the wires going to the gauge cluster???

 

If u grounded the correct wire and the gauge does not move , then its either the gauge or ecsactly this wire.
But like said before, it has nothing to do with your fan relay or the fan sensor.
The fan sensor is on the otherside of the engine.

 

I'm fine with the fan running all the time for now I just want to get my gauge all checked out first.

Any idea where I can pick up the fan relay for future reference?

 

I got mine last week at advance auto parts, but autozone or napa have them also.

 

That is the same relay that is used in the starting circuit. Trace the wires off it and see if any go down to the starter, if so then that is what that is. Normally that relay hides behind the driver's side kick panel behind a thin rubber/tar membrane(on my car), so you can check there so see if anything has been tampered with. The fan relays are by the C100 stock, so I doubt it is those since they are easier to get to than the starter relay. Someone probably got tired of trying to replace the damn thing. I've kicked mine a few times while trying to get mine started.

 

I had to do that to my Trans Am for the fans to work...

 

I had a short under the hood once that caused all my gauges to stop working, and the fan didn't come on either...

...in fact, it hasn't worked right since, which is why I wired to to come on when the ignition does... Of course, I've got a lot of projects on my Trans Am this summer, I'm going to change the temperature sensor for starters and see if that's the problem. Until then, that's my temporary fix.