Notices
6.0L Power Stroke Diesel 2003 - 2007 F250, F350 pickup and F350+ Cab Chassis, 2003 - 2005 Excursion and 2003 - 2009 van

Blue Wire Mod

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old May 22, 2018 | 01:18 PM
  #1  
akblackfoot's Avatar
akblackfoot
Thread Starter
|
More Turbo
10 Year Member
Photogenic
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 643
Likes: 6
Blue Wire Mod

OK, can anybody walk me through the blue wire mod for the fan? Like blue wire mod for dummies? I have upfitter switches that I can use.
 
Reply
Old May 22, 2018 | 02:08 PM
  #2  
bismic's Avatar
bismic
Fleet Owner
Community Builder
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 27,881
Likes: 3,595
Club FTE Gold Member
Add a switch to the dark blue wire in the fan connector at the top of the fan shroud. This connector is a five wire connector and the dark blue wire receives a GROUND connection from the PCM when it decides that the fan needs to be turned on. After turning on the switch to send GROUND to the dark blue wire, the viscous fan clutch heats up (it will take 20-50 seconds or so to fully heat up) and the fan will engage and run with a lot of sound!. After turning off the switch, the viscous fan clutch will still be hot, so it takes a minute or so for the fan to slow back down. Again, the dark blue wire is for GROUND only, not 12 volts! Also, the heater in the clutch draws about 1.25 amps or so. You can use a 16 gauge wire and a small toggle switch. Just make sure you do not cut the blue wire such that the PCM can't ground it when it wants to.

http://www.justanswer.com/ford/1grjp...n-off-fan.html
 
Reply
Old May 22, 2018 | 02:19 PM
  #3  
akblackfoot's Avatar
akblackfoot
Thread Starter
|
More Turbo
10 Year Member
Photogenic
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 643
Likes: 6
Originally Posted by bismic
Add a switch to the dark blue wire in the fan connector at the top of the fan shroud. This connector is a five wire connector and the dark blue wire receives a GROUND connection from the PCM when it decides that the fan needs to be turned on. After turning on the switch to send GROUND to the dark blue wire, the viscous fan clutch heats up (it will take 20-50 seconds or so to fully heat up) and the fan will engage and run with a lot of sound!. After turning off the switch, the viscous fan clutch will still be hot, so it takes a minute or so for the fan to slow back down. Again, the dark blue wire is for GROUND only, not 12 volts! Also, the heater in the clutch draws about 1.25 amps or so. You can use a 16 gauge wire and a small toggle switch. Just make sure you do not cut the blue wire such that the PCM can't ground it when it wants to.

http://www.justanswer.com/ford/1grjp...n-off-fan.html
So can I use one of my upfitter switches? I read something about it but they were using a relay for some reason and I got lost....... :-)
 
Reply
Old May 22, 2018 | 02:25 PM
  #4  
bismic's Avatar
bismic
Fleet Owner
Community Builder
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 27,881
Likes: 3,595
Club FTE Gold Member
No relay needed. Just tee in a wire, run it to any switch, then run the other side of the switch to a good ground.
 
Reply
Old May 22, 2018 | 02:34 PM
  #5  
akblackfoot's Avatar
akblackfoot
Thread Starter
|
More Turbo
10 Year Member
Photogenic
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 643
Likes: 6
Originally Posted by bismic
No relay needed. Just tee in a wire, run it to any switch, then run the other side of the switch to a good ground.
Pardon my ignorance again, but aren't the upfitter switches wired for 12v power and not ground? I haven't dug around behind them yet but can the blue wire be run directly to an upfitter switch?
 
Reply
Old May 22, 2018 | 02:36 PM
  #6  
bismic's Avatar
bismic
Fleet Owner
Community Builder
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 27,881
Likes: 3,595
Club FTE Gold Member
I can't recall if they have a 12v power supply to them or not. If the one you want to use does, then I would disconnect and cap it, otherwise any old toggle switch will work.

Remember, when you turn the key on, the fan will have 12v power. The PCM activates the ground to turn it on. All you are doing is installing a switched ground.
 
Reply
Old May 22, 2018 | 04:01 PM
  #7  
microbc's Avatar
microbc
Mountain Pass
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 128
Likes: 8
From: Cottonwood, California


This isn't my work, it is a post I found a few years ago on wiring the blue wire to existing upfitter switch.

