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Anyone have a feel for how much power or current the aux fan wants? I had mine hooked up to a relay, but the relay is acting kinda flakey. I was thinking that if I new for sure that the aux fan pulled well under 20A, maybe I could just run it right thru a switch.
I tested it with a multimeter and all I learned is that it pulls more than 10A.
I honestly don’t know the amps an aux. electric fan pulls but i can tell you that mine is on a toggle switch and it works just fine. Even while sitting in the pits at RA in June. Don’t know if this really helps or not but I hope it does. ALLEN
I spliced into the factory sensor and added a switch. That way the sensor still works if you forget to turn it on yourself. Also the amps don’t go through the switch they go to a relay. You could also use the AC button to turn on the fan if you still have one.
Michael
[quote=“ilateapex” post=55095]I spliced into the factory sensor and added a switch. That way the sensor still works if you forget to turn it on yourself. Also the amps don’t go through the switch they go to a relay. You could also use the AC button to turn on the fan if you still have one.
Michael[/quote]
That’s how mine is setup as well minus the addtl. external switch.
[quote=“ilateapex” post=55095]I spliced into the factory sensor and added a switch. That way the sensor still works if you forget to turn it on yourself. Also the amps don’t go through the switch they go to a relay. You could also use the AC button to turn on the fan if you still have one.
Michael[/quote]
None of that is still on the car.
Re. amps don’t go thru the switch they go to a relay. Note the first post. What I’m considering is deleting the relay. It’s not the OEM relay, I grabbed a suitable relay from the parts box and wired it in a couple yrs ago. It’s entirely homebrew.
i recently discovered that my aftermarket fan switch doesn’t work so i’ll be wiring in a manual switch in the cockpit pretty soon myself.
I think you should be able to find a 20 amp toggle switch someplace if you want to try to delete the relay. I guess the worst case is the switch will fail if it cant handle the amps. Since I never tried it your results may vary.
Also you should be able to wire in a relay from any auto parts store and they don’t cost that much money if you want to play it safe.
An EE buddy of mine says if you want to try to get away with out a relay and play it safer you can wire the switch into the ground side of the circuit and its less harsh to the switch.
A guy at e30tech says that the aux fan runs thru a 15A fuse, but that is unconfirmed.
Re. switching the ground side. I hear ya, but I like switching the hot side, I think it’s safer.
I dug up my spare relays and I had a duplicate. If the relay misbehaves at RA I’ll try replacing it. After RA I might just do away with the relay, but that means confirming what the current rating is for the switch on my dash, and putting in heavier wire to/from the switch. Simple is reliable.
Later edit. Owners manual says the aux fan uses a 30A fuse. I thought 15A was a bit low. If I had to guess that probably means that the fan pulls 15A, with a brief initial surge higher.
The aux fan has 4 fuses and 2 relays. The relays are K1 and K6 for low and high speed. The fuses are #3, 18,19, and 20. The one for low speed is 15 amps and the high speed is the 30 amp.
If you run a switch between the high speed wire and ground wire of the thermoswitch, you can turn on the fan via your switch at will and it will also come on automatically when the temp gets high enough. They make a lower-than-stock temp thermoswitch as well. Also, if you take out the resistor that’s attached to the fan itself it will always run on high speed, but you’ll need to change the #3 fuse from a 15 amp to a 30 amp.
I only know all of this because my fan stopped working last weekend and I can’t seem to fix it. So far I know that the fan, the thermoswitch, the relays, and all the fuses are good. I also know the relays are getting the proper signals but it’s not making it to the fan and I’m not sure how to solve it without ripping apart the fuse box… and I can’t find any other air gaps. It won’t come on via the AC button either.
The wiring diagram is on page 6454-0 of the etm.
The current draw depends on the fan used. My 16" 2300cfm SPAL draws 23a. I have it protected by a 30a fuse and control it with the relay that comes with the SPAL fan kit.
[quote=“Mattagaffer” post=55135]The aux fan has 4 fuses and 2 relays. The relays are K1 and K6 for low and high speed. The fuses are #3, 18,19, and 20. The one for low speed is 15 amps and the high speed is the 30 amp.
If you run a switch between the high speed wire and ground wire of the thermoswitch, you can turn on the fan via your switch at will and it will also come on automatically when the temp gets high enough. They make a lower-than-stock temp thermoswitch as well. Also, if you take out the resistor that’s attached to the fan itself it will always run on high speed, but you’ll need to change the #3 fuse from a 15 amp to a 30 amp.
I only know all of this because my fan stopped working last weekend and I can’t seem to fix it. So far I know that the fan, the thermoswitch, the relays, and all the fuses are good. I also know the relays are getting the proper signals but it’s not making it to the fan and I’m not sure how to solve it without ripping apart the fuse box… and I can’t find any other air gaps. It won’t come on via the AC button either.
The wiring diagram is on page 6454-0 of the etm.[/quote]
Have you tried adjusting the temp sliders? My fan won’t come on unless the controls are adjusted for the AC. I can take a picture of what position they need to be in for the AC switch to turn on the fan. I’ll be at the shop later in the day.
[quote=“Rob in VA” post=55163][quote=“Mattagaffer” post=55135]The aux fan has 4 fuses and 2 relays. The relays are K1 and K6 for low and high speed. The fuses are #3, 18,19, and 20. The one for low speed is 15 amps and the high speed is the 30 amp.
If you run a switch between the high speed wire and ground wire of the thermoswitch, you can turn on the fan via your switch at will and it will also come on automatically when the temp gets high enough. They make a lower-than-stock temp thermoswitch as well. Also, if you take out the resistor that’s attached to the fan itself it will always run on high speed, but you’ll need to change the #3 fuse from a 15 amp to a 30 amp.
I only know all of this because my fan stopped working last weekend and I can’t seem to fix it. So far I know that the fan, the thermoswitch, the relays, and all the fuses are good. I also know the relays are getting the proper signals but it’s not making it to the fan and I’m not sure how to solve it without ripping apart the fuse box… and I can’t find any other air gaps. It won’t come on via the AC button either.
The wiring diagram is on page 6454-0 of the etm.[/quote]
Have you tried adjusting the temp sliders? My fan won’t come on unless the controls are adjusted for the AC. I can take a picture of what position they need to be in for the AC switch to turn on the fan. I’ll be at the shop later in the day.[/quote]
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