1981 Subaru GL wagon (4wd) - Cooling Fans not working

[gadberry]

hello USMB members,

 

I've had a break in my upper radiator hose this past summer which may have been

due to my cooling fans not switching on.  The driver didn't realize they weren't coming on prior

to the hose break either so i initially changed out the thermostat, thinking that it may have

stuck in the closed position.

 

After replacing the Thermostat and its gasket with those crap paper gaskets that are nothing like

the molded rubber one I removed.... I then realized the cooling fans were not switching on.

 

i've unplugged the Thermo-fan switch (single spaded connection) with the car running at temp

and the fans did not come on, as someone on this list suggested in an older post (2010).

 

This car has two electric fans and came with A/C although I removed the compressor during the lift operation,

so I will break out the test light / multimeter this weekend and try to determine where power is or isn't but

I thought I'd ask the list for any further suggestions.

 

Also, I noticed a broken spade connection on 1 of the 2 relays mounted on the firewall (passenger side) of

this EA81 engine.   The relay with the broken spade is nearest the fender and both relays are black cubes

with a single mounting screw attachment to the firewall..  

 

Are these relays easy to find?  Rockauto, or..?

 

thanks for any help anyone can offer; I'll try posting a pic of the relays in this thread too...

 

best regards!!

 

Gadberry

 

 

Edited November 18, 2016 by gadberry

[ducunee]

Fans ground is through the radiator. On mine the soldered bracket to he  radiator top tank had broken

[gadberry]

Ok USMB peeps,   I've determined that my 'Fan issue" is due to the broken tab on the RELAY depicted within my original post.

 

So, my question is, will this be an easy replacement?   Anyone have one for sale, if not?   There are several leads coming off of

the Relay that are "hot" and not related to the Cooling fans, but the lead that's broken is a fused power source coming directly

from the battery...   The thermo-sensor was providing intermittent power (a pulse/flash) prior to the temp rising enough, but once

I re-connected the powered lead from the battery to the broken tab on the RELAY, both fans whirled into action, as needed..

 

So, any recommendations?

 

I appreciate your help too!

 

best regards,

gadberry

[DeltaWye]

Does the relay control other stuff?  Could a different relay not be substituted? 

[gadberry]

Yes, that RELAY controls other components but I do not know which ones..    There are at least 2 other 'hot tangs' on the same relay that power

other components. 

 

I'll see what I can find on Rock auto, and elsewhere.   If anyone has a source for those; that would be great news to me!

 

thanks again all,

 

gadberry

[DeltaWye]

I can't really offer much help to source the part other than to try Subaru. Even if the original part is no longer available, they may have a superseded part that will work.   Or put a request on the looking for parts forum. 

 

Since the only problem seems to be a mechanical one, I'm thinking but it may be worth trying to fix the relay, at least to get it going.  You can't drive the car now anyway, right?  I'd make a diagram of the terminals if they aren't numbered and label all the wires and remove it from the car and have a close look at it on the bench.

 

Then I'd put a multimeter on it and figure out what each pin does before I started messing with it.  Maybe someone has a wiring diagram for this car?  That would help source a substitute relay/relays.

 

If there's enough metal exposed you could try to solder a terminal or some wire to what's remaining.  If you can overlap it enough to make a good electrical connection, you can put epoxy around the repair to secure it.  You'd need to verify a good connection with the meter.

 

Last ditch effort would be to open it up, it's probably sealed so you'd need a dremel tool, and try to repair it inside. 

[ANIM_Hooneru]

Gday Gadberry,

 

It looks like sometime in the past those relays have been replaced with Bosch Standard Relays. The OEM ones are a metal cased unit.

Bosch P/N is 0332019150. You should be able to get replacements at your local auto parts store or an Auto Electrician, or alternatively Ebay or Amazon etc.

 

Let us know how you get on.