Taurus fan wiring help

[Jimbos76cj]

Im looking to get my taurus fan wired up in the next couple of days and have a few questions
#1 any one run the fan in just the LOW setting? Ive read alot of folks running it in just the low setting since high keeps the motor to cool.
#2 I should be ok with running 40 amp realy for the low speed? read alot about a 4 amp realy and 30 amp fuse.
#3 Id really like to wire the ground wire though the relay. So id run a 8 ga power wire from the battery to a 30 amp self resetting breaker then to the low speed lead of the fan. The ground wire would feed trough the realy and be hot when the jeep is started and then the last relay ground activated when a 185 on 165 off switch reaches 185.
For those that know relays heres the terminal numbers
#85 relay ground to temp switch (and dash switch)
#86 relay switch power - from choke relay (relay is activated my the exciter wire from the altenator so it will only come on when the Jeep is running)
#87 to fan ground
#30 to Battery of good ground
Ill use #87A to activate a warning light on the dash to indicate the fan is off.
Any thoughts?

 

[IOPort51]

Do you have the fan mounted already??

the wiring sounds good to me, pretty much the way I have mine wired except my relay coil is powered by the accessory power from the fuse block.

not a problem just two different control power sources.

 

[csuengr]

You are making things way too complicated. Wire the fan so it runs in high. If your thermostat is good, there is no way it can cool too much.

40A relay is fine. A 30A would work also.

There is no reason to ground through the relay. It is easier if you didn't. The ground wire can be attached to anywhere you have a good ground, like the grill/radiator support. That is why you don't ground through the relay, less wire to run.

#85 terminal goes to ground. Usually a short wire run around to the relay mounting screw.

#86 is whatever you are using to turn the fan on.

(This set up is known an sourcing, since voltage is applied to the relay coil)

OR

You can also sink it by running a hot wire from the batt to #86 then #85 is grounded by your fan controller.

#30 connected to + side of battery through a fuse or circuit breaker.

#87 goes to the high speed side of the fan.

I use my ears to tell me if the fan is running or not. Running an extra wire for an "off" indicator is extra work that isn't needed.

You don't need 8 gauge, 10 gauge will work just fine.

 

[Petescj]

Heres a bunch of stuff from Brocks Useful thread.


Electric fan stuff:
Contour Fan. Factory speed control? - JeepForum.com
Electrical Fan Wiring Question - JeepForum.com
Ford Taurus Two Speed E-Fan Install (pics) - JeepForum.com
Jeep Horizons :: View topic - Ford Taurus 2 Speed Fan
http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2...cfan/index.php

 

[IOPort51]

I missed one thing, #3 you want the fuse between the load and the battery. the relay is OK on either side.

The low speed is produced by a resistor, this basically means the amp draw will be the same in low and high. there is no real advantage to the low speed that I can see.

Im looking to get my taurus fan wired up in the next couple of days and have a few questions
#1 any one run the fan in just the LOW setting? Ive read alot of folks running it in just the low setting since high keeps the motor to cool.
#2 I should be ok with running 40 amp realy for the low speed? read alot about a 4 amp realy and 30 amp fuse.
#3 Id really like to wire the ground wire though the relay. So id run a 8 ga power wire from the battery to a 30 amp self resetting breaker then to the low speed lead of the fan. The ground wire would feed trough the realy and be hot when the jeep is started and then the last relay ground activated when a 185 on 165 off switch reaches 185.
For those that know relays heres the terminal numbers
#85 relay ground to temp switch (and dash switch)
#86 relay switch power - from choke relay (relay is activated my the exciter wire from the altenator so it will only come on when the Jeep is running)
#87 to fan ground
#30 to Battery of good ground
Ill use #87A to activate a warning light on the dash to indicate the fan is off.
Any thoughts?

 

[Jimbos76cj]

Do you have the fan mounted already??

the wiring sounds good to me, pretty much the way I have mine wired except my relay coil is powered by the accessory power from the fuse block.

not a problem just two different control power sources.

Thanks IO I dont like wiring it from the accessory just because if I turn it on to listen to the radio it would kick the fan on.. I was originally wiring it with out a temp sensor so it would run when the motor is running. But with the Temp sensor I guess it will only come on when the motor is up to temp..

