Electric fan - What connector is this?

omar2006 · Apr 6, 2013

My electric fan (Black Magic 185) crapped out and I believe the culprit is the harness it's connected to with the RED, GREEN, and BLACK wires.

Anybody know what this harness was originally connected to?

The dude who put the fan in cut the male ends in half to make them fit. The Green wire was not used and the black was ground, red 12v power source. By cutting them in half, no wonder it melted.

My battery was relocated to the trunk was I assume he did it so e wouldn't have to run a wire all the way to the trunk. Is using this harness safe? Anyone know what it originally connected to? Thanks

RacEoHolic330 · Apr 6, 2013

I can't identify that harness. Almost looks like the plug for the coolant level sensor, but I could be wrong. I can tell you, however, that is absolutely not a safe way to power a fan. You need to power it through a relay. Pull 12v from your starter solenoid and run in into a relay and then to the fan. Are you manually controlling the fan or do you have some kind of controller?

mikestang63 · Apr 6, 2013

I agree that looks like it is wired to the overfill tank wires and the guy just stuck a few female connectors into the male connectors of that plug- def NOT how to wire the fan up . as + wire for that fan is pulling too much amps and is overheating. Is this the BM fan with the thermostat on top of the fan controlled by a dial? My advice is to do it right and wire it up per the FAL BM instructions. You should at least put a 40 amp relay inline off a switch with a dedicated pos and neg wires. Pos goes to the + side of the solenoid and Neg to the post behind the battery. You also need to wire for the fan to come on when the A/C comes on..

How do you turn the fan on? Manually or with a thermostat controlled device?

You may not want to hear this but IMO those BM fans are crap to start out with, They don't pull squat for air, always break. Unless you are dead set on keeping that fan, I would recommend either a Taurus 90's 3.8 V6 fan and a FAL 33054 variable speed controller. For about $150 you will have a fan that will move enough air to support 500hp cars and has a soft touch feature on start up so that it does not fry your wiring.

omar2006 · Apr 7, 2013

Thanks for your responses guys. Yeah it has a thermostatic controller mounted on top of the fan and controlled with a dial.

I read a review on the BM fan and it got mixed reviews. I'll keep it for now, I just want the wiring hooked up correctly. If I have further problems I'll look into the Taurus fan.

I don't have the instructions available . I'll take a pic of where the other wires are connected.....

There is a green wire that connects to the A/C (the wire loom my hand is holding), and there is a red wire that connects to the starter relay. The black and other red wire, as discussed above.

My battery is in the trunk so I guess I will have to run the ground and power wire to the battery? Are there any other power sources in the engine bay I can use besides the dangerous coolant level sensor?

mikestang63 · Apr 7, 2013

You can go to the + side of the starter solenoid with a 40amp watertight megafuse inline and for the - go to the dedicated ground post behind the battery. You can go to BM and download the instructions.

jrichker · Apr 7, 2013

If you don't have a high current alternator, you can forget about using an electric fan. The stock 65 amp alternator on 86-93 Mustangs isn't big enough to run the fan and the rest of the car. If you have a 94 or later Mustang, the stock 3g alternator should be fine if it is working correctly.

Switching a fan on and off manually is a bad idea. Too many guys have been distracted (hot girl kissing on their neck, too much to drink, dog tired and not thinking clearly) and cooked things because they forgot to flip the switch. An equal number have forgotten to turn the switch off for the same reasons and run down their battery.

The best fan controller available today is a DC Control unit. www.dccontrol.com. Cost is about $???. Be prepared to wait 4 weeks or more to receive your controller once you have sent in your payment. The controllers are custom made in small lots and lead times can stretch out.

Next best is a SPAL controller - $70-$120 See http://www.spalusa.com/store/Main.aspx?html=pwmv3. eBay will have the controllers for a bargain price: do a Google search and see what you find.

At the bottom are the Hayden or Imperial controllers available through Advance Discount Auto Parts and AutoZone. The non adjustable one is about $30 ( Hayden 226206) and the adjustable one is about $60 (Hayden 226204). I recommend you do a Google search on Hayden and the part number for more info.

Do not use a simple on/off switch without using a relay. The current load can burn up the typical cheap automotive switch very quickly. The fan draws 30+amps and you need to use #10 wire on the fan power and ground wiring.

