I have my electric fan rigged to connect power from the foglight switch in the car directly to the battery. That way when I turn my car on all I have to do is flip the switch for fan access(no relay).

Just recently, I smelt a sorta burning plastic aroma and couldn't locate the area which it came from. Today, I went out to warm up the car and while idled I saw smoke from where the wires connect by the fuse box! Immediately I shut the car off and saw the two wires had melted apart from each other.

What would cause this?! Why would they get hot, could it be from running the fan directly from the battery?!
Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanx DUECE

 

Your stock electric cooling fan is equipped with a 150W motor. Presuming your charging system operates at at least 13V, that's over 12A of fan current. The fog light switch is designed to conduct one, maybe two amperes at best. You're lucky that's all you burned. That's also why the factory used a relay - To carry the higher load.

 

like vader said.... you're pulling way too much power thru the switch and wires. you're lucky you didnt burn your car down.


first take your fan switch wires out, and inspect the wire carefully before you reuse it.. if any insulation looks like it got hot, or is melted, then just get new wire.

run the wire from a ground inside the car, to the switch, and then to the ground on the relay. when the switch is on, it triggers the relay.

the relay is what gives the fan its big current. safely.





i dont have a fan switch... the only time i see a need for one is at the track... what i do is unplug the plug on the top of the AC compressor.
then when i turn the AC on, it flicks the fan on.

 

I agree, the relay provides a high current switch that is safe and helps keep electrical fires contained to the engine compartment and out of the pass. cabin. Ask me how I know

 

uhh no.



the relay helps keep electrical fires from happening.

once theres a fire in the car, its a b!tch to contain. i worked in a rual fire department from the time i was 15 until i was 18... car fires suck.

 

What happened was teh commutator on the fan motor had become so worn that the thinned metal contacts smeared together and the motor shorted out. The whole lot burst into flames. All that was left of the relay was a blackened carbon nugget and all the wiring melted and the contacts in the HVAC head burned up. The contacts is what caused me to look up and see all the smoke in the rear view mirror. The amature got so hot that the whole thing actually blued. Of coarse, this all happened when I was 100 miles from home so I had to get creative to get a fan to work again untill I could fix it properly.

 

My electric fan is not stock, I did away w/ the fan when I swapped the motor(needed a bigger fan for a bigger block)
Also I gutted the foglights, so they are not activated.
I do agree w/ you guys on the subject of running a relay,
just needed imput on why this occured?!

BTW I have no AC/nor heater, also gutted.
Thanx guys on the imput, I appreciate it.DUECE

 

Lol... guess I forgot to insert the sarcasm when I posted

 

You can get a 40 amp relay at Advance/Discount Auto parts, etc for around $5 bucks, around $3 for a little rocker switch, and a couple extra bucks some decent guage wire and some little crimp connection things and wire it up nice and easy. I just recently did mine correctly finally... I also picked up a 6 or 8 circuit auxilary fuse block to put out under the hood too so I can wire up extra crap quickly/cleanly/easily, with relays for each thing (choke, fans, fuel pump, etc). Much nicer than jury rigged crap...

 

I was driving along and saw a guy watching his Z burn to the ground, via an engine compartment fire. He was just standing there waiting for the fire truck. Made me discide to get a fire extingusher. I'll be damned if I watch my Z burn.

 

Damn, That's one thing nobody should ever experience!
I purchased a mini extinguisher the 2nd week I had my car.
Oh, Ray87Z thanx for the relay idea, I'll look into that, I already
have the rocker switch, primary wire, crimpers, and connectors.