Need help with getting cooling fans to work
08-21-2018, 05:04 PM
#1
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Need help with getting cooling fans to work
after no luck of trying to sell my project 944 it seems as though I’m stuck with it for life. This can be either a good or bad thing. The main reasons for me wanting to sell it are due to two problems. My timing belt needs to be replaced and my cooling fans don’t work. The car has many other problems but these are the two most complicated. One of the previous owners seemed to have wires the fans directly to the battery for some reason. The fans don’t even work like that and I removed that wiring. I have no idea what other crap he did to the car. I removed all the wires except once red wire that I couldn’t figure out where it wound up at because I couldn’t trace the entire thing. Could I just cut it up to that point and leave it like that? Also what would cause my fans not to work? I have zero knowledge on this kind of stuff and feel like I’m way over my head. I have nobody to help me with this car either. Below are some pics of the wires going into the fans. I don’t know if those are original or if they’re wires the previous owner rigged in there.
08-21-2018, 05:22 PM
#3
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What year is your car? I'm only (somewhat) familiar with the early cars, since they're pretty much the same as my 931, although the concepts will be the same for all of them.
That being said....the first choice is always a relay. Even if you have a blown fuse, it's likely that something caused that fuse to blow, and that something is probably a relay. There are two important ones on the early cars, the cooling fan relay and the AC relay. Both are required to be functional in order for the fans to work properly. The Clark's Garage site, I forget the link, has some really good info on this.
Unfortunately, if your stock wiring has been changed around or removed then all bets are off. It will be impossible to diagnose if we don't know how they're hooked up.
That being said....the first choice is always a relay. Even if you have a blown fuse, it's likely that something caused that fuse to blow, and that something is probably a relay. There are two important ones on the early cars, the cooling fan relay and the AC relay. Both are required to be functional in order for the fans to work properly. The Clark's Garage site, I forget the link, has some really good info on this.
Unfortunately, if your stock wiring has been changed around or removed then all bets are off. It will be impossible to diagnose if we don't know how they're hooked up.
08-21-2018, 05:46 PM
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Yeah I wish I knew how it was all hooked up but I have no idea. I wish I had someone who knew about this stuff around here locally to look at it and help me out a little. It’s a 1985 944.
08-21-2018, 09:02 PM
#6
Race Car
Make two jumpers with 4 alligator clips from parts store and some proper gauge wire.
Use a boost box and see if they run at all before you go further.
Run 12+ and a - from battery if you don't have a jump box.
See if they run 1st, we'll go from there.
T
Use a boost box and see if they run at all before you go further.
Run 12+ and a - from battery if you don't have a jump box.
See if they run 1st, we'll go from there.
T
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08-21-2018, 10:00 PM
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I’ll try that and get back with y’all. Might be a few days. Btw I’m in Birmingham Alabama if anyone wants to lend a hand.
08-22-2018, 02:42 AM
#11
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If the worst problem your car has are the need for new timing belts and getting the fans operating correctly, then you've got it pretty easy. The radiator fan circuit is pretty simple. Basically a contact is closed in the radiator mounted temp switch, which activates a relay, which in turn operates the fans. Even if the original wiring is hacked up or missing, it should be simple enough to replicate the factory schematic, or make your own.
08-22-2018, 10:59 AM
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If the worst problem your car has are the need for new timing belts and getting the fans operating correctly, then you've got it pretty easy. The radiator fan circuit is pretty simple. Basically a contact is closed in the radiator mounted temp switch, which activates a relay, which in turn operates the fans. Even if the original wiring is hacked up or missing, it should be simple enough to replicate the factory schematic, or make your own.
08-22-2018, 03:18 PM
#13
Three Wheelin'
Per PET, you would need the following:
944.624.021.03 fan (qty 2)
900.910.012.02 M6 lock nut (qty 3)
N.011.666.7 washer (qty 3)
999.651.168.40 cable holder (1)
and if not functioning (or missing) 944.606.481.00 temperature switch and N.043.808.01 sealing ring (for radiator), as well as wiring looms. Hard to tell from your pictures, but its possible that you can trace wiring back to where it was hacked up and splice in appropriately.
plyhammersparts.com is a good source of parts. Mark parts out lots of 944's and is a good person to deal with. This would save you a lot of money over new parts.
944.624.021.03 fan (qty 2)
900.910.012.02 M6 lock nut (qty 3)
N.011.666.7 washer (qty 3)
999.651.168.40 cable holder (1)
and if not functioning (or missing) 944.606.481.00 temperature switch and N.043.808.01 sealing ring (for radiator), as well as wiring looms. Hard to tell from your pictures, but its possible that you can trace wiring back to where it was hacked up and splice in appropriately.
plyhammersparts.com is a good source of parts. Mark parts out lots of 944's and is a good person to deal with. This would save you a lot of money over new parts.
08-22-2018, 10:13 PM
#15
Racer
"feel like I’m way over my head"
It's called the "Learning curve"
You'll get it down. Check out this site and others and of course the 944 repair bible, clarksgarage.com - even using Clark's you can sometimes skip some of the procedures. I just love the clowns that think that this series isn't "a real Porsche". Working on these cars should make you a very capable grease monkey.
It's called the "Learning curve"
You'll get it down. Check out this site and others and of course the 944 repair bible, clarksgarage.com - even using Clark's you can sometimes skip some of the procedures. I just love the clowns that think that this series isn't "a real Porsche". Working on these cars should make you a very capable grease monkey.