Not another delorean overheating thread!( halp!)

[Riley88]

Hello all! I've been out to sea( Navy lol) , finally came back home. Was excited to drive the Delorean, i had just ordered BitSynMasters solid state relays ( rpm, fan fail and fan relay). I did and the car ran great. Now a few weeks later, its overheating. Here is what has been done to test, ive read every thread on this forum before posting by the way so sorry for making another of these threads.

- every hose has been replaced, no leaks anywhere
-Brand new water pump
-brand new radiator
-new otterstat x2 (dropped one so got another)
- new fan fail fan relay and rpm relay



Anyway car ran fine for about 3 weeks with the new relays. Then it started to just dump coolant. I jumped the otterstat and the fans would come on, so i had ordered new radiator fans from toby and installed them. So tonight after all this i knew, hey new fans, old ones probably died sweet ill test them, they will work and ill proceed to flush the air out of the system. Well i jumpered the relay...now even the new fans wont come on. So heres the issue , my fans even with new ones wont come on. I have daves solid state relays, but i dont want to remove them out of fear of voiding his warranty. What are the next troubleshooting steps i can take? I also checked fuse 5 its good. I was thinking of jumpering the fan relay, but i cant find my jumper cable i threw it out thinking NAAAH ill never have to worry about that fan relay again with these solid state puppies.
ANyway thats my situation any input would be Awesome

VR,
Riley

[Riley88]

I goofed up typing that. Ever since i have had it spill coolant , the fans have not come on AT ALL. As in, even with it jumpered they wouldnt come on. Installed the new fans still wont come on with it jumpered. I do have his solid state relays still installed and yes again checked fuse 5, just wanted to clarify. Thank you

[sdg3205]

Remove daves fan relays and use 20 amp fused jumpers - ghetto style - to test.

Rpm relay has nothing to do with the fans

The fans use a circuit breaker. Ensure that isn't constantly tripping.

So:

1. Pull the relays and go back to 3 way jumper in the fan relay socket

2. jump the otterstat

3. Check circuit breaker

4. Report back.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Remove daves fan relays and use 20 amp fused jumpers - ghetto style - to test.

Rpm relay has nothing to do with the fans

The fans use a circuit breaker. Ensure that isn't constantly tripping.

So:

1. Pull the relays and go back to 3 way jumper in the fan relay socket

2. jump the otterstat

3. Check circuit breaker

4. Report back.

+1
So from what I read, the fans stopped working when you installed new fans. Check that you bolted that front ground tightly onto the support bracket.

Also, if your AC is working, you should hear the fans turn on when you turn the AC on with the key just turned to on (engine not running).

[Jonathan]

You'll get it figured out Riley. Stick to the areas you know you changed or worked on or swapped things around. There could be some random chance of a part failing coincidentally just as you did this work, but let's stick to the areas you know you changed.

One thing you might want to check, and even more so after you said you haven't had the old or new fans come on, is whether you pushed one or more electrical connections out the back of the relay socket in the fuse/relay area. Those relay sockets have all the wiring connections underneath and they clip into tabs from below much like the relay pushes into the opposite end from the top. You may have inadvertently pushed one of those wire end connectors far enough out that it isn't making contact and the result is your fans won't come on. This happened to me in the first year I got my car. Remove the two screws holding the relay socket rail to the metal bracket (remove the 2nd and 7th relay to do so I think it is) and then lift up gently on the rail and you should be able to feel around or see whether the wires are all in there nice and tight. Disconnect your battery first of course.

[Riley88]

I cant find my jumper...is there a vendor that sells it? I dont see it on dmc's website

[sdg3205]

I cant find my jumper...is there a vendor that sells it? I dont see it on dmc's website

You can make your own! Grab the proper gauge wire and some spade terminals from a local auto parts store or equivalent. You can buy fuse sockets cheap if you want to make a good, fused 3-way jumper to keep on hand (hint hint it's always a good idea to cary a jumper!)

[David T]

You can make your own! Grab the proper gauge wire and some spade terminals from a local auto parts store or equivalent. You can buy fuse sockets cheap if you want to make a good, fused 3-way jumper to keep on hand (hint hint it's always a good idea to cary a jumper!)

For testing purposes you can use a paperclip. Having a short piece of wire with a male spade terminal on each end is better and putting an in-line fuse in it is even better. Keep a wiring diagram handy so you can figure out where to put the jumper.

[Bitsyncmaster]

I recommend you don't use a paper clip in any of the relay sockets. You will probably damage the socket pin and then when you install the correct relay it will have a bad connection and melt the socket.

[Riley88]

I have been so busy with real life work i havent had time now. In a few days i have a plan. I dont think a paperclip is safe, even though i have the new fans now installed, if it is the solid state relay malfunctioning and i do a quick check with a paperclip idk if the paperclip can handle the amps , i dont want it to melt , even if its just for a second. I have had my fuse box and relays upgarded in December.
@ Dave, so sorry i havent had time to go to the store mail you back you rrpm relay i Do have it and have been trying, my ships doing what is called insurv so i work 14+ hours a day+ some weekends. When i figure this issue out, i will be sending it and possibly this failed fan relay if thats the problem. It was a tight fit and i did it very carefully when i installed it. Do you have any tips for pulling the relay back out to jumper? As in like disconnect the battery before i do, anything else? Theres a diode or two i need to check that didnt short or open ill be checking as well which could be a culprit.

Thank you again all for the input!

[Bitsyncmaster]

It's best to disconnect the batter when removing and installing most relays. There are a lot of unfused battery wires in the relay areas.

I made a relay puller but most times if you can get a good grip with your fingers you can rock it out. Don't use a screw driver to pry under the relay, there are circuit traces you could damage. Worst case you can grab the sides with pliers but that will scrape up the paint.