Art
 
Reply
Old May 22, 2018 | 04:25 PM
  #8  
bismic's Avatar
bismic
Fleet Owner
Community Builder
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 27,881
Likes: 3,595
Club FTE Gold Member
Originally Posted by microbc


This isn't my work, it is a post I found a few years ago on wiring the blue wire to existing upfitter switch.

Art
Nice post! I hadn't even thought about the upfitters in years.

akblackfoot - I did some more looking and found that I had saved the link below in my spreadsheets:
Blue wire fan mod - Ford Powerstroke Diesel Forum

Edit -
I know I have the amp rating for the fan circuit somewhere, just can't find it yet. Anyway, I don't think a relay is required, unless you want to use the upfitter switches as they were intended.
 
Reply
FTE Stories

Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make

 Brett Foote
story-2

Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-3

Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?

 Brett Foote
story-6

2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-7

10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

Top 10 Ford Trucks Coming to Mecum Indy 2026

 Brett Foote
story-9

5 Best / 5 Worst Ford Truck Wheels of All Time

 Joe Kucinski
Old May 22, 2018 | 05:46 PM
  #9  
TooManyToys.'s Avatar
TooManyToys.
Hotshot
Photogenic
Photoriffic
Shutterbug
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 17,823
Likes: 3,103
From: Jersey Shore
Mark, the relay is just being used to convert positive to negative.
 
Reply
Old May 22, 2018 | 05:46 PM
  #10  
microbc's Avatar
microbc
Mountain Pass
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 128
Likes: 8
From: Cottonwood, California
Correct. My understanding is that if you use a simple toggle switch, no relay is needed.

If you want to use one of the factory upfitter switches, a relay WOULD be required.

Art
 
Reply
Old May 22, 2018 | 05:56 PM
  #11  
bismic's Avatar
bismic
Fleet Owner
Community Builder
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 27,881
Likes: 3,595
Club FTE Gold Member
Reps to you Art.

Reps on backorder Jack.
 
Reply
Old May 22, 2018 | 09:43 PM
  #12  
akblackfoot's Avatar
akblackfoot
Thread Starter
|
More Turbo
10 Year Member
Photogenic
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 643
Likes: 6
Thanks all.
 
Reply
Old Jul 18, 2019 | 05:50 PM
  #13  
David Fehir's Avatar
David Fehir
Mountain Pass
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 248
Likes: 1
What is the purpose of this mod?
 
Reply
Old Jul 18, 2019 | 06:14 PM
  #14  
87crewdually's Avatar
87crewdually
Lead Driver
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 6,496
Likes: 94
From: So. Jersey
Originally Posted by David Fehir
What is the purpose of this mod?
By grounding the blue wire at the fan clutch plug it will fully lock the fan clutch, activating the cooling fan. Not a common mod really.
 
Reply
Old Jul 18, 2019 | 06:30 PM
  #15  
David Fehir's Avatar
David Fehir
Mountain Pass
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 248
Likes: 1
Originally Posted by 87crewdually
By grounding the blue wire at the fan clutch plug it will fully lock the fan clutch, activating the cooling fan. Not a common mod really.
So is there any benefits?
 
Reply



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:35 AM.

story-0
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

Slideshow: Top 10 Ford truck tragedies.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-18 19:34:33


VIEW MORE
story-1
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make

And it might be even better than that.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-18 19:26:42


VIEW MORE
story-2
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!

Slideshow: Does lowering an F-150 Lobo RUIN the ride quality?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-05-18 19:20:37


VIEW MORE
story-3
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home

Slideshow: Ford's bizarre fishing-themed Explorer concept has resurfaced after spending decades largely forgotten.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:07:46


VIEW MORE
story-4
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!

Slideshow: The 10 best Ford truck engines we miss the most.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 13:09:47


VIEW MORE
story-5
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?

Slideshow: first look at the 810 hp 2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road!

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-12 12:50:07


VIEW MORE
story-6
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!

Slideshow: Everything You Need to Know about the 2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package!

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-05-07 17:51:06


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!

Slideshow: 10 most surprising Ford truck options/features in 2026.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:17:22


VIEW MORE
story-8
Top 10 Ford Trucks Coming to Mecum Indy 2026

Slideshow: Here are the top 10 Fords coming to Mecum Indy 2026.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:49:49


VIEW MORE
story-9
5 Best / 5 Worst Ford Truck Wheels of All Time

Slideshow: The 5 best and 5 worst Ford truck wheels of all time

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 16:49:01


VIEW MORE