The ignition cooling fan relay switch (in the trunk) went out, so I hot wired it to run continuously, until I got a new relay switch. The problem is, no one lists it any more. It looks and has the same contacts as the fuel pump and A/C relay switches, but I don't know if they will work or not. I don't want to put one on and have it do something damaging. My question is, will the fuel pump or A/C relay switches work for the coil cooling fan relay switch???
According to the P Book, they aren't the same part number (FP = 10034222, blower = 10026663) so I looked up in the service manual to see what internal differences there might be. The only obvious difference is the connector pinout, but even then, because of the way the relays are made, even that doesn't matter. The OEM connector may not fit, but that's all.
If I were you, I'd buy an automobile-style 12V relay rated for 30A at Radio Shack since they're probably the cheapest. Then when you go to wire it up just connect the brown wire to relay terminals 30 and 85, the green/white wire to terminal 86, and the black/red wire to terminal 87 (not 87a). You can use standard crimp on bayonet-style female connectors on the wires to plug it in.
According to the P Book, they aren't the same part number (FP = 10034222, blower = 10026663) so I looked up in the service manual to see what internal differences there might be. The only obvious difference is the connector pinout, but even then, because of the way the relays are made, even that doesn't matter. The OEM connector may not fit, but that's all.
If I were you, I'd buy an automobile-style 12V relay rated for 30A at Radio Shack since they're probably the cheapest. Then when you go to wire it up just connect the brown wire to relay terminals 30 and 85, the green/white wire to terminal 86, and the black/red wire to terminal 87 (not 87a). You can use standard crimp on bayonet-style female connectors on the wires to plug it in.
Thanks! Forgive my ignorance, but how can I get a parts book (P) that you are referring to? The contacts look exactly the same (is that what you refer to as the "pinout?"
The P Book is the Illustrated Parts Manual for the Fiero (P Car). I don't believe they're available any longer... I got mine from a dealership when the dealerships were converting to electronic format manuals 10-15 years ago.
The pinout that I refer to is the configuration of the pins on the blower relay. If you look really carefully, there are tiny little letters (A to D) on either the connector, the side of the relay, or both. On the blower relay, pin A is a brown wire and goes to one side of the relay "load" circuit, pin B is also brown and goes to the 12V side of the relay's activation coil, pin C is green/white and goes to the ground side of the relay's activation coil, and pin D is black/red goes to the other side of the relay "load" circuit.
Some relays use different connectors which orient the pins either physically in a different orientation, or if the connector does fit, then sometimes internally the pins connect to different parts of the relay. But I've checked the parts manual and saw that both the fuel pump relay and the blower relay use the same connector so you'll be OK if you order a fuel pump relay and plug it in to the blower connector.
I know this post is over one year old, but I had the same thing happen, and found out the same thing about the contacts, so I made a little hot-wire connector to make it run continually. Didn't want to wear my fan motor out (?) so I ordered a new one, either at the Fiero Store, or at O' Reilly's, just last year.
This brings to mind a question I have for anyone in the know: Why did Pontiac eliminate this cooling system in the '88 year models? Seams to me that they would still need it!?
I don't think anyone knows the answer to that with 100% certainty, although many have speculated that the change in alternator type in '88 may have led to a cooler running alternator. Personally, I'm of the impression that it was a cost-cutting measure given the pressure on the company by then with drastically falling sales. Heck, the '88's only have one horn instead of two.
I know this post is over one year old, but I had the same thing happen, and found out the same thing about the contacts, so I made a little hot-wire connector to make it run continually. Didn't want to wear my fan motor out (?) so I ordered a new one, either at the Fiero Store, or at O' Reilly's, just last year.
This brings to mind a question I have for anyone in the know: Why did Pontiac eliminate this cooling system in the '88 year models? Seams to me that they would still need it!?
The 88 alternator has an internal fan as well as the external one so it keeps itself cool. Not sure how they cooled the coil. Maybe better shielding.
Spoon
------------------ "Kilgore Trout once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast. They were discussing the possible purposes of life as they ate sugar and suffocated in their own excrement. Because of their limited intelligence, they never came close to guessing that they were making champagne." - Kurt Vonnegut
