GOOD or BAD?...fans running all the time, post A/C removal bug Options

[axelrduvirage]

hey gang,

had my A/C remove recently by a reputable shop. it was fullof holes and the pulley was off-centre and making a terrible noise. the tech may have wired something wrong since both fans are always on now (when the car is running). not a bad thing in the summer, right? thing is--the weather around here has been crap lately and the daytime temperatures are barely above 65F or 17C. before i bring it back and spend more 0:00 and $.$$ on something that may not even be a problem, i thought i would throw it out here and see what you all think. it is more of an annoyance since i find the noise coming from under the bonnet to be a bit loud with both fans running. i am also thinking about premature wear on the fan motors. any insight into this would be appreciated.

has anyone ripped out their A/C?
have you experienced this problem?
is there a solution?
should i worry?

thanks and peace

[lagos]

How much of the AC system was ripped out?
There are 2 plugs that need to be connected for your fans to work on/off. One is at the bottom of the radiator on the passengers side. The other one is on the metal ac line by the firewall on the passengers side. I'm guessing he forgot to plug the one on the bottom of the radiator back in, and that's why your fans are on at all times.

[axelrduvirage]

How much of the AC system was ripped out?
There are 2 plugs that need to be connected for your fans to work on/off. One is at the bottom of the radiator on the passengers side. The other one is on the metal ac line by the firewall on the passengers side. I'm guessing he forgot to plug the one on the bottom of the radiator back in, and that's why your fans are on at all times.

everything is gone as far as i can tell. pulley, compressor, evaporator, lines. i will take a good look tomorrow. i guess i need to get all the details duh :/dunce/:. my apologies for the incomplete post. it just came to mind as i was poking around the site.

[axelrduvirage]

took another look first thing this morning. here is what i found:



there is a connector near the firewall just dangling. where do i plug it in? you stated that it should be on one of the lines from the firewall, but everything is missing from there. is there an alternative?

[lagos]

Why on earth did you have him take your ac lines out? You could have just had him unbolt the ac compressor if there was an issue with that.
That plug goes to a sensor on the ac hard line, if its ever disconnected your fans will run at all times.

[Bitter]

thats a 3 wire harness, get a wiring diagram and figure out what wires the switch that it used to plug into opens or closes, and then do as needed.

[axelrduvirage]

Why on earth did you have him take your ac lines out? You could have just had him unbolt the ac compressor if there was an issue with that.
That plug goes to a sensor on the ac hard line, if its ever disconnected your fans will run at all times.

i guess i had too much confidence in his abilities. i am stuck with this it seems. is there a fix? can i "fool" the system into thinking there is a sensor as Bitter is suggesting? thanks for the follow-up lagos. nice to know the community is there to help.

[axelrduvirage]

is it the ambient temperature sensor that is missing? do you have a schematic or a photo? can i just but one and plug it in to the connector and mount it on the firewall? should i worry if i can't find a fix?

[lagos]

Its the AC pressure switch. Look up the wiring diagrams online (celicatech should have them) and figure out what 2 wires you need to connect to fool that circuit into thinking the ac is still there.

[presure2]

all you need is the sensor to be plugged in.
hit your local junkyard, find a celica, camry or whatever, grab that sensor, plug it in, and problem solved.

[axelrduvirage]

thanks guys!

when Martin asked me if i wanted any of the parts he removed from the car i should have said yes. i assumed there was nothing of value except scrap metal. next timed i will know better. i guess you are never too old to learn a valuable lesson. here is my fix:

after reading through the CELICATECH online BGB and comparing it to the info in my CHILTON'S i've shorted the pins 2 and 3 with a fusible link with a 5 amp fuse JUST IN CASE!! don't know if this actually helps but i would think a dead short to a sensitive component will be avoided. this causes the system into thinking the A/C is in place and at proper operating pressure. my first test was to determine if the fans were off at start-up. this was a success. now i need to bring the car to normal operating temperature to see if the fans cycle properly and keep the car from over-heating. here is the ugly piece of work i came up with. not pretty but working as expected for now.



P.S. i know my engine bay is a mess...someday, maybe, if i can find time...

This post has been edited by axelrduvirage: Aug 10, 2008 - 9:51 AM

[axelrduvirage]

glad to report it worked!!!

fans come on when they should.

thank you