help got a toggle switch problem
#1
help got a toggle switch problem
i know yall might howl on me about this but im running my electric fan hooked straight to the battery and through a 50 amp toggle switch. im using a 10 gauge wire on both sides.
the problem im having is its getting hot and actually melted my toggle switch. i thought maybe my connectors were to small, so i got bigger ones for the 10 gauge wire but the problems still there. I got a volt meter on it and its running 11.7 at idle and 13.5 when i give it gas, i know this is way to much for this set up, is there anything out there that i could put on the charge side to lower this. And also can you get amp readings by knowin the voltage, i dont have a amp meter
the problem im having is its getting hot and actually melted my toggle switch. i thought maybe my connectors were to small, so i got bigger ones for the 10 gauge wire but the problems still there. I got a volt meter on it and its running 11.7 at idle and 13.5 when i give it gas, i know this is way to much for this set up, is there anything out there that i could put on the charge side to lower this. And also can you get amp readings by knowin the voltage, i dont have a amp meter
#2
run the toggle switch to the fuse box and hook it to a fuse that only comes on when you have the key switched in the on position.I have a 2-way toggle on mine so I have a low and a high but I rarely ever need a high
#6
you really should put it on a relay. What fan are you running I know the fan on my wife's car is hitting at 35 amps on start up. it is a Taurus fan. it was blowing 30 amp fuses just on start up but only when it was hot so I put a 40amp breaker with a 40 amp relay and have not had problems since
#8
I am not a electronics guru so I cant tell you everything that makes running the relay better. But a relay rated at the proper load will take the load and the extra hit of amps on start up better and is for continuous duty where as the switch can be lacking. it also let you run all the load through the relay and the switch just pulls the relay on so you can run light wires to the switch and it does not have to be very high amp rating . also by keeping the relay under the hood or in the wheel well you are not running the big wires under the dash don't forget the farther you get from the fan or power source the bigger the wire need to get due to voltage drop causing hot wires and melting of wires or maybe fire in extreme case's. there is lots of info on the net if you look around I used a Relay out of a Ford truck don't know what it was used for I just know it was rated at 40amps. Bosch makes some very good big ones you can get them on E-bay or off line. But a lot of it is also due to turning the fan on with the ECM or a temp. switch think about it running 8 wire or even 10 all over the place to run a fan the ECM cant carry the load to run the fan so it sends out low volt/amps to the relay turns it on and the relay carry's the load and so it goes for the temp switch also.there lots of other things and I am sure others will jump in but try it works better then the switch deal. I use to do the same thing and burnt up switches all the time went to the relay and have had no issues
#9
I burnt up 2 relays within 3 days of each other but they were only oem so I know why it happened but I haven't had any problems with my switch yet and I have mine hid so its a little harder to find if your not lookin for it
#10
kool so if i go to the junkyard to pull one off a truck how do i know im getting a relay and what amps. is it marked on there. Also did you run a inline fuse and which side of the relay did you run it, the hot side coming from the power source or inbetween the relay and toggle. thanks for the help so far