3rd Generation Specific (1993-2002) 1993-2002 Discussion including performance modifications and Technical Support Sections.
Sponsored by:

Radiator fans drained my battery!

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 04-25-07, 09:15 PM
  #1  
Senior Member

Thread Starter
 
Sr20fd3st's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Stow, Ohio
Posts: 582
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Exclamation Radiator fans drained my battery!

Yea the fans ran for a good 20 minutes after the car was shut off and it drained the battery. batteries good only a year old tested it myself so wtf
Old 04-25-07, 09:21 PM
  #2  
Get Sidewayz

 
DriftTrix's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Washington
Posts: 288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
You sure your battery was getting a charge when it was on? it doesnt take much current to run a car but it takes a lot to start it.... Just a guess, maybe battery only had 7 volts when you turned it off.
Old 04-25-07, 09:25 PM
  #3  
Senior Member

Thread Starter
 
Sr20fd3st's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Stow, Ohio
Posts: 582
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
i dont think 7 volts would crank it. i checked the amperage outputo f the alternator and its fine, and battery shows ~14.7 volts while running and 12.5 volts when sitting (before now, havnt checked it cause its obviously low)
Old 04-25-07, 09:32 PM
  #4  
Get Sidewayz

 
DriftTrix's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Washington
Posts: 288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Have you checked the amps of the radiator fan drain? Maybe you have a leach drain...
Old 04-25-07, 09:34 PM
  #5  
Senior Member

Thread Starter
 
Sr20fd3st's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Stow, Ohio
Posts: 582
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
my multimeter wont read amps..a budyd of mine blew the fuse for it checking his damn alternator output in amps...

where would i check for leakage? and under what specs?
Old 04-25-07, 09:47 PM
  #6  
Get Sidewayz

 
DriftTrix's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Washington
Posts: 288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
When everything including the fan is off take your neg terminal off the battery, hook up one lead to the neg clamp and the other to the neg terminal, without your key in the ignition it will tell you if you have a system drain. expect up to max of 5 volts for things like your clock and radio but if you have battery voltage traveling through you most likely have a system drain
Old 04-25-07, 09:50 PM
  #7  
Senior Member

Thread Starter
 
Sr20fd3st's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Stow, Ohio
Posts: 582
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
so put the multimeter between the neg cable and the neg battery terminal? gotcha makes sense. thanks
Old 04-25-07, 10:34 PM
  #8  
Cheap Bastard

iTrader: (2)
 
adam c's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: San Luis Obispo, Ca
Posts: 8,370
Received 50 Likes on 42 Posts
Running the fans for 20 minutes is really a long time. No wonder your battery was low.
Old 04-25-07, 10:48 PM
  #9  
Senior Member

Thread Starter
 
Sr20fd3st's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Stow, Ohio
Posts: 582
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
yea that was my original thought, why would they run for so damn long. the fans had just kicked on before i turned the car off. i rewired the plug for the sensor on the waterneck for the fan relay, perhaps something went goofy? if it didn though youd think it would constantly make em run but they acted normal when it was running.
Old 04-26-07, 07:21 AM
  #10  
Constant threat

 
bajaman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: near Wichita, Kansas
Posts: 4,952
Received 35 Likes on 31 Posts
Shouldn't that read, "battery drained by radiator fans"?

You have to ask yourself WHY they fans ran for 20 minutes. That is way too long.
Old 04-26-07, 10:15 AM
  #11  
Senior Member

Thread Starter
 
Sr20fd3st's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Stow, Ohio
Posts: 582
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
It was supposed to read "radiator fans drain MY battery" lol typo

yea im trying to figure out why they ran for that long to.
Old 04-26-07, 10:23 AM
  #12  
Constant threat

 
bajaman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: near Wichita, Kansas
Posts: 4,952
Received 35 Likes on 31 Posts
Originally Posted by Sr20fd3st
It was supposed to read "radiator fans drain MY battery" lol typo

yea im trying to figure out why they ran for that long to.
Mine did that same thing a few times when I had the fan mod hooked up. After the 2nd or 3rd time dealing with a dead battery, I disconnected the fan mod.

