WAS RUNNING FINE BUT FAN WAS NOT TURNING ON. REPLACED FAN MOTOR.

REPLACEd RELAY THAT IS LOCATED BETWEEN BATTERY & RADIATOR ON

PASSENGER SIDE. I THOUGHT THIS WAS COOLING FAN RELAY SO THAT IS THE

RELAY THAT I USED. STILL FAN WAS NOT WORKING. I FOUND ANOTHER RELAY

ON FIREWALL DRIVERS SIDE CLOSEST TO FENDER & SWITCHED THE NEW RELAY

I USED ON PREVIOUS TO THIS ONE. THAT DIDNT WORK. AND THEN I SWITCHED

THAT RELAY OVER TO ANOTHER WHICH IS ALSO LOCATED ON DRIVERS SIDE

FIREWALL. NOW GAUGES & FAN WONT WORK & NOW IDLES ERATICALLY. WTH

 

so im thinking i need to buy new relays and place them in the correct spot to hook up to the correct connectors lol.
so wuts the relay in between the battery and radiator for?
and which relay is which when looking at the 2 on the drivers side on the firewall???
could this be the solution to my problems or did i screw something else up in the process of playing "MUSICAL RELAYS"??????

 

Welcome to the forum, the relay between the radiator and battery are for the mass air flow sensor. There's a fan switch on the passenger side cylinder head towards the back of the head which could be your problem. Some haven't needed to use the switch and the ecm operates the fan just fine but in my car the fan won't turn on without it connected. Also just a heads up when you type in all caps it's like the equivalence of yelling at someone sooo you probably won't get very many peoples attention that way

 

Caps also takes twice as long to read, I literally found myself not wanting to try to read through all that fragmented capitalized stuff, in fact I didn't, once I scrolled down and saw that the guy above me seems to have given you what info you needed. People are happy to help on these boards, but using proper communication makes it a lot easier.

 

thats funny. so what are the 2 relays that are on the drivers side firewall mounted side by side?

 

thanx for the answer above by the way. ive found like a thousand threads asking about this common problem. but i never read anywhere a straight answer about what exactly these 3 relays were so i was stuck with guessing.

 

Here's an easy test. Find the diagnostic connector under the dash, has 12 pins, and probably just to the left of the radio and heater controls. Connect the top right terminal to the one just to the left of it and turn the key on (without running the engine). The check engine light should blink and the fan should turn on. If not, there are other issues.

The 3 relays by the brake booster are the fuel pump, air conditioning compressor clutch, and the fan relays. You can also locate the fan switch by the lifting eye in the back of the passenger's side cylinder head, disconnect it, and ground it to the engine with the ignition on. The fan should turn on then.

 

thanx trying that asap. after 2 long nights of researching on this board (thnx TGO!) ive learned more about relays and the wirings of the 3rd gen then i wanted to. lol ill make sure to update later today after i test the fan.

 

another ? would starting the motor with a relay attached to the wrong connector cause a blown fuse? because before i did this my instrument panel was working fine but now they cease to work and now also idles rough where as before it was idling as it should.

 

Check around the engine to make sure that none of the wiring has melted to the exhaust. Especially by the starter, where there is less than an inch of clearance between the wiring harness and the manifold. Also, get a digital meter and check for power.

Check here for wiring diagrams: http://92b4crs.tripod.com/86wiring/86wiringindex.html

Should be power on all of the red and orange wires all the time, pink ones when the ignition is on, and others coming out of relays (brown wire to the fan relay, for one). Also, check for power at the brown wire at the alternator.

 

Ok so i tested out the fan like you(mav) recommended by using the diagnostic method and the fan works perfect. But as before it still doesnt turn on at the proper operating temp.

 

Checked the wires and none are melted. You mentioned the coolant fan switch. Could this be the cause of my problems if the switch happened to be malfunctioning. Earlier i went to two seperate parts stores and asked for the coolant fan switch and they both could not find the part i asked for. The part wasnt even listed in there system. Is this part only recieveable through a dealer/gm???

 

Did you try grounding the fan switch by the passenger's side lifting eye (in the back of the engine)?

 

No having trouble locating it. What is the lifting eye????

 

The lifting eye is the big metal ring coming off of the cylinder head back by the transmission dipstick (if equipped) or between the ignition coil bracket and the distributor, right in the pass side rear corner of the engine. The switch is right underneath it.

Advance has the fan switch: BWD TFS5 or Factory Air 35930 or 35946.

 

okay i ordered the coolant fan switch and its on the way. while i was there i purchased the coolant temp switch. do i need to add any type of sealant to the threads of the new coolant temp switch before screwing on? would teflon tape work? Oh and sorry i cant check diagnostic codes because my instrument panel is dead

 

No, you shouldn't need to use tape, you COULD use thread sealer, but I don't personally.

