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painless cooling fan wiring question/opinion

Kain said:
there 40 amp relays , the links ill get some 80- amp and keep em handy
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Good idea, but remember the 80 amp relays will not fit the 40 amp sockets. The 80 amp ones have much thicker and wider contacts to handle the extra current.
So get the sockets with the relays.
 
Kain said:
there 40 amp relays , the links ill get some 80- amp and keep em handy
Click to expand...

you might check the fans and find out what they are rated for. If they are under 40 amps, you probably have another problem. I’ve got some super high power fans and mine run fine on a 30A fuse.
 
Just to chime in here. I have the flex-a-lite fans that flow 4700cfm and they draw a good amount of current. I have 2 CHEAP relay kits I got at Walmart using the PF4 system. No issues BUT you have to wire it up according to Edelbrock or it won't work right. How are the relays wired up now? Can you draw up a schematic showing the relay numbers and what wire goes where?
 
And this is similar to what I got at my local walmart. I bought two of them, one for each fan. Switches are not used unless you want to have that ability to turn off fans during water crossings.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Nilight-...ess-Kit-12V-40A-Relay-On-off-Switch/171435579

I did have to change some wiring around on that harness to match the Edelbrock diagram. This means you can't just install a harness system and expect it to work without taking a closer look at the wiring.
 
Any good relay should work. I just bought the one at walmart since it was cheaper than buying all the wiring and relays at the parts store. If you wire it up according to Edelbrock, you should not have any problems. You don't need an expensive harness from Painless. The relays in the walmart kit are 40 amp and should be PLENTY for each fan. If you try to drive both fans off one relay, there is no way that relay will last.
 
Also be sure you don't do a short cut and wire up relay pin 86 up to the battery directly. It needs switchable ignition power so it goes to 0v when ignition off. I found that out the hard way when my fans kept coming on with the ignition off. I thought the negative trigger from PF4 would be enough.
 
If the fans are 10 years old they may be drawing more amperage then when new, which would over burden your circuit. Any corrosion, poor crimps loose connections, are going to increase the current draw in the circuit. With above post diagram you could do your own wiring for fans.

Testing the fan current draw would need an amp meter in the 40 amp range. not something in most auto tool boxes. A Snap on avr will work, or maybe an inductive pickup an electrician might use, if it does dc current and can handle 40+ amp it will do.
@Fordum any amp meter suggestions ? maybe an old in dash amp meter?
 
Are you still installing windstar fans? If so, all you need is a couple 30 amp fuses, 30 amp relays and some wire. With the EFI triggering the relays you can skip the sensor requirement.
 
debating on getting silicone hoses, they cost the same and say they last ten times longer
 
Wes Harden said:
If the fans are 10 years old they may be drawing more amperage then when new, which would over burden your circuit. Any corrosion, poor crimps loose connections, are going to increase the current draw in the circuit. With above post diagram you could do your own wiring for fans.

Testing the fan current draw would need an amp meter in the 40 amp range. not something in most auto tool boxes. A Snap on avr will work, or maybe an inductive pickup an electrician might use, if it does dc current and can handle 40+ amp it will do.
@Fordum any amp meter suggestions ? maybe an old in dash amp meter?
Click to expand...

could also just install a 20A fuse and see if it blows when you turn the fans on. If it does, use a 25A fuse and test again. Stop testing when the fuse stops blowing.
 
If it was me I would run one fan off the efi and one fan independent off a sensor for a fail safe. Probably unnecessary and overkill. But what fun is not doing the unnecessary stuff?
 
beags86 said:
If it was me I would run one fan off the efi and one fan independent off a sensor for a fail safe. Probably unnecessary and overkill. But what fun is not doing the unnecessary stuff?
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I trigger both fans together off the same EFI trigger, because phat blocks.
 
Will be soon , have a set from JEGS that where darn near 500 bucks, posted a link
 
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