Nearly didn't have a Wedge.

[mrzigazaga]

Hi Peeps...I knew i should of stayed in bed this morning...First i went to the post office where i left a bag containing 50 of these little cases that i have been making for the last month..
..Worth £150.

Then on the way home from the Sausage meet i noticed the temp was still rising with the fan switched on..It go to within a couple of mm at the top of the red so pulled over...Popped the bonnet and saw this smouldering....FFS

I guess its better that it happened now rather then next week while on my way to Wroxall....

[adam quantrill]

What is that thing? A scotchlok cigarette lighter?

Well spotted.

[mrzigazaga]

adam quantrill said:

What is that thing? A scotchlok cigarette lighter?

Well spotted.

Hi Adam...No its the fuse holder for the rad fan...Will have a closer look tomorrow...The O/S headlight won't pop up..Although they were okay this morning..Bit weird as the two are not connected...Literally.

[celcius]

Mate sounds awful , hope you get it sorted

[Number 7]

Is it possible that the fan motor is not turning as freely as it should, drawing more current but not quite sufficient to blow the fuse?

[mrzigazaga]

Thanks Paul...Thats what has been suggested by Chris...I will have to investigate in the morning...I really hope its not the fan as i would be stuck....

[jon haines]

Zig I had the same with my fan and I took months to find out the fault. Checked wiring, earths and even fuses but it kept happening. It turned out that the fan was not turning as freely as it should and was pulling more current and kept blowinb or melting fuses.

[mrzigazaga]

jon haines said:

Zig I had the same with my fan and I took months to find out the fault. Checked wiring, earths and even fuses but it kept happening. It turned out that the fan was not turning as freely as it should and was pulling more current and kept blowinb or melting fuses.

Thanks Jon...I think i do remember that...Ill have a good look in the morning...Cheers...Ziga

[matt-man]

Nasty, scary how these things can get out of control in almost no time at all. Well done for stopping and looking!

I had this once in mine, temp flew up in traffic and I pulled over quickly, popped the bonnet and the wires to the rad were smoking! I happened to have a 10mm spanner in the car so whizzed the battery off and found the fan had jammed, and the previous owner had put some ridiculously high fuse in it! Isolated it and rewired it with a new fan. Scary.

ETA - I now have quick release battery terminals and I reccomend them as you can rip the battery off fast should something happen

[phillpot]

Could be nothing wrong with fan motor, maybe just a cheap fuse, loose in the holder, causing a hot spot

[mrzigazaga]

phillpot said:

Could be nothing wrong with fan motor, maybe just a cheap fuse, loose in the holder, causing a hot spot

Possibly...I did change the holder and fuse last year as the previous one blew..It was firmly taped together ..That big yellow thing is in the sky so I'm just having some brekkie and then I'm going to have a look....Cheers...Ziga

[mrzigazaga]

Hi Peeps...Well i went out there this morning to try to resolve this but the wind nearly ripped the bonnet off so decided to leave it..My rad fan has a manual override fitted and goes into a 30amp relay...Would i need a 25amp fuse holder?...I have a feeling the previous one may of been 30amp..I was going to bridge the wires to check the fan but didn't want to burn it out or blow the relay as i don't have a spare..
A trip to Howlfrauds is needed but thats miles away and i didn't want to risk it.



The red wire going in on top left is the fuse holder.

Cheers...Ziga

(Sorry but I'm still an electrical dimwit )

[Number 7]

I'm no electrical guru either, but the 30 amp relay just mean that's it's design limit for current switching. You could have it actuating a 5 amp circuit if you wanted to. I know on the 400 the cooling fan fuse is rated at 25 amps (single Davies Craig fan). Did you get a chance to see if there was any resistance to spinning the fan blades by hand? (there should be none). If that's ok, can you see what the make and model of fan/motor is, to try and establish what current it draws, and then check what fuse you have, and whether its's correctly rated - not unknown to substitute higher ratings to cure a "problem", which ultimately can cause other more serious problems.

ETA: assuming that's the fuse at the top in your picture, it looks yellow, which would be rated at 20 amps.

Edited by Number 7 on Sunday 7th February 16:45

[mrzigazaga]

Thanks Paul...I was struggling to stop the bonnet being ripped off by the wind and so i didn't want to put my hand in the gap between the body and bonnet..I can't get to the fan blades without having the car up in the air...Again i didn't want it on axle stands in the wind...Im going to order a 30amp good quality fuse holder and go from there..I believe the fan is the ones fitted originally..Spal??...Cheers..Ziga

Whoops meant to say that the fuse was orange = 30amp

Edited by mrzigazaga on Sunday 7th February 17:46

[Number 7]

mrzigazaga said:

Thanks Paul...I was struggling to stop the bonnet being ripped off by the wind and so i didn't want to put my hand in the gap between the body and bonnet..I can't get to the fan blades without having the car up in the air...Again i didn't want it on axle stands in the wind...Im going to order a 30amp good quality fuse holder and go from there..I believe the fan is the ones fitted originally..Spal??...Cheers..Ziga

Whoops meant to say that the fuse was orange = 30amp

Edited by mrzigazaga on Sunday 7th February 17:46

Mark, orange would normally be 40 amp. 30 amp would normally be green.I think both are too high for that installation. Googling suggests Spal rate their fans for a 20 amp fuse. Obviously you need a new fuse holder anyway, but if you can, you need to check whether there is any resistance to turning by hand (only needs finger pressure on one of the blades).

[mrzigazaga]

Cheers mate...I will try to get a spin on it and test...

[ukdj]

fuse rating for the fans is usually higher than you would expect due to the high inrush current drawn during initial startup.

Check the fans 1st as if you need to replace it/them as your new fan may have a different current draw etc

if you need a hand just drop me a line

P

[mrzigazaga]

ukdj said:

fuse rating for the fans is usually higher than you would expect due to the high inrush current drawn during initial startup.

Check the fans 1st as if you need to replace it/them as your new fan may have a different current draw etc

if you need a hand just drop me a line

P

Cheers matey....

[MethylatedSpirit]

There could also be an internal short in the fan motor, not to mention elsewhere in the fan wiring circuit which could cause a fuse to blow/melt.

[mrzigazaga]

Thats what I'm dreading mate...There is no way i can access the fan to replace it on the street....I have an appointment to visit the venue for this years BBWF on Thursday so can do without the hassle...I have a feeling that i should of bought a new fan when we did the rad replacement...Best time to of done it ...