 

Just making sure because i noticed the threads came bare while some other components ive installed come equipped with sealant or tape.

 

Don't use sealant on the threads... The senders use the cylinder heads as ground and sealant would interfere with operation.

I wouldn't worry about the temp light switch as you've said your dash is dead...

 

okay so i installed the CTS(didnt put anything on the threads) and i cleaned the IAC. Idle is still real rough and struggles when stepping on accelerator. Im going to try the seafoam technique and see if that helps i looked into the TB and i saw that the Intake manifold was way dirty with carbon.

 

Now, you will want to reset the ECM by disconnecting the battery for a minute. And then follow up with a full tune up as you can't know how old the spark plugs, wires, and fluids are. When done with that, then check the vacuum lines and hoses for deterioration and breaks.

 

okay sounds good. i already changed the fluids(new radiator and fluid, oil change, transmission oil, and new battery). Im on my way to get the plugs and wires right now and will be installing them TODAY. .... oh but i dont have any experience installing plugs. any how to advice on that?

 

5/8" plug socket, 6" extension, u-joint for the passenger's side. Do one plug and wire at a time to avoid firing order mistakes. While you're there, do make sure the plug wires are in the right order (start with #1, front pass side, and work your way clockwise around the distributor cap, 1-2-3-4-5-6). Also get a hold of a timing light and use it following the directions on the hood sticker.

 

u joint isn't necessary, though it might be if you only have 1 extension bar size.

 

Are the plug gaps already spaced properly or do i have to do it myself before placing them in?

 

okay UPDATE.
ive found that my fan DOES turn on now at operating temp. guess it was the CTS. but im still having probs with idle and acceleration. i put a can of seafoam into tank and filled her up wit 87 oct and brought her back home. next step im going to run the seafoam through throttle. then i will replace the plugs and wires. Anybody disagree with my plan of action?
thanx for the help mav and everybody else who commented on my inability to diagnose the problems of my 3rd gen.... sorry havent named her yet...

 

plugs, wires, fuel filter, air filter, oil/filter, seafoam, PCV, and vac hoses if necessary.

 

plugs - check
wires - check
fuel filter - negative
oil/filter - check
seafoam - check
PCV - negative
Vac Hoses - negative
....
almost there

 

....o and about those plugs? (read above posts)

 

okay now im really excited about the progress. i took her for a spin just now, yes at 1am ! Idle is better now. Couldnt take it on the highway cause the 2 front tires have dry rot but that will be taken care of when i wake up. So will the fuel filter and pcv.
Will keep TGO updated with progess and some pics for ya'll. (yes i said YA'll... im from Texas )

 

Most plugs these days don't ever need gapped afaik. But may be wrong, though I've never gapped any that I've bought.

 

okay so thanx to TGOs help ive got her runnin now and been driving her for the past week or so.
a friend of mine took a look under the hood a couple days ago and pointed out that "its running rich, has an exhaust leak, and multiple misfires...".
she cruises good but the other 2 probs ive noticed is shes drinkin ALOT of fuel (most likely from running rich) and she has stalled on me more than once while at idle (probably from the exhaust leak???). thats just my own amateurish hypothesis. and below a check list of some of the things i have done to her:

dist cap - check (when i removed the cap i noticed the coil??? was rusted im guessing not good but not sure how to remedy this)
plugs - check
wires - check
fuel filter - negative
oil/air filters - check
seafoam - check
PCV - check (not the elbow)
Vac Hoses - negative
radiator - check
alternator - check
belts - check
Thermostat - check
CTS - check
Relays - check (maf, fuel pump, cooling fan)
battery - check
fluids - check (coolant, motor oil, trans)
fan motor - check



oh and another thing i think i blew out the cat or something because now she does go when you hit the pedal where as before it felt as though something was clogged and not allowing acceleration. AND the motor is a helluva lot LOUDER now and harder to start her up.

 

did you unplug more that one relay on the fender at one time ? is it possible you put the fuel pump one on the maf plug? or the ac one on the maf?

 

at first i did
but then i found component location diagram and i put em all in the right spot.
i think the next thing im gonna do is put new gaskets on the headers and put in a new cat

 

right now my ride sounds like a helicopter...

 

when i plugged mine in wrong. i burnt up the maf. i had to replace it.because it was getting power when the key was off over night. do you have any codes?

 

no codes yet. my instrument panel stopped working when i started my engine with the relays connected to the wrong connectors
guess im gonna have to take it to some1 with a diagnostic tool