What's burning out the radiator fan relay, 98 Grand Voyager 3.0?

When we bought the van a few years ago, the check engine light was on.
The diagnostic at AutoZone indicated possible fan relay, among other
things I had to fix. Replaced the relay, fans worked fine for 3
months, Same thing, got a relay from a dealer this time, 3 months or
so, I'm replacing it for the 3rd time. What's causing it to burn out?
The plastic on the connector at the pin 1 ( ? ) contact is a bit
melted. Help! These relays ain't cheap...
Mark Goodall

On 9/4/2011 8:40 PM, mark wrote:
> When we bought the van a few years ago, the check engine light was on.
> The diagnostic at AutoZone indicated possible fan relay, among other
> things I had to fix. Replaced the relay, fans worked fine for 3
> months, Same thing, got a relay from a dealer this time, 3 months or
> so, I'm replacing it for the 3rd time. What's causing it to burn out?
> The plastic on the connector at the pin 1 ( ? ) contact is a bit
> melted. Help! These relays ain't cheap...
> Mark Goodall


Yes, they are pretty cheap. Like $12. But it is the fan that is
throwing the voltage out of whack. It's easier just to use the single
speed fan than replace all.

It appears it's not the 'relay' this time. I replaced it ($58) and the fans wouldn't work, running the van up past normal temp. I should have known, because last time the check engine scan threw a code for it, and this time it didn't. As Daniel indicated, it's not a relay, so I don't think I can check it with a VOM. The fans run fine straight off the battery (although one fan has a bit of resistance when I turn it by hand)so I'm thinking about wiring them to the battery and fuse box so they only run with the key on. I think the fan wires are green & black, anyone know the polarity so they spin the right direction?
Mark Goodall

Mark Goodall wrote:

> The fans run fine straight off the battery

You might was well connect the fans directly to the battery (or to the
switched 12V bus that becomes active when-ever the ignition is on).

> although one fan has a bit of resistance when I turn it by hand

You need to oil or lubricate that fan - or replace it. That sticking
fan is drawing more load from your electronic relay, which is causing
your relay failure.

> so I'm thinking about wiring them to the battery and fuse box so
> they only run with the key on.

But you need to lubricate that fan so it turns freely, otherwise it will
eventually fail.

Thanks Mopar Man, how do I know I've got the fan polarity right? Blowing toward the engine?
Mark Goodall

Mark Goodall wrote:

> Thanks Mopar Man, how do I know I've got the fan polarity right?
> Blowing toward the engine?

Well, first of all I would expect that one lead of the fan motor is
already connected to ground - because there's no need to switch BOTH
leads of the fan motor - just the hot or +12V lead.

If that's not the case, or if you can't identify the switched or hot
lead, then yes, the fan normally pulls (or pushes) air from the front of
the car through the radiator towards the engine block.

green is hot, black is ground but I'd just replace them. save you a lot of
headaches and they will last another 13 years or more.


"Mark Goodall" > wrote in message
...
It appears it's not the 'relay' this time. I replaced it ($58) and the fans
wouldn't work, running the van up past normal temp. I should have known,
because last time the check engine scan threw a code for it, and this time
it didn't. As Daniel indicated, it's not a relay, so I don't think I can
check it with a VOM. The fans run fine straight off the battery (although
one fan has a bit of resistance when I turn it by hand)so I'm thinking about
wiring them to the battery and fuse box so they only run with the key on. I
think the fan wires are green & black, anyone know the polarity so they spin
the right direction?
Mark Goodall

On 9/4/2011 8:04 PM, ng_reader wrote:
> On 9/4/2011 8:40 PM, mark wrote:
>> When we bought the van a few years ago, the check engine light was on.
>> The diagnostic at AutoZone indicated possible fan relay, among other
>> things I had to fix. Replaced the relay, fans worked fine for 3
>> months, Same thing, got a relay from a dealer this time, 3 months or
>> so, I'm replacing it for the 3rd time. What's causing it to burn out?
>> The plastic on the connector at the pin 1 ( ? ) contact is a bit
>> melted. Help! These relays ain't cheap...
>> Mark Goodall
>
>
> Yes, they are pretty cheap. Like $12.

Not from Mopar or an after market discount store. Are you buying them
from a junkyard?

But it is the fan that is throwing
> the voltage out of whack. It's easier just to use the single speed fan
> than replace all.


--
It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard
the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all
ages who mean to govern well, but *They mean to govern*. They promise to
be good masters, *but they mean to be masters*. Daniel Webster

Thanks, Mopar Man. And PaxPerPoten, check out this fan test:
http://troubleshootmyvehicle.com/jee...lay_test_6.php
I ran the test with my multimeter, passenger side fan showed about 10 amps, driver side fan 62 amps! Does this test sound kosher? I didn't know you could test potential current draw with just an ohm-meter. If so, could I have fried the new PWM relay before the fans tried to spin? I read the whole article, but I can't check the 'relay' because I don't have a 'generic scanner' and probably wouldn't know how to use it. Would Advance or Autozone be able to test the relay? I just spent big bucks on the relay, so if it's fried they'll replace it, but if it's okay I'll keep it, replace the fans, and keep troubleshooting. By the way, I'm a 53 year old audio engineer, so I'm a little green when it comes to working on cars.
Thanks a whole lot, guys

On 9/5/2011 11:06 AM, Mark Goodall wrote:
> Thanks, Mopar Man. And PaxPerPoten, check out this fan test:
> http://troubleshootmyvehicle.com/jee...lay_test_6.php
> I ran the test with my multimeter, passenger side fan showed about 10 amps, driver side fan 62 amps! Does this test sound kosher? I didn't know you could test potential current draw with just an ohm-meter. If so, could I have fried the new PWM relay before the fans tried to spin? I read the whole article, but I can't check the 'relay' because I don't have a 'generic scanner' and probably wouldn't know how to use it. Would Advance or Autozone be able to test the relay? I just spent big bucks on the relay, so if it's fried they'll replace it, but if it's okay I'll keep it, replace the fans, and keep troubleshooting. By the way, I'm a 53 year old audio engineer, so I'm a little green when it comes to working on cars.
> Thanks a whole lot, guys

R/V=A Not a very accurate way to measure current. The very best is
still a DC current meter and the fan running. You can also use
a clamp around the wire device that is hooked to a DC Current meter
rather then an in line system. A clamp current detector can also be used
on your "O" scope.


--
It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard
the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all
ages who mean to govern well, but *They mean to govern*. They promise to
be good masters, *but they mean to be masters*. Daniel Webster