Normy

A minor snafu~

Recently, while driving in traffic in Orlando after a long drive on I-4, I noticed that my previously freezing A/C was not so freezing anymore. In fact, I noticed that it really was pretty marginal in traffic overall.

I took a look at everything, found nothing wrong, and deduced that the system probably was due for its yearly charge. System now charged....and the same symptom. Hmm.

Well, a trip to an AC shop here in Orlando revealed that the front electric cooling fan is not functioning. The fan and motor itself are fine- I jumpered the connector directly to the battery and it spooled up.

I also noticed that it does not come on when the coolant temperature gets warm either. It simply does nothing right now.

So, that leaves either a relay or some bad wiring as the culprit. Despite poring over the maintenance manual, I cannot seem to find the relay that switches the fan on and off anywhere. Has anyone else had this problem, or does anyone know where the relay that runs this fan is located?

Normy!

'85 S2

chrism928

Normy,
very strange. I have the same problem on my 85 euro. I have done a bit of research but have not got dirty yet (it's mid-fall here and getting colder), but here are some considerations. There is a temp sensor front left of the radiator, well exposed to road grime - if the rubber boot over the terminals is cracked it may be a problem. There is another sensor on the a/c receiver/drier, and another on the induction manifold that, I believe, controls the fan after the ignition is turned off. Any of these can turn the elec fan on, and thus could cause a problem if faulty. You should also check the bonnet switch - if that is open then the fan won't work. A safety thing I guess, but a faulty switch would likely stop the fan from working.
Good luck - would love to know what your fix is.
Chris.

Steve Cattaneo

Normy,
The ignition powers pin 86 of the fan relay. With the key on there should be 12 volts at #86. Fuse # 29 feeds the fan thru the relay at pin # 30; with the key on there should be 12 volts at pin 30 No voltage, the fuse is bad or you have a break in the wire. If you have 12 volts at pin 30,jump pin 30 and 87, the fan should come on. If the fan comes on and you also have 12 volts at pin 86. You have a bad relay or a bad radiator temperature sensor. To test the rely, reinstall the relay, jump the terminals of the radiator sensor (brown wire to blue with green strip wire). With the key on and the terminals of the radiator sensor jumped. The fan should come on if the relay is good, fan on, bad radiator temperature. Sensor. The fan relay is XVIII.


Steve C
The Great White
<img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

chrism928

Steve,
Thanks, I should be able to track down my problem with your info. BTW, does the radiator temp sensor feed the dash temp gauge? My temp guage has been reading low - I may be able to solve two problems at once.
Chris.

WallyP

The electrric fan on the earlier model is a helper, not the main air mover. It only runs when either:
The coolant gets over 80 deg C.
The freon gets hot at the receiver/dryer (which doesn't happen very quickly when you turn the A/C on!).
The intake manifold plenum gets hot (usually after shut-down).

In other words, the electric fan doesn't come on very often in the earlier cars.

Shorting the radiator temp sensor (which does not drive the temp gauge - that sensor is on top front of the engine) with the hood switch down and the ignition switch on is the easiest check for the fan and relay.

Dozman

Since my smog pump stopped operating (sounds like gravel when I turn it by hand, bad bearings I believe), I made a temporary fix to keep the cooling fan running by using a smaller belt bypassing the smog pump.

Question: Has anyone installed an electric fan that has replaced the belt driven fan that will satisfy air flow?

Question: If someone has made this mod., how about sharing some info with me. (I hate driving my shark seeing the temp climb a little higher than normal. Knowing that the belt I am using may need to be changed frequently, and the belt is not adequate for the job.)

Thanks ahead of time.

DOZMAN
'85 928 Auto, Black <img src="graemlins/jumper.gif" border="0" alt="[jumper]" />

Barry928

[quote]Originally posted by Normy:
<strong>A minor snafu~

Recently, while driving in traffic in Orlando after a long drive on I-4, I noticed that my previously freezing A/C was not so freezing anymore. In fact, I noticed that it really was pretty marginal in traffic overall.


Normy!

'85 S2</strong><hr></blockquote>


I too struggle to keep the car cool on I-4 and finally had my mechanic rewire the relays so that whenever the A/C compressor is on the electric fan turns on.

My mechanic in Orlando is Redbone Garage.

Fletcher

I too would like to kmow about an electric fan to replace the clutch fan. I have heard this has been done, and must save a couple of ponies too! <img src="graemlins/yltype.gif" border="0" alt="[typing]" />

Normy

Thanx for the info guys-

-I'm pretty sure that the culprit is the temp switch in the radiator. To make the system work, I simply jumpered the wire so that the fan now comes on any time the ignition is powered. The added benefit is that this helps cool the engine, though mine runs fairly cool anyway.

Barry- I've heard of Redbone but never tried them. I usually work on the car myself, but have taken it to Zotz Garage on 436 in Winter Park. They have a guy there named Donnie who is very knowledgeable on sharks!

Normy!

'85 S2

Richter12x2

I'm too new to owning a Porsche to know if Porsche owners are against a little "re-engineering" as long as it looks stock, but the trick used for Rx7's is to replace the clutch-fan with an electric fan from the Ford Escort or Taurus (I believe). It's small to get into tight places, and moves quite a bit of cfm. (Someone tested them against a few others and found the Ford fan to outperform most, short of a $300 aftermarket fan). It's a 2 speed fan, so for safety's sake, I'd wire low to come on with the ignition on, and high to come on with the A/C Compressor.

Or, for the more monetarily promiscuous, you can pick up a fan controller that installs on your radiator to control precise when each speed comes on and off.

A quick search yields http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=827375, but there's plenty more info available if you search.

SteveG

A little re-engineering is OK. Many belt driven fans have been replaced with electric. IIRC the main suppliers here, 928 Specialists and 928 Int'l sell such fans. Chevy engines is another matter.

dr bob

There's a pretty good suggestion regarding using a fan console from the Ford Contour to replace the clutch fan. That includes the shroud and the fan, and should be available in the secondary parts market.

Housekeeping:

This thread is seven years old. A quote and a reply/suggestion?

soontobered84

I used an Audi dual fan assembly on the rauchquartzmetallic car. I used power supply to the coil to power the relay base, and drew power to the fans from a fused link to the jump start terminal. The assembly was almost a perfect fit, it is two speed, and uses a belt from one fan to drive the other fan.

Jim M. has the part number for the fan assembly which should be available readily from your local Audi dismantler.

WallyP

"I used power supply to the coil to power the relay base, ..."

I don't like for anything to pull power from the coil supply.

Hi Ho Silver

Im glad it was brought up after 7 years because my electric fan doesnt work and now I can use these suggestions, thanks for fetching it back up. On mine though I dont think it is the radiator temperature sensor as I put a new one in, but you never know it could be a dud. Will go throught he steps mentioned. Many thanks

Peter