electric fans
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electric fans
I put the flexi-lite electric fans on my Bronco about eight months ago. I did this to improve the A/C when at an idle. They look good and really opens up the front of the engine, if you have to work on it. (water pump, steering box, etc.)They keep the engine cool when they work. Now for the bad. In that time I have had the ground wire burn off three times. It would burn right at the spade conector where it goes on to the controler box. I finally changed the whole wire to a heavy guage aircraft wire. Then, the controler box melted right in the middle of New Orleans trafic. (what a pain) I rigged it direct (fans always on) and got it home. I called Summit and they said there was a problem with the boxes and sent me a new one right away. On my trip to work (about fours this time) the ground wire from the fan to the box came off. (the spade conector unplugged) I think it got so hot, the metal doesnt squeese tight enough. I pinched it and put it on again. But it probubly wont hold. It appears the fans draw more current than the wires and electronics can handle. All the wires seem to have loose insulation. (A sign of overheating) I guess I'm going to replace them all with aircraft wire. Has anyone else had this kind of problem?
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ive had wires melt due to kinks somewhere else in the set up..did you have it connected to a toggle switch? i did and where the wires went through the grommet in the firewall they were rubbing and exposing wire causing a heap of messes. i just got two hayden fans from oreillys and rigged them up with a link and a switch that was all, after i went over the wires and did it properly i didnt have any problems, but it might just be the brand you got.
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Joined: Dec 2003
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From: iowa
Just a hint on what I do with the electric fans, hook up the controller but instead of taking the wire from the controller directly to the fans run it to a relay to activate teh relay then run 12 gauge min wire from the battery through the relay and to the fans. This keeps the controller box from seeing the entire amperage draw of the fans.
Also it's a PITA but get spade connectors that are solder on type not crimp type they make a better connections, don't get loose, and since it's soldered don't have the resistance that just crimped ones can create, and resistance is what makes heat. In a pinch I have used the crimp style connnectors but take the insulation off and solder them to the wire then cover with electrical tape, liquid electrical tape, or best heat shrink tubing.
Also it's a PITA but get spade connectors that are solder on type not crimp type they make a better connections, don't get loose, and since it's soldered don't have the resistance that just crimped ones can create, and resistance is what makes heat. In a pinch I have used the crimp style connnectors but take the insulation off and solder them to the wire then cover with electrical tape, liquid electrical tape, or best heat shrink tubing.
Last edited by monsterbaby; May 27, 2006 at 10:51 AM.
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I may have to put the relay in. You would think they would design it to take the current. Also, I didnt mention I did solder the (female) spades on after crimping. The part of the conector that grabs the spade is what got loose. (not where the wire goes on) I squeesed the conector on the spade tighter and it came off again. I think the metal is lost its tensil strength. When I touch the spade to ground (bypassing the control box, starting the fans) the wire gets too hot to hold after a minute.
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Just an update,
I burned a hot lead off the other day. I called Flexilite and they told me they would replace everthing if I didnt get it working. They suspect my fans are drawing to much current for some unknown reason. I'm going to test them soon. They told me that if I put a relay in that I would lose a key feature. The controler can turn the fans on at low speed to save your altenator and fuel millage. I will post a final outcome later.
I burned a hot lead off the other day. I called Flexilite and they told me they would replace everthing if I didnt get it working. They suspect my fans are drawing to much current for some unknown reason. I'm going to test them soon. They told me that if I put a relay in that I would lose a key feature. The controler can turn the fans on at low speed to save your altenator and fuel millage. I will post a final outcome later.
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Another update. Flexilite sent me a completly new fan setup. I installed it and presto, no more problums. I've got about 2000 miles on it. The only differnce I can see is the controller box is a little differnt. It has no spade connectors. In any case, I like them very much now.
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From: right here in michigan
which fan was this?the black magic?i have used one of these on the past and had similar problems.i ended up taking the wires from the motor and wiring to these and bypassing the control box.mine actually melted the spades at the circuit board and the male spade pulled out in the female.
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I have the two fan set-up. I'm not sure of the number. The spades on mine did the same things. By passing works fine as long as you dont loan the truck to someone else. (wife) They dont remember to turn it on.
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I had the same problem with my flex-a-lite fan, I burnt more than a few wires before I ditched the setup that came with it and wired my own relays in. I would like to have a controler again instead of my fans being always on but I dont trust that controler anymore.
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I would call them again and tell them you want the new set-up. The other advantage is the controller turns the fans on at a lower speed. This should save your altenator some. (and Gas) It goes to full speed if it needs it. When I get home, I will send you the contact name. The guy was alright. He sent me the whole kit. I did have to send him a copy of my reciept from Summit. (it was more than a year old by this time.) I dont know if it was the controler or maybe the fans draw less current. I suspect the controller.