Toggle switch for radiator fan

[ThaDyce17]

How can I set up a toggle switch for my cooling fan? If I can help it i want to get everything from maybe radio shack. can somebody please explain to me how the switch works and step by step how to do this. Or maybe even ground my fan wires to a fuse in my car is that possible? I hooked it up to my fog light fuse so now my fog lights don't work but the fan comes on when I hit the fog lights. Thee fan seems weak though would the size of the wire matter as far as fan power...anything will help

[FirebirdGT]

Re: Toggle switch for radiator fan

http://forum.camarov6.com/showthread.php?t=77114
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[ThaDyce17]

Re: Toggle switch for radiator fan

I don't have to solder the wires do I? Can I just twist them together and tape them up with electrical tape

[ThaDyce17]

Re: Toggle switch for radiator fan

And can I ground the toggle switch on the negative side of the battery?

[FirebirdGT]

Re: Toggle switch for radiator fan

I don't have to solder the wires do I? Can I just twist them together and tape them up with electrical tape

You're kidding right? Just use crimp connectors.
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[FirebirdGT]

Re: Toggle switch for radiator fan

And can I ground the toggle switch on the negative side of the battery?

Why? Ground it at the left side ground stud under the dash. Remove the knee panel - it's by the door.
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[landj]

Re: Toggle switch for radiator fan

I don't have to solder the wires do I? Can I just twist them together and tape them up with electrical tape

I've had to deal with enough freinds' "professional" fecal-job "I'm going to twist the wires together because I'm a fat lazy bastard who doesn't give a rat's anus about this stereo - alarm - light - lock actuator" that I've stopped offering my help to my freinds with electrical crap.

Don't twist wires together in your car. Just fornicatingly retarded.

I had to vent. Too many hours under other people's dashes cause someone twisted some wires together and now they can't figure out why thier car doesn't start - radio doesn't work, light doesn't go out - lock doesn't unlock. My back hurts just thinking about it.

If the "OMG a crimp connector costs 25 cent's a pop" factor hurts your sensibilities, then by God, please solder them.

[ACiFiC]

Re: Toggle switch for radiator fan

anyways..... don't half *** it. or you are going to be in there again scratching your head alot harder then you are now.

[ThaDyce17]

Re: Toggle switch for radiator fan

Im not trying to sound retarded but im really new to this electrical stuff. I pretty much have down pact what im going to do in the morning I just need to make sure I get the right parts. They said strip some wire off of the blue and green wires. I have a wire stripper, but I don't know what kind of connectors to get. If anybody can show me a pic of the wright connectors I would really appreciate it.

[landj]

Re: Toggle switch for radiator fan

Im not trying to sound retarded but im really new to this electrical stuff. I pretty much have down pact what im going to do in the morning I just need to make sure I get the right parts. They said strip some wire off of the blue and green wires. I have a wire stripper, but I don't know what kind of connectors to get. If anybody can show me a pic of the wright connectors I would really appreciate it.

Don't take my comments personal, it's just the idea of twisting wires together somehow has become so prevelent, or was anyways, that it seemed like for a while all I was doing was fixing electronic installs done by "professionals."

Using a fluxed solder joint and heat shrink tubing is the best way to make a connection. Low resistance, physically strong, doesn't spontaneiously come apart, no tape ends to unwind or loose stickyness and doesn't corrode over time. I'm not a big fan of crimping, but soldering and heat shrink tubing is time consuming, so I'm happy using crimp connectors when helping work on other freind's cars.

You probably want a butt connector like: http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2151268. As far as what guage, it's the smallest one that the wires can slide in easily when they are neatly twisted together.

You might be able to use a tap connector like: http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...lickid=prod_cs. This one allows you to add a junction without cutting the other wire, but be careful to select the appropriate size tap connector for the wire you are using.

After crimping, check the connection, make sure the wires don't slide, cheap crimps are difficult sometimes to get a good connection. Then wrap the crimp with good (not the 50-cents/roll) electrical tape to add some protection and extra security to the wires. You can buy the crimp connectors and a cheap crimping tool at various places like Napa, Sears, Oreilly's, Radio Shack, Autozone, Walmart etc...

Tips: ALWAYS use a wire that is the same size as the one you are tapping into or bigger unless you place an appropriate sized fuse. "Why?" you ask. Because if there is a short, the wire may catch fire before the fuse. "Oh, it will never catch fire, will it?" you say. Been there, seen it, glad it wasn't me, and would have offered my car's fire extinguisher, but by that time my $15 fire extinguisher was worth more than his car.

[ThaDyce17]

Re: Toggle switch for radiator fan

Okay im almost set for tomorrow I only have one more issue here. When I get ready to strip the blue and green wires, I noticed that they were stripped without being broken... I have a crimper and wire cutter how can I expose the wire without breaking it? Anybody have a teqnique?

[FirebirdGT]

Re: Toggle switch for radiator fan

Okay im almost set for tomorrow I only have one more issue here. When I get ready to strip the blue and green wires, I noticed that they were stripped without being broken... I have a crimper and wire cutter how can I expose the wire without breaking it? Anybody have a teqnique?

You don't. You use the Tap connectors in the prior post.
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[ThaDyce17]

Re: Toggle switch for radiator fan

I wont be able to get my connectors until tomorrow afternoon... So explain to me how those tap connectors work.

[ThaDyce17]

Re: Toggle switch for radiator fan

I got 18-14 guage wire taps and I got 18 guage wire........ is 18 guage good to go?

[FirebirdGT]

Re: Toggle switch for radiator fan

I got 18-14 guage wire taps and I got 18 guage wire........ is 18 guage good to go?

No. Taps are too big. Need 18-22. You are tapping factory 22AWG wire.
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