Fan delay relay operation

[mikestertwo]

You can lead a horse to water but..........

Very true. The question is who's the horse and what is the water. It was mentioned that having the fan run after the engine is shut off makes no difference in the cooling. That is not true. It reduces heat soak and helps keep the engine cool. There is no question that those relays fail because they are not sealed but that does not take away the reason it was put on our cars. I guess GM put them on our cars because they didn't have anything better to do and wanted to add cost to the car.

 

[Coelacanth]

So you're suggesting EVERYTHING dealers do when manufacturing vehicles is ALWAYS good? Are you suggesting, for example, that the stock restrictive airbox and intake assembly was the best for the car's performance? And the stock weak nylon timing gear was a great idea, and "they put it there for a reason"? Your logic is flawed...but hey, you're on a forum of TB enthusiasts, asked a question, pretty much everybody told you one thing...and you choose to believe another.

EDIT: I'll add that the community of Turbo Buick gurus and wizards on sites like this probably know more than even the manufacturers did back in the day, as they've had the benefit of owning and running them--superbly hard, in many cases--over a period of several decades, far beyond the manufacturer would've expected. So, you'd think those gurus would've picked up a thing or two, eh?

 

[mikestertwo]

So you're suggesting EVERYTHING dealers do when manufacturing vehicles is ALWAYS good? Are you suggesting, for example, that the stock restrictive airbox and intake assembly was the best for the car's performance? And the stock weak nylon timing gear was a great idea, and "they put it there for a reason"? Your logic is flawed...but hey, you're on a forum of TB enthusiasts, asked a question, pretty much everybody told you one thing...and you choose to believe another.

EDIT: I'll add that the community of Turbo Buick gurus and wizards on sites like this probably know more than even the manufacturers did back in the day, as they've had the benefit of owning and running them--superbly hard, in many cases--over a period of several decades, far beyond the manufacturer would've expected. So, you'd think those gurus would've picked up a thing or two, eh?

I don't argue with ignorance! Have a nice day

 

[TurboWh1]

Will the delay relay cause the fan to run all the time with engine cold and engine running? I have another car that the fan works just not as it should. I haven’t had the chance to dig into it.

 

[Coelacanth]

I don't argue with ignorance! Have a nice day

Well, I hope you left your cars completely stock, exactly the way they were when they rolled out of the factory...because if not, your whole argument is baseless and hypocritical...and ignorant. Have a nice night.

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

Well, I hope you left your cars completely stock, exactly the way they were when they rolled out of the factory...because if not, your whole argument is baseless and hypocritical...and ignorant. Have a nice night.

No... It's on the owner to determine which was stupid and which wasn't. Even a brand new Mercedes will have shit on it that is just plain STUPID. Look at our recirculation on our inlet bell. REALLY stupid. Sure, lets fill our intercoolers with oil! Running the fan afterwards not only cools the coolant in the radiator so that when you start the vehicle the really cool water now helps bring the block heat down soo much faster, but the air being blown across the block while that's happening helps cool the turbo and block. It's not totally drastic no, but it does help. I monitor this on my daily driver CONSTANTLY, and when I do it with the daily, she cools down much faster after I start it back up after a 3 minute fan run. In theory it's a good idea sure, but is it worth the hassle of a drained battery? No, you're right, it's not; IF your car gets wet, or has an old relay. My car hasn't even been WASHED in years. It doesn't even leave the garage if there's a cloud in the sky, and my relays brand new. If it ever shorts out then I'll ditch it, but until then my car has never done it. Although in John's write up it takes a 200 and some degrees for that to happen and my car barely sees 195 lol so I suppose it'll never kick on. Which is why I think I'll just install an aftermarket fan controller from flexalite or something. I race on the local cruise strip, and when I pull over to bullshit I want to be able to have a cooler engine after hanging out for 10 minutes. It really helps.
When I first started racing this car in 2005, it was really fast for the first hour. Then after that it was a total DUD. That was heat soak, which I never monitored back then. Now I'm a heat FREAK with my cars.

 

[turbo nasty]

Very true. The question is who's the horse and what is the water. It was mentioned that having the fan run after the engine is shut off makes no difference in the cooling. That is not true. It reduces heat soak and helps keep the engine cool. There is no question that those relays fail because they are not sealed but that does not take away the reason it was put on our cars. I guess GM put them on our cars because they didn't have anything better to do and wanted to add cost to the car.

LOL at the rolleyes....Cut it how you want.... FACT is when new the cars ran on the hot side to meet emissions and the fan delay relay was only there to turn on since they ran on the hot side anyway and after shutdown the temps would creep up. With a change from stock chip the aftermarket chips lower fan turn on temps, fuel and timing maps tweaks also helped to allow it to run cooler. This post as well as others in this thread state facts not some angle of something that you think is going to increase the cooling. Increased cooling will be a lower temp stat, better radiator, jumping fan resistor, better h20 pump, altering chip parameters.... those things increase cooling......period.

 

[Coelacanth]

No, you're right, it's not; IF your car gets wet, or has an old relay. My car hasn't even been WASHED in years. It doesn't even leave the garage if there's a cloud in the sky, and my relays brand new. If it ever shorts out then I'll ditch it, but until then my car has never done it.

Yes, it's up to the owner to educate themselves and do what's best for their car...and sometimes, what's best for their car is NOT what the manufacturers intended. How nice that your car rarely sees a drop of water, or you only need to wash it every other birthday. Up here in western Canada, we're lucky to go 2 consecutive days without rain, in the summer, no less. Not to mention winter...of course my car doesn't get driven in winter, but unless you live in the desert somewhere like Arizona or Nevada, water & moisture become a much bigger concern. And you've seen what happens to the inside of the fan delay relay, in the earlier picture someone posted. Adding a piece of sheetmetal to act like a rain gutter to protect the thing is laughable. (Why didn't the manufacturer think of that, hm?)

Up here anyway, removing it is the better option, no matter what the manufacturer thought was best.

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

That is true. Up there. But there's no way I'm going to follow the advice of someone who's relay failed just because they're car's in a high moisture environment, while mine is not. TOTALLY understand the shortcomings of our delay relays, but that wasn't the point of the thread. It was to understand it's complete intended operation. Everyone already knows their shortcomings...

 

[TURBOPOWERED68]

I must thank you guys, i checked yesterday and my relay was still connected, mind you i just got this car and i haven't gotten it on the road yet. So i unplugged it the very moment i saw it. You guys saved my ass from being stuck with a dead battery for no good reason.
Thanks

 

[bison]

The fan delay relay. Some engineers wet dream. Causes more dead batteries on turbo regals than anything. These cars are a nightmare for corroded wiring and connections.


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[turbobitt]

I'm not sure if this adds value to the OP but I eliminated my delay relay and ran a set of relays to turn on the electric water pump and highest speed of the fans when the car is off and the temp switch sees high water temp. It is wired HOT with the key off so that they will run until it cools down enough. I use the existing switch on the intake to turn this on and off and is of the lower temp aftermarket type. The wiring was strategically done so that it doesn't interfere with the independent operation of the fans and electric water pump.
AG.