If you are good with electrical stuff (90% of the people here aren't), build your own controller. The numbers on the diagram (#86, #87, etc) refer to the numbers on the bottom of a typical automotive relay.

Note that the temp sensor in the diagram needs to match the thermostat in your engine. The preferred arrangement is to have it open about 5 degrees above the thermostat.

To allow the ignition switch to control the fan so that it does not run when the ignition is off, connect the relay contact #86 to the red/green wire on the ignition coil or to the red/yellow wire on the coolant level sensor.

If you are an experienced electronics tech or electrical engineer, email me and I will send you the prototype drawings of a fan controller that is similar in function to the DC Control unit. It is a build it, troubleshoot it yourself item. I will not build or troubleshoot units, so it is not suitable for anyone who isn't really good with electronics.

1200gt · Apr 8, 2013

jrichker said:
If you don't have a high current alternator, you can forget about using an electric fan. The stock 65 amp alternator on 86-93 Mustangs isn't big enough to run the fan and the rest of the car. If you have a 94 or later Mustang, the stock 3g alternator should be fine if it is working correctly.

Switching a fan on and off manually is a bad idea. Too many guys have been distracted (hot girl kissing on their neck, too much to drink, dog tired and not thinking clearly) and cooked things because they forgot to flip the switch. An equal number have forgotten to turn the switch off for the same reasons and run down their battery.

The best fan controller available today is a DC Control unit. www.dccontrol.com. Cost is about $???. Be prepared to wait 4 weeks or more to receive your controller once you have sent in your payment. The controllers are custom made in small lots and lead times can stretch out.

Next best is a SPAL controller - $70-$120 See http://www.spalusa.com/store/Main.aspx?html=pwmv3. eBay will have the controllers for a bargain price: do a Google search and see what you find.

At the bottom are the Hayden or Imperial controllers available through Advance Discount Auto Parts and AutoZone. The non adjustable one is about $30 ( Hayden 226206) and the adjustable one is about $60 (Hayden 226204). I recommend you do a Google search on Hayden and the part number for more info.

Do not use a simple on/off switch without using a relay. The current load can burn up the typical cheap automotive switch very quickly. The fan draws 30+amps and you need to use #10 wire on the fan power and ground wiring.

If you are good with electrical stuff (90% of the people here aren't), build your own controller. The numbers on the diagram (#86, #87, etc) refer to the numbers on the bottom of a typical automotive relay.

Note that the temp sensor in the diagram needs to match the thermostat in your engine. The preferred arrangement is to have it open about 5 degrees above the thermostat.

To allow the ignition switch to control the fan so that it does not run when the ignition is off, connect the relay contact #86 to the red/green wire on the ignition coil or to the red/yellow wire on the coolant level sensor.

If you are an experienced electronics tech or electrical engineer, email me and I will send you the prototype drawings of a fan controller that is similar in function to the DC Control unit. It is a build it, troubleshoot it yourself item. I will not build or troubleshoot units, so it is not suitable for anyone who isn't really good with electronics.

J, I am going to bite-it and get the DC Control unit. Would you save me some choosing time and tell me which controller I should ask for when I go to order my unit at DCC? I went to their site and found several choices. I 'm running heads, intake, UDP's, B303 style cam - basically general bolt ons to a 306.

jrichker · Apr 8, 2013

It looks like the base FK-55 kit is what you need to control a fan only system. The 55 amp rating and soft start are right in range with what you already have. No matter what system you get, you will need a 3g or better alternator to drive the fan and the rest of your car's electronic gear.

Any car that has a 3G alternator needs a 4 gauge ground wire running from the block to the chassis ground where the battery pigtail ground connects.

See
http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/threads/3g-alternator-install-a-how-to.646825/#post-6673702

Here's why the 3G alternator upgrade is a necessity:
Electric fan = 3G alternator if you want long life & reliability from your car.
The electric fan saves some HP. The stock fan's parasitic drag runs from 7-12 HP depending on who you talk to. The electric fan uses about 1/2 HP of power from the electrical system.

Figure this:
Ignition system & computer = 12 amps
Fuel pump = 12 amps
Exterior lights = 15 amps
Fan (heater or A/C) = 15 amps (can run between 5-25 amps depending on setting)
Radio & instruments = 10 amps
Wipers = 10 amps

That's grand total of 74 amps from a 65 amp alternator. Talk about overdrawn at the bank!

Electric fan - What connector is this?

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