Good luck with getting your problem fixed.
Old 04-26-07, 12:36 PM
  #13  
Cheap Bastard

iTrader: (2)
 
adam c's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: San Luis Obispo, Ca
Posts: 8,370
Received 50 Likes on 42 Posts
If you have grounded your wire permanently on the fan mod wire, that is the cause of your problem.
Old 04-26-07, 01:12 PM
  #14  
Senior Member

Thread Starter
 
Sr20fd3st's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Stow, Ohio
Posts: 582
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
i didnt do the fan mod.
Old 04-26-07, 01:41 PM
  #15  
Urban Combat Vet

iTrader: (16)
 
Sgtblue's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Mid-west
Posts: 12,012
Received 863 Likes on 612 Posts
Originally Posted by Sr20fd3st
..... i rewired the plug for the sensor on the waterneck for the fan relay....
Which sensor?
Old 04-26-07, 08:39 PM
  #16  
Senior Member

Thread Starter
 
Sr20fd3st's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Stow, Ohio
Posts: 582
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
the wire broke from the fan thermosensor sensor plug on the waterneck, the second one down on the back of it. i took the plug off the sensor, soldered a new wire in place and then to the original wire it broke from, and plugged it back in. I guess i should check to make sure that the wire is seeing + voltage. im not sure how the sensor is set up to control the fans, but maybe there isn't + voltage at the wire and when the fans kick on it doesn't read a temp drop to signal it to shut off? but wouldnt the same sensor be responsible for turning them on?

Last edited by Sr20fd3st; 04-26-07 at 08:46 PM.
Old 04-26-07, 08:51 PM
  #17  
~17 MPG

iTrader: (2)
 
scotty305's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Bend, OR
Posts: 3,285
Received 224 Likes on 151 Posts
The fans use a lot of power; it's no surprise that they drained your battery. That's what happens when you run fans without the alternator recharging the battery.


It's possible that your battery was a little low before you shut the car off, but I wouldn't be too surprised if 20-30 minutes of fans at medium speed killed a battery with a full charge.


-s-
Old 04-26-07, 08:59 PM
  #18  
~17 MPG

iTrader: (2)
 
scotty305's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Bend, OR
Posts: 3,285
Received 224 Likes on 151 Posts
Check this thread for info on how the cooling fans are triggered:

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/2-trigger-cooling-fans-462760/

-s-
Old 04-26-07, 09:16 PM
  #19  
Senior Member

Thread Starter
 
Sr20fd3st's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Stow, Ohio
Posts: 582
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
thanks
Old 04-26-07, 09:23 PM
  #20  
Senior Member

Thread Starter
 
Sr20fd3st's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Stow, Ohio
Posts: 582
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
dude with studyign for exams that was too much new info for my mind to take in tonight lol. good info though. so pretty much all 4 relays are active for the car to run at medium fan speed when it's off...eh

hey, who fixed the type in the thread title? thanks to whoever did
Old 04-27-07, 06:19 PM
  #21  
What's your point ?

 
CantGoStraight's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Gainesville, Fla.
Posts: 3,573
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Sr20fd3st
It was supposed to read "radiator fans drain MY battery" lol typo

yea im trying to figure out why they ran for that long to.

I'd venture to guess it's the wiring you monkeyed with "clue" did it do it before you changed the wiring ?
Old 04-27-07, 07:39 PM
  #22  
2/4 wheel cornering fiend

 
Kento's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Pasadena, CA
Posts: 3,090
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
I'm of the opinion that you either messed with some wires other than just the coolant thermoswitch, or your wire looms leading from the fan relays have an open ground fault somewhere.
Old 04-27-07, 10:06 PM
  #23  
Senior Member

Thread Starter
 
Sr20fd3st's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Stow, Ohio
Posts: 582
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
well the fans came on fine before i even fixed the plug for the fan thermoswitch. i just fixed it since i figured it should be done. i guess ill unplug it and let them come on and see if they stay on for that long again
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
mulcryant
2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992)
10
09-09-15 05:24 PM



Quick Reply: Radiator fans drained my battery!



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:31 AM.