Cooling fan wiring

oldmate · Post by **oldmate** » Sat Jun 21, 2014 10:16 am

Hi guys, the cooling fan on my 1988 touring wagon doesnt seem to be working. Ive been trying to check the wiring but theres a few things im not sure about.

1) what is the purpose of the wires coming out of the radiator?
2) Is there a fuse for the fan in the fuse box under the hood or is it just the one in the car?
3) Is there a relay for the fan and where can i find it?

Sorry if these questions are overly simplified but im new to the world of car wiring!!

Thanks,

B W

Post by **Bantum** » Sat Jun 21, 2014 12:54 pm

Really ?

You need to get hold of a manual for your car & do some reading in the electrical section ...

Cheers, Bantum ...

justincase41 · Post by **justincase41** » Sat Jun 21, 2014 5:46 pm

oldmate wrote:
1) what is the purpose of the wires coming out of the radiator?
2) Is there a fuse for the fan in the fuse box under the hood or is it just the one in the car?
3) Is there a relay for the fan and where can i find it?

Okay, the yellow wire (from memory) connected to the radiator via the thermo switch tells your cooling fan to switch on when the water temperature is at the temperature the thermo switch is set for.

The other wires and connectors will be for the cooling fans.

Try disconnecting the cooling fan connection (if you have aircon and 2 fans, try it for both) and connect it to a power source (car battery) to check it runs. You will have to get a couple of pieces of wire so you can reach the battery. Watch your fingers! If the fans work, move on to the next step. If they don't work, it/they are stuffed.

Try disconnecting the yellow wire (from memory) that plugs into the radiator, then earth is againsed something. If the cooling fan turns on, your thermo switch is dodgy. You can buy them online for about $40

oldmate · Post by **oldmate** » Sat Jun 21, 2014 6:48 pm

Cheers mate. Yep the wiring from the thermo switch was a bit buggered. ALl good now though

NachaLuva · Post by **NachaLuva** » Sun Jun 22, 2014 2:51 pm

I get confused by car wiring too lol

RSR 555 · Post by **RSR 555** » Thu Jun 26, 2014 3:33 am

The main problem with the L.Series fan control is that due to plastic radiator tanks, the wiring needs to have a power supply (usually switched from ignition) and earth triggering via a thermo switch. The Thermo switch on the EA82 from memory is just below the thermostat housing. If you earth this wire to the engine whist the ignition is on, then the fan should start up, if not you need to check power to the fan (probably good to have the WSM handy).

The other issue with the L.Series is when A/C is fitted, Subaru supplied a cable that would make a jumper (double adapter) setup to over-ride the thermo switch when the A/C was turned on. If this is not fitted correctly (or has corroded over the years) then your A/C and engine will over heat due to the fan not coming on.

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Fri Jun 27, 2014 5:46 pm

RSR 555 wrote:The main problem with the L.Series fan control is that due to plastic radiator tanks, the wiring needs to have a power supply (usually switched from ignition) and earth triggering via a thermo switch. The Thermo switch on the EA82 from memory is just below the thermostat housing.

You must have been tired when you wrote this Paul - the thermo switch is on the radiator about 1/3 up from the bottom of the side tank on the driver's side (in Oz), it has two wires that usually have a blue plug. From memory one wire is yellow and the other one is blue. I think the yellow one is the positive switched wire, blue is the earth.

The thermostat has the temp gauge sender unit under it, this has one wire. I believe earthing this wire will make your temp gauge hit the roof when the ignition is on.

As for testing the wiring to/from the thermo switch - DO NOT short it out to the body, you will only blow a fuse at the best. To test it you simply run a wire across the two wires in the plug - this should trigger the thermo fans to operate.

There is a relatively simple way to wire in an ON/Off/ON switch so that one ON position is Auto from the thermo switch (Or ECU for EJ converted L's) if you wish to do so. This is useful for 4wd'n that involves river crossings.

Cheers

Bennie