Hey all I have an 89 GTA and the electrical is just messed! I have my fans on a manual relay or switch under the dash and it keeps popping in the fuse box and it won't work with the new stereo deck I just installed so I need to rewire them to automatically turn on....

Any Idea how to do that?

Thanks

Chris

 

If both fans are wired in parallel to only one underrated relay using undersized wiring then you will almost always pop the fuse that it is wired too. Popping the fuse is your cars way of telling you that something is seriously wrong with that circuit. Either a shirt to ground has occured or there is too much amperage being drawn through the circuit.
I dont understand why some many of your 3rd gen owners feel the need to manually run your fan(s) through a switch. I run a modified stroker engine with headers and my car cools just fine with a POS Autozone radiator and cheap Proform electric water pump. I only run one of my two fans too.

If I were you, I would get rid of any aftermarket wiring that is in your car for the fans and put it back to how GM set it up. Let the computer do its job with the primary fan. I can understand that some owners, like myself, get rid of their A/C and this basically defeats the secondary fan. If you feel you need that second fan then look for the proper wiring diagram online that shows how to wire up the fan(s) the correct way with the correct relay(s) and proper gauge wire.

 

You need to find a ignition switched spot in the fuse box and wire it up there, then it will come on when you turn on the ignition, also you need to make sure that the relay will hold up to the amps that the fan puts out.....thats my suggestion.....

 

hey man thanks for the reply! It's only the one fan on the drivers side like its supposed to but I bought it that way and honestly have hated it ever since!

How would I get it back to normal gm way?

 

Your car will have a fan switch located on one of the heads on the engine. This fan switch tells the computer to complete the electrical circuit for the fan when the engine gets to a certain temp. Companies like Hypertech sell these fan switches for our cars and they allow the primary fan to turn on at a lower temp.

Im 75% sure your car has 2 fan relays under the hood on the drivers side right on the firewall near the brake booster. At least that is where they are on my 91. There should also be a fuel pump relay there as well. Check to see if those relays are there and if so then see if anyone has cut the wiring under them Also check to see if anyone has added wires to the fuse block under the drivers side of the dash.

Also, adding an aftermarket radio should not cause fuses to blow unless it is wired wrong. Wired wrong means a short to ground. Plain and simple. It will not pop a fuse if you screwed up the speaker connections.

Tell us how much work you have done to the car and how much was done prior to you owning it.

 

I would NOT wire up the fans to a switched IGN spot in the fuse block. I did that "mod" years and years ago and all it did was put a serious strain on my charging system. Let the computer do it job as GM intended it to. If you want the fans on at a lower temp then swap out the thermostat and fan switch. If the car still seems to push the needle into the 225 range then something else is wrong. I have owned 7 of these cars in my life and have learned a thing or two about them.

Oh and one of the biggest things that causes the firebirds and T/As to overheat is a missing air dam under the radiator. The T/As dont have any grill openings in them so they rely solely on the air damn and properly working fans to cool the engine.