Fan delay relay causing troubles?

[Ken87GN]

I know this relay is prone to failure and I think mine bit it a few days ago. I had the car out for a while, put it back in the garage, went to work and came home 8 hours later and everything is dead. Battery and alternator are new plus I have the Casper's field fix hooked up. I was checking around under the hood while the car was running and heard some weird clicking type noise but couldn't pin-point it and didn't think anything of it at the time.. could this have been the relay clicking? As far as I know it's the original relay.

I want to eliminate this relay anyway, after I disconnect the relay what do I do with the wires? Should I cover them with black tape or something?

Thanks!

 

[TURBOV6]

Originally posted by Ken87GN


I want to eliminate this relay anyway, after I disconnect the relay what do I do with the wires? Should I cover them with black tape or something?

Thanks!

Normally when a battery goes dead things start malfunction or act weird, that could be causing the relay to click. I would check what's causing the battery drain, it could be just another bad relay but I think its not a good idea not to use the relay and try to rewire it. I had a bad mecury switch for the trunk light that caused my battey to drain could also be a bad hood light.

 

[Ken87GN]

I'm definitely not going to use the delay relay anymore, I find it pointless also. I meant after it's unhooked what to do with the wires so they don't get wet or corroded..? Each time I close the hood or trunk, I make sure the lights go off... unless they're coming back on after it's closed.

If the relay is bad, would it click or run the fan if I jump start it?

 

[d0n_3d]

i am having the same problem...only my car's battery won't stay charged after 1 week...it goes completely dead to where no lights come on...i too thought about the hood light and trunk light...i don't have a hood bulb in anyways and i also took out the glove box and trunk bulbs...

the light on the roof does not stay on after i close the door...also i have my cd-player face off, all toggle switches OFF...

i just charged the battery and i am going to put it back in today and see what happens to do a little test...if it goes dead AGAIN with all this stuff disconnected it HAS to be the fan relays...the only relay i use now is the MAIN one all the way closest to the firewall since i home rigged my fan to a toggle switch in the car...i don't even use the low or high fan relay boxes...i might disconnect those and see what happens...

i am not sure what else could be causing a battery to drain like this...does the computer use the battery constantly? does my cd-player need battery power to remember the settings? what else could cause this!

 

[TURBOV6]

I would do a search first and see if many guys have problems with the factory fan relay. If I recall this would be the first to me without even doing a search. The relay is unique its has a timer and its ECM controlled. If you going to not use the relay then you got to get a wiring scheme on the color and use SPDT switches and or 30-40 amp switches. You could just use some silicon or dielectric grease to seal up the relay socket if you going to worry water might get into it or just tuck it away.

 

[Ken87GN]

I did a search yesterday and the majority says the delay relay is the biggest troublemaker for draining or killing a battery. I have a new relay I bought a few years ago and never installed it because I thought the original was bad (which it wasn't at the time).. now do I use it or just eliminate it..

 

[GNVenom]

You can safely remove the relay altogether. The delay relay works independently of the ECM control, and is only used when the engine temperature is high enough to set the temperature switch on the lower intake, directly below the throttle cable. By removing the relay, you lose the ability to run the coolant fan when the engine is turned off (big deal) so it's really more trouble than it's worth. Leave the connectors hanging, pack them with white lithium grease, then tape them to the wire harness and forget they were there.
I've been doing it for 16 years...
-John Spina
http://www.casperselectronics.com

 

[d0n_3d]

well i just pulled out the low/high and main fan relay boxes completely...my fan still works with my toggle switch even when the car is off...i wired it so i could do that...let's see if my battery still drains...i took out most of the bulbs i could think of too

 

[Ken87GN]

Thanks John, if it was the relay then it's going bye bye! If it really serves no purpose (especially in the winter) but run to cool off the radiator then I don't need it.. But, I need to know how to check to see if it was the relay.. if I jump the battery to start it, will the fan turn on without the car running? Otherwise, how can I check it to make sure?

Thanks again!!

 

[bishir]

I you want to search for a drain put an multimeter on your battery. Then watch the readings while you pull fuses one at a time. You should be able to find your voltage drain that way.

James

 

[Roger]

The fan relays are not fuse protected - they are protected by the fuse links near the starter.

 

[Ken87GN]

Ok, I disconnected my relay today and when I pulled the first connector off (engine side) the fan turned on for a split second then shut off..... Is that suppose to happen?

 

[Ken87GN]

Anyone??

 

[salvageV6]

You probably started with the trigger connector. Kicked in the relay while you unplugged it.

Now that it's gone you have no more worries.

No problem.

Fans can start at any time, so says the warning label.

GM guys didn't trust that relay either.