Relays hot to touch

[DMC3165]

Recently I had my fuse/relay compartment open after a drive and noticed two relays were hot to the touch. Not hot enough to burn but noticeably more so then everything else around it. They are DMC part # 108165. Listed here:

http://www.delorean.com/store/p-7210-relay-heavy-duty.aspx

My question is what are these for and is this normal?

[Bitsyncmaster]

Recently I had my fuse/relay compartment open after a drive and noticed two relays were hot to the touch. Not hot enough to burn but noticeably more so then everything else around it. They are DMC part # 108165. Listed here:

http://www.delorean.com/store/p-7210-relay-heavy-duty.aspx

My question is what are these for and is this normal?

It is not normal for those two 70 amp relays to run hot. The whole relay compartment will run hot so you may just be feeling ambient temperatures in there. The RPM relay is the worst with the lambda relay second to be the ones that run hot.

Try your test again keeping the cover off the compartment.

[DMC3165]

I went out today and rechecked everything like you said. The two silver relays were warm but not hot. What I did notice is relay number 12 as written in black marker next to the tall green one was extremely hot!!! Almost enough to burn. I assume this is not normal. What should I do next and can I get this relay locally.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[Bitsyncmaster]

I went out today and rechecked everything like you said. The two silver relays were warm but not hot. What I did notice is relay number 12 as written in black marker next to the tall green one was extremely hot!!! Almost enough to burn. I assume this is not normal. What should I do next and can I get this relay locally.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

That's the lambda relay. Yes it does run hot. If you think that one is hot try touching your RPM relay after a long drive:bawling:. It runs hotter than the lambda relay.

If you make one wire change, you can run a standard relay in the lambda relay socket.

[DMC3165]

The rpm relay was hot as well but the lambda relay was noticeably hotter then the rpm. I don't know if this is because the lambda relay is a metal housing and the rpm is plastic but having said that should I replace it anyway? Car seems to be running fine. My main concern is a fire hazard.

[Bitsyncmaster]

The rpm relay was hot as well but the lambda relay was noticeably hotter then the rpm. I don't know if this is because the lambda relay is a metal housing and the rpm is plastic but having said that should I replace it anyway? Car seems to be running fine. My main concern is a fire hazard.

Maybe the vendors lambda relay runs cooler. The OEM unit uses more coil power than the standard relays. If you want a solid state relay, I can provide one but it requires that one wire change.

[DMC3165]

Does anyone know if this is the correct Bosch # for a Lambda relay:

0332-15-012

I'm not 100% comfortable with changing the pins in the socket myself. Plus if the car has been running ok I assume this condition is normal. If that's the case I'd like to just put in a new replacement relay for now to alleviate my fears of a fire.

[David T]

On really hot days you could run with the carpet and the cover removed over the relays. Also remove the fuse block cover and place it nearby. It traps a lot of heat over the fuses. Can't hurt to go over all of the connectors to make sure they are all clean and tight. Watch fuse #7, the fan circuit breakers and the fan fail bypass (or whatever you have in there). Look for discolored wires. If they look discolored they got too hot. Especially near the connectors. They also get stiff and "crispy".
David Teitelbaum

[Bitsyncmaster]

Does anyone know if this is the correct Bosch # for a Lambda relay:

0332-15-012

I'm not 100% comfortable with changing the pins in the socket myself. Plus if the car has been running ok I assume this condition is normal. If that's the case I'd like to just put in a new replacement relay for now to alleviate my fears of a fire.

The original relay is shorter than the other ones. If I can find mine I will check the part number. I have my original solid state relay that has the dual pins. I've since replaced it with my standard solid state one, PM me if you want to buy my original one.