Cooling fan relay location?

hi everybody

i'd like to install a manual switch to enable my fans....... my a/c is inoperable and it does not turn on my fans.

i installed a 180* stat and driving it runs nice but stopped, it creeps up very high. i just got this car and don't know if this is normal but my ambient temp is only 60*ish today and it still creeps up to 210-215 with extended idling....

i'd like to try to keep it running cooler, any other ideas besides a manual switch? thanks, nate

Nathan, someone with a '95 FSM will have to double-check this, because the Climate Control is one of those things that is different just for '95... The whole cooling fan system could therefore be different.

Having said that, on a '98 the #1 cooling fan relay is on the firewall - the first one starting from the passenger side of the car... The dark-green wire is grounded to provide low-speed fan operation, which is probably what you're seeing when the engine reaches 215 degrees now. That's exactly when it is normal for my PCM to command low-speed fans, if the A/C is turned off.

The only alternative is to reprogram the PCM, which is also opening a whole can of worms on a '95... I can't even find someone around here who can do it for my '97.

over rev wrote:

hi everybody

i'd like to install a manual switch to enable my fans....... my a/c is inoperable and it does not turn on my fans.

i installed a 180* stat and driving it runs nice but stopped, it creeps up very high. i just got this car and don't know if this is normal but my ambient temp is only 60*ish today and it still creeps up to 210-215 with extended idling....

i'd like to try to keep it running cooler, any other ideas besides a manual switch? thanks, nate

Nate, It just so happens i was shipped a FSM for a 1995 instead of the one I ordered.
Probably won't have after tommorrow when I ship it back, But your HVAC system even though it uses a Cycling Clutch Orifice Tube (CCOT) type of system which is different than all the other 8th Gen riv's it still relies on moving air across the Air Conditioning system Evaporator first, to dehydrate the air and then send it on to the heater core for warming or by-passing the heater core for direct cooling of the cabin air.
So the radiator cooling fans are controlled by the PCM (Power Train Control module) but only if the Air Conditioning system is working. So without an operating A/C system and no way to externally Tune or Adjust the cars computer, you will not get the fans to come on.
As Per The FSM:
The A/C Pressure Fan Switch is a normally closed switch that monitors the high side pressure during A/C operation. When high Side Pressure reaches 210 psi the switch opens signaling the PCM to turn on the primary cooling fan to High Speed.
The switch closes once high side pressure drops to approximately 160 psi.

So you can see from the above paragraph that the cooling fans will not come on as they are controlled by the PCM which is waiting for pressure signals from a system that has been disconnected from your car.

You need a proper operating Air Conditioning system and working fans to ensure you will not overheat, without both you are sure to toast the engine and you, in the Summer Time.
Sorry, time to step up to the plate and fix this system
Hope this info helps.

Btw, if you want me to ship you this manual before i return it for the one i originally ordered I will sell it for what i [paid plus shipping to you.
PM me with your addy and I'll tell you how much shipping wil be from me to you. I think I got this manual for $24.00 (will have to check) But it is well worth it if you are keeping the car. This is Book #1 of 2.
This is the more difficult of the 2 to find for some reason. Book #2 comes up for sale all the time.
Book #1 covers HVAC, Steering, Suspension, Wheels and tires, Drive Axle, Brakes, Engines, Transaxle, Chassis and Electrical, Accesories and body.
I guess i should have said, the only thing it doesn't cover is Engine Driveability and Emissions and Chassis Electrical Diagnosis.
Book #2 is important as well, but can be had for less or more easily on EBAy.

Rick, anything about turning the LOW-speed fan(s) on when the A/C is first engaged?

Actually, a better question would be if the fan relays sound anything like what I described above... If '95 used the same series/parallel fan system, he'll probably have the dark green wire on the firewall that he can ground through a toggle switch.

I have a sneaking suspicion though, that they may use the old big fan/small fan system... Then he'd have to find out how to control the small fan manually.

thank you for the replies guys.

rick, thank you for the offer on the manual, but i'm going to stubbornly have to say no thanks.... ( i'm a major cheapskate)

both you guys really had me thinking about possible options to engage my fans. (btw , i have two of the same size fans, fwiw)

i looked at the green wire on the firewall, thinking it was a pretty good size wire. i didn't want to tap something i would need another relay for ( cheapskate).. i was just poking around my engine compartment and ricks post was fresh in my mind.....

i was trying to locate my under-hood fuse panel ( behind the passenger side headlight) and i saw a switch in the a/c line. i turned my key on and was going to unplug the connector and jumper across the terminals. i unplugged the connector, well low and behold, i heard the fan relays click and my fans turned on. a couple seconds on low, then another click, and they turned on hi! i did this several time to verify what was happening and it works every time! these are low amperage wires that send a signal to the relays.

all i have to do is extend these wires to the passenger compartment with any old switch and i'll have manual control of my high speed fans threw the factory wiring and relays!

i can see using this over-ride in heavy traffic, or waiting at drive-threws etc etc etc....

over rev wrote:

thank you for the replies guys.

rick, thank you for the offer on the manual, but i'm going to stubbornly have to say no thanks.... ( i'm a major cheapskate)

Oooooh... I think that's gonna' come back and bite you in the ass.

First of all, these are complicated cars, and if you intend to keep yours you ARE going to need the manuals for it Right now on eBay there are a couple of sets for about the same price as 2 tanks of gas... (please tell me you're not such a 'cheapskate' as to run a supercharged engine without Premium fuel!)

Secondly, even with a core group of experienced and generous fanatics on this site, the time will come when they won't spend the time to help you if you won't spend the money on something so basic as the FSM... OK, end of lecture

Congratulations on finding your way to trick the fans. I think what you've done is make the system think that it still has refrigerant... This really shows how different the '95 A/C is, because that sensor is variable on the later cars, and the A/C only commands low-speed on the fans, with high-speed only kicking in when the coolant reaches around 230 degrees...

By the way, since you're fooling the system, didn't it try to engage the compressor?
.

Being a major cheapskate, you NEED those manuals. That's how you avoid expensive mechanics fees!

I still have the 1995 Book if your at all interested.
I'm not going to return ship this one until I receive the correct one.
So, if I sell this one, I'll be doing it for the vendor not me.

deekster_caddy wrote:

Being a major cheapskate, you NEED those manuals. That's how you avoid expensive mechanics fees!

no doubt, haha

you guys should realise, i have only driven this car 3 times, including home from the guy i bought it from, i've only had it for a few days. i want to make sure i have a solid foundation before i put any money into it. running 215* with an ambient temp in the low 50*'s had me concerned.

if i choose to keep the car, a manual will be something i'll need, i know that. my preference would be a PDF file.

that being said, my fans are working as i'd hoped, despite the negative post reputation... the a/c system is inoperable, the clutch has never kicked in.

i would not recommend doing this with an operating A/C as possible damage may occur