Can't get the radiator fan to kick on

Discussion in 'Mazdaspeed 3 Troubleshooting' started by Binary Assault, Nov 4, 2016.

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  1. Binary Assault

    Binary Assault Greenie Member

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    Hey Guys,

    TLDR; upfront: Can't get the fan to turn on, swapped fan controllers and t-stats and still no dice.

    (much) Longer version:
    Car is an 07 speed3 with a built block running a custom T3 Twinscroll GTX3076@30psi. Everything has been fine and dandy up until a few weeks ago. I was on my way home and had to make a pit stop to go pickup some dog food, no issues. Go inside, get the dog food, come out and notice the temperature is around 223 on my AP. Being in AZ, I didn't think much of it since the car sat for a few minutes. I do have auxiliary fan wiring and a spliced in temp sensor as per diagram: http://s1231.photobucket.com/user/Novej/media/NovejsFullRelay_zps3581e7e6.jpg.html (but with 1 fan instead of 2).

    I'm not very great with wiring but don't mind giving it a shot so my buddy helped me along with the wiring. The wiring was done about 2 years ago and never had a problem so I think we did a pretty decent job. The only issue I have had is the relay dying about a year in. So my first thought was to replace the relays, unfortunately, this did not fix the issue.

    Next up, naturally, is the t-stat. Removed the t-stat, did the 'hold in boiled water' test and it passed (opened as it should). Just for fun, I threw in a brand new OEM t-stat (tested prior to installation), gravity burped the system and gave it another shot. Still no dice. I do believe the t-stat is opening even though the fan is not moving air. I put distilled water in the reservoir, and after the car got up to temp I could see coolant mixing in (most likely coolant that was in the block behind the t-stat). So that means the t-stat is opening at temp.

    Next I decided to replace the relay harness for the aux fan wiring. The terminals looked a little loose and I had a spare, so I don't see a problem with trying. This still did not solve the issue.

    Just to ensure the fan motor worked, I ran 12v directly to just the motor, the fan motor turns on without issue.

    Last thing I've replaced is the radiator fan/controller assembly. A local was parting out an entire car so I was able to grab it for a good price. To my surprise, it still did not work.

    Is it possible this is something AC related? I noticed that my AC is not getting cold. Just like when you have air in the coolant system. AC worked up until I turned my car off at the store where this originally started happening.

    Things I've tried:
    New t-stat
    Gravity burped the system for 3 days
    New fan + controller
    Run the fan motor directly with 12v applied
    Swapped AC relay in engine bay
    Checked fuses

    Next thing I will try:
    Remove the aux fan circuit completely and see if the fan operates normally.

    So I'm looking for some ideas on what else I can check. Any ideas are welcome.

    I do have a code when I installed the new fan assembly, P0480 Cooling Fan Relay 1 Control Circuit. This was not present with my old fan assembly installed. I was reading through the original post on MSF for the AUX fan wiring and some mentioned this was coming up and they had no issues so they disabled it in ATR and let it go. I wonder if there is anyway to test the fan control module.
     
    Last edited: Nov 4, 2016
  2. Raider

    Raider Administraider Administrator Platinum Member

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    I would see if there is power going to the fans, first. There is a temp sensor that kicks them on I think and I bet that is possibly bad.
     
    Raider, via an iPhone, Nov 6, 2016
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  3. Binary Assault

    Binary Assault Greenie Member

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    Power is delivered through the fan controller (assuming stock setup), id imagine. Is the temp sensor the same the reports temp back to the ap?

    tapatalkin
     
    Binary Assault, via a mobile device, Nov 7, 2016
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  4. Raider

    Raider Administraider Administrator Platinum Member

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    That I'm not sure of.
     
    Raider, via an iPhone, Nov 7, 2016
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  5. Binary Assault

    Binary Assault Greenie Member

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    Figured it out.. the issue was caused by a ground that I forgot to solder. Soldered all other wires.. apparently forgot that one.

    tapatalkin
     
    Binary Assault, via a mobile device, Nov 13, 2016
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  6. Raider

    Raider Administraider Administrator Platinum Member

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    Grounds are overrated!
     
    Raider, via an iPhone, Nov 14, 2016
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  7. Rage2007

    Rage2007 Greenie N00B Member

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    New question to an old solution.
    My issues seem similar to yours.
    Can you point out in which direction where I might find this ground wire?
     
    Rage2007, via a Samsung mobile device, Mar 21, 2020
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