I'm installing an electric fan in my shoebox and I want to make sure I am wiring this right (please see attached "crude" diagram). The toggle switch is an illimunated version but I don't know what terminals 2 and 3 are for. As you can see I am no electrical wiz ! Thanks for any help!!!
Position 2 on your drawing may be a common for either 1 or 3 depending where the toggle position is. With toggle towards 1 power would go from 2 to 1. With toggle towards 3 power would go from 2 to 3.
Common is not ground. It is the terminal that is switched between the other two. If you were to use the switch for 2 devices then common would be where you would connect + power.
One word of warning concerning the relay, and wiring. Check your owners manual (***uming it's out of the box) for the Full Load Amps, these can often pull upwards of 80 amps depending on the size of the fan. You'll need a relay and wiring that is up to the task. ALSO - be sure to size your fuse accordingly. It does you no good if it's too large and not really offering any protection of the devices down the line. Concerning the switch, I think that Hup is thinking the switch is a two position switch. What it sounds to me like is that your switch is a SPST, with a common to illuminate it. I have switches like this for my rock lights. Read the instruction card that came with the switch, see which lug is the common, which is a ground. The only thing this does is provide a ground for your otherwise insulated switch to illuminate the indicator light. The other two lugs are for power in and power out on the switch. Remember, a switch does nothing more than to interrupt current. A lot of people overcomplicate this. If the card doesn't have instructions, use a continuity tester, and see which two terminals are interrupted when you cycle the switch. These will be the power in/out and the other will be the common. Hope this helps.
May I ask why you are using a toggle switch instead of a cooling fan switch installed in a watter p***age. Seems to me using the toggle switch is asking for trouble. Not trying to be a jerk just trying to help.
I picked this switch because I was concerned about losing battery power if the fan was still running with the motor off. For an electrically challenged individual as myself, I am really confused when I buy the switch and it comes with one wire, 4 spade terminals, 1 ring terminal, and 3 connections on the switch.
You're talking about a thermostatic switch, right? They're a great idea, but having one run much after the ignition is off can be taxing on the battery, especially if it doesn't have enough capacity to be discharged that much, that often. One good work around to this, is to have it wired through a delay timer, or a timed switch that is activated when you switch off the ignition. It sounds a lot more complicated than it really is. I suppose that there are pros and cons to this setup, no matter how you choose to wire it up.
Do you gents concur that my wiring diagram above is correct? It sound like I am missing the ground on the switch and ????
I think the gents are right about a switch in a water p***ageway. The relay needs a battery hot than give it another that is only hot when the ignition is on. The switch will give the relay the ground to turn the fan on. Hope thats right I have a tough time esplainig things.
I think I see where you're going dave... Put the thermostat switch between the rocker switch and the relay, is that correct? The relay should have a ground jumper, you don't want a long ground for it. All that it does is complete the loop of the coil (a glorified magnet)to **** the contacts. The relay is nothing more than a heavy duty switch.
Ok I have a litte more time than I did earlier so here goes. Lets ***ume for arguments sake you retrofitting this in a car that is not useing and aftermarket wiring harness. You will need a constant hot wire from the fuse block going to the relay. A second switched hot wire goint to the relay. A hot wire coming from the relay to the fan. Last a ground wire running to a thermostatic switch (single pin) screwed in to the watter jacket, preferably in the intake. When the watter comes up to temp the switch will complete the ground curcit to the relay allowing the current from the constant hot wire to p*** through the relay to the fan.
I appreciate all the help fellas but I'm not running a thermostatic switch. Based on that and the ***umption that my diagram above is correct (if it is), where does the toggle switch get it's power? Does it get it from the relay or do I need a seperate line from the ignition???
You Will Need To Get Your Toggle Switch Power From Plus Battery. Your Digram Looks Good And Simple.be Sure Relay Is Big Enough To Handle Fan Current.i Am Not Running A Thermostatic Switch Either. Its Best To Get A Lighted Toggle To Give You Warning That The Fan Is On,but You Will Hear It Also.you Will Also Be Able To Run The Fan After The Ignition Is Turned Off.the Only Down Side Is Leaving The Switch On,an Forgetting It. I Have Installed A Master Cut Off To Cure Any Brain Failure Deucemanab
Thanks again guys! I looked on the back of the toggle switch package and look what I find, wiring diagram for the toggle switch! Now I feel really smart!! It looks as though 1 is from the relay like my diagram depicts and 2 is ground and 3 is power. I will get the power from the ACC so the fan will only be on when the ignition is but I also have a light that will indicate when it is and I plan on turning it off prior to ignition or when I have turned off the power. I'll be testing it soon so hopefully it works!
Well, just when you think it's going to work, it doesn't! I believe I have it wired correctly but maybe the power source is not good. It's a line from the fuse panel marked Fan from an EZ Wiring kit so I ***umed it had power but maybe it doesn't. Back to the DWG board...
Jumping in here when I have too little information, but I don't think your switch should have any connection to ground. The ground connection is at the relay. I think your #1 connection should be to the relay, #2 to the hot wire (ignition), and #3 not connected to anything. I think the #3 connection would be for something you might want to have hot if you were toggling back and forth from one device to another, but if you want one position to be "on" and the other to be "off," then you only need the "on" terminal to be connected to the device and the center common terminal connected to the power source.
The ground is only to make the light come on (lighted rocker switch) when he flips it on. IT's a plastic bodied switch, so it needs a ground jumper. The switch will still function without the ground jumper, it just won't light up to indicate that it's on. Crusader - time to break out the good ole test light, and start checking that circuit out. A lot of times those EZ wiring kits are more PITA than EZ, if ya know what I mean.
Thank you Jim! I took off the GND at the switch and the fan turned on when I pressed the switch, but the light wouldn't go on. In order to get that far I had to byp*** the Fan wire from the EZ Wiring fuse panel because I wasn't getting any power from it. Finally, I tried it this way and it works like it should: 1 = Relay 2 = Ignition (ACC) 3 = GND The light and fan go on when they should now! Lessons learned: 1) Don't read the instructions because they're wrong! 2) EZ Wiring fuse panel does not have a live Fan wire so don't use it (unless I've missed where the fan wire gets it's power from). 3) If you aren't sure of what you are doing, ask the great members of the HAMB for ***istance first they'll save you a lot of time!
Thanks Gummi Bear! I just found out about the GND before I went back online. This is the first time I've wired an entire car with all new harnesses and it wasn't "EZ" at all! The diagrams that come with the booklet could have been better and so could the instructions. I really need to spend a full 12 hours doing it all over but I will safe that fun project for another day....
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