I think my original post may have been a little confusing. The breaker will be between the batt and the load. every thing Ive read shows when the fan powers up to high it pulls a huge load compared to low speed. Almost every one has 80-100 amp relays running the high speed side. Ive read a few post where people have melted fuse connectors from the load being place.. one the initial fan start is over it settles down to a reasonable draw.

 

[Jimbos76cj]

You are making things way too complicated. Wire the fan so it runs in high. If your thermostat is good, there is no way it can cool too much.

40A relay is fine. A 30A would work also.

There is no reason to ground through the relay. It is easier if you didn't. The ground wire can be attached to anywhere you have a good ground, like the grill/radiator support. That is why you don't ground through the relay, less wire to run.

#85 terminal goes to ground. Usually a short wire run around to the relay mounting screw.

#86 is whatever you are using to turn the fan on.

(This set up is known an sourcing, since voltage is applied to the relay coil)

OR

You can also sink it by running a hot wire from the batt to #86 then #85 is grounded by your fan controller.

#30 connected to + side of battery through a fuse or circuit breaker.

#87 goes to the high speed side of the fan.

I use my ears to tell me if the fan is running or not. Running an extra wire for an "off" indicator is extra work that isn't needed.

You don't need 8 gauge, 10 gauge will work just fine.

Thanks for the info.. Wiring the ground through the relay really doesnt require any more wiring then running the hot side through it. I can still ground it to the frame

as for the ears... To many years if shot guns and air horns leaves the low level sounds out of my hearing library. Plus the fan I have is pretty quiet, top that with the RV cam, header, stereo, mud tires and exhaust I really would like to have a light just in case. running 1 extra wire isnt going to kill me.

When it comes to wiring Id rather go 1 step larger then needed. Ive read people burning up 12ga and being "ok" with 10for the cost of 6' of 8 gauge Im ok with the upgrade.. besides I think that the fan is wired with 8 ga any way.

 

[steveno]

The PO of my Jeep put a 3 way rocker switch at the dash, I turn the whole thing off when not in Jeep, set to low when driving and is turned off and on by a temp. sense that runs into the radiator hose. And a Hight setting when in traffic or hot days. I will take pics if interested, and the he also ran the power wire from the fuse block. I don't know much anything about electric and learning, just really like the switch on the dash and can turn off the fan when running threw water.

 

[Jimbos76cj]

Thanks for the reply Steve. Does you switch go right to the fan? If so feel the wireless and switch after a day of running it on high to see how warm they are. Most people run the fans try rough relays and heavy gauge wire so they don't over load the switch. Ive though a out the 3 way switch but really don't want to mess with switches for it j less its just to turn it off. I do have a switch built I to my system also.

 

[steveno]

I will take a look at the complete wiring for it, I haven't run it on high that much yet only in heavy traffic. I'll check to see were the switch wire runs to first.

 

[csuengr]

A 100A relay for a fan. That is just stupid. A fan while it is running only draws a few amps. It's the turning on and spooling up that draws the current. My Caprice had dual 16" fans from the factory and they (GM) only used 30A fuses for each.

A fan controller is the best way to go. Doesn't require any action from the driver. Comes on only when needed and turns off automatically. They are not that expensive. The fans for my CJ are controlled by the ECU and I don't even run a cutoff switch. Deep water crossing are rare here. If they are deep, they are also fast, so one just doesn't go through. I also have dual Ford Contour fans, which are much better Taurus fans.

just remember the KISS principle.

 

[GatorBate]

I don't like running things like my cooling system manually, I forget to turn it on until its to late.

I ran my relay control power from the battery through an oil pressure switch that closes around 8 to 10 lbs. The fan only runs when the engine is running and the oil pressure is up and not during start up. The power for the high speed relay goes through an additional switch, an adjustable thermostat I picked up at the auto parts store. It closes around 185 degrees.

My 65 amp alternator could not supply enough current for both the lights and the fans. (I discovered that the first night out) So I measured the current draw on my ford fans and found that they pull 16 amps on low and 26 on high. Inrush current hits around 22 -23 on low and 35 or so when it kicked in to high.

I've ran it for about a year now with no problems.