Hey guys,

Got a buddy with a 1994 Kick who's electric fan is on all the time..

You know how the fan comes on and off when the a/c is on? It's like that, but it's permanently on.

I was wondering if it might be something like a stuck relay, messed up wires somewhere or a blown fuse. Anyone here got any experience with that department that can maybe tell me where to look?

Heather

My guess would be the relay.

There are stock electric fans?  Is this for the rad or the climate controls?

If he has a thermo switch then that might be stuck closed. I say closed cause the way it works is a bi-metal strip and when they get hot enough it "archs" and connents the two together completing the circuit and fan turns on.

I have a after market one and it failed open... it was not fun trying to get the fan hard wired on when the engine was hot and on the trail. But I've had it hard wired to iginition for the last 3 months and it hasn't be a problem.

Hope my little blunder helps..

Wil

If he has a thermo switch then that might be stuck closed. I say closed cause the way it works is a bi-metal strip and when they get hot enough it "archs" and connents the two together completing the circuit and fan turns on.

I have a after market one and it failed open... it was not fun trying to get the fan hard wired on when the engine was hot and on the trail. But I've had it hard wired to iginition for the last 3 months and it hasn't be a problem.

Hope my little blunder helps..

Wil

How did you make it hard wired? Yes, this helps, because he bought it this way and rebuilt the motor in it because it had a blown head gasket. It's possible then that the previous owner, since they knew the truck was overheating, hard wired the fan.

He'd like to return it to stock function now that the motor works great.

Heather

There are stock electric fans?  Is this for the rad or the climate controls?

Yes, they do...

for A/C

he bought it this way

... as in, the A/C condenser fan has always came on with the iginition ON?  On my '90 there is no thermostat on the condenser  fan that I am aware of; it just comes on when the A/C is turned on.  I haven't looked at the wiring, but I always assumed that switch activated a relay to the fan.  If the previous owner wired it to be on all the time, then you'll have to trace the hot wire from the fan to the ignition hot source.  Then you'll have to figure out where the bypassed relay is.  I hate trying to track down electrical "problems".  Good Luck!

One quick thing you can check is the fan wires. 2 wires, + and -. the owner before would have had to cut the + one and connect to an ignition source. So you can start from there. If it looks like it's be cut and reconnected the chance is that it has been hard wired.

If it it hasn't then it might be the switch or the relay... so is this the factory AC fan we're talking about or an after market electric fan for the motor?

I would probably just bypass all the stock stuff and wire it up to a switch.  Don't know how easy that is on a Kick though.

One quick thing you can check is the fan wires. 2 wires, + and -. the owner before would have had to cut the + one and connect to an ignition source. So you can start from there. If it looks like it's be cut and reconnected the chance is that it has been hard wired.

If it it hasn't then it might be the switch or the relay... so is this the factory AC fan we're talking about or an after market electric fan for the motor?

Factory fan..

And yes, it comes on with the ignition on.

Thanks for the ideas.. I know there are a couple of hokey wires up by the fuse area on the passenger side of the engine bay, and that might be the issue right there.

NP hope you figure it out.

 The fan for the A/C should only come on when the A/C switch is on and the fan switch is on at least low. If the fan is on otherwise, there is either a short or the relay or fan switch is fried.

That fan is controlled by the ECM and will also turn on if the coolant temp reaches a certain temp.  So, it could be the coolant temp sensor making the ECM think the temp is too high.

It turned out to be the thermo switch was stuck in the open position.