MK VIII fan and DC Control help needed!

1992blkGT

New Member
Mar 28, 2003
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Beaverton, OR
I just finished installing my Mk VIII fan with the DC Control, and I am having some problems. I hooked up the ignition wire to the coil, and have the UD pulley jumper in, but the fan is barely spinning. I had the car idleing and the temp just kept raising and raising till it finally got so hot I decided to shut it down. The fan sped up, but barely. I have the temp sensor on the front bottom of the radiator by the outlet. Why did the fan not cool the temp down and why didn't it kick into high gear? Did I miswire something? Any help would be greatly appreciated!! I heard some great things about these fans and DC controllers but this is ridiculous. Thanks!
 
Contact Mr. Baskin at dc controls - he'll help you trouble shoot your set up. Why didn't you contact him first (don't understand)? You can email him at [email protected]. It's probably just a simple wiring issue.

For what it's worth, mine worked perfectly right out of the box - first time. I used the u/d jumper with the a/c connection to test it BEFORE starting it up.
 
Michael Yount said:
Contact Mr. Baskin at dc controls - he'll help you trouble shoot your set up. Why didn't you contact him first (don't understand)? You can email him at [email protected]. It's probably just a simple wiring issue.

For what it's worth, mine worked perfectly right out of the box - first time. I used the u/d jumper with the a/c connection to test it BEFORE starting it up.

Well I don't have AC so I don't know where I could have hooked the AC connector. I'm not very good with electrical work, in case you couldn't figure it out. I did send Brian Baskin and e-mail before I posted here, because I wanted as many possible answers as quickly as possible, as I want to get everything working and get my car on the road. Brian is a great help though. I know the problem is not the controller, but my electrical wiring.
 
I just had a DC Control unit installed and found that the fan turns on as soon as the car starts. I was under the impression that the fan should not kick on until the temp hit about 180*. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
 
Black Sun - whoever put it in wired it incorrectly; contact Baskin at the email above and he can help you through it. It's a shame - the whole point of the unit is to only have the fan run the minimum amount it needs to. I'd get that fixed before you damage the unit due to the faulty installation.

blkgt - I understand; take the time to let him help you through it so you don't damage the unit unintentionally. You don't need a/c to use the a/c feature to test the unit. All you have to do is jumper a 12V+ wire to that terminal -- the unit will 'think' you have a/c and with the u/d jumper in place, it should run at about 50% speed. Perhaps since you have a significant investment there, it would be a good idea to talk a buddy with better electrical skills over to assist you until you get it hooked up correctly.
 
Jason;

I sent another e-mail, contact me when you get the control module checked out and we'll go from there.

Black sun: Do you have the U/D connected? If so, the fan will run at 10% until the car reaches the set temperature. If your AC input is connected to an ignition switched 12V, the fan will run at a constant 50%
 
Lower the jumper temp. My friend had set is at 190* or whatever the jumper is for, and expected it to turn on at at that temp on his gauge. It never turned on no matter what we did. We jumpered it for 145* or 165* I forget. I think and it comes on around 190* on his gauge now.
 
TMoss That's correct the probe is accurate to +/- 3 degrees and his friend may have it in the wrong place. I know that Jason’s is also in the wrong place, but It’s easier to check the controller out first and eliminate that as a problem before getting the car warmed up. Connecting 12V to the AC input is an easy way to test it.

Blackfox; I don't believe that I ever received an e-mail from your friend regarding this. Have him e-mail me if he would like to fix the problem right.
 
Hey baskin I just received your last e-mail and will test out the controller tomorrow. I will also move my temp probe. Thank you for your help and quick responses to my e-mail. I wish more companies had such awesome customer service!! I'll e-mail you back after I do everything you mentioned and see how it responds. Thanks again!
 
It looks like I fixed the problem myself. I printed up the instructions for the DC Control and went over everything. Not only were the jumpers not set correctly, but the A/C wire (yellow) was hooked up when it should have been hooked up to the blue wire to shut off when the ignition is off. I played around with the jumpers to check the activation temps, and everything appears to be working the way it should. I think my temp gauge is faulty, though, since it reads higher than the setting on the jumpers. That's a whole other issue. Great unit, though.
 
I thought the jumpers might be a problem. baskin - finding a way to mark the jumper locations on the unit itself would be a great improvement. They are pretty close together to get it right.
 
Okay I finally figured out the root of my problem: I was using one of the coil wires as the 12v ignition source. I finally got my hands on a voltmeter and found out the ign source I was using was only making around 1v. So I probed a couple wires under the hood and finally found one that was making 12v with the ignition on. Now the fan spins like a monster! Thanks everyone and especially thank you Brian Baskin from DC Control for helping me resolve the problem!