P38A Anyone know what this does?

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Salisbury Nick

Well-Known Member
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790
Location
Dorchester
Hi All,

I traced the cable supplying the fan on the gearbox radiator back form the fan towards the battery, and found this on the way - see photo's below.

Does anyone know what it is? What is it meant to do? This one looks knackered to me, do you think this is likely to still be working?

Thanks for your help, Nick.

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IMG_3422.jpeg
 
Looks like a relay that has lost its cap.
What it does I don’t know, but it sure looks like it’s not going to do what it was designed for.

J
 
It looks like a relay with the top come off, and with that mud on there i'd say it would be a miracle if it was physically working, and electrically you'll need the ground back in the relay base. It's a while since I played with that section of wiring, but presumably it's part of the circuitry to run the electric fans as the condenser needs additional cooling. ETM is your friend (K4) Although I thought all those relays were in the fuse box. Does this look like it's an after-market addition ? (that someone has hooked up to a switch somewhere...)
 
It looks like a relay with the top come off, and with that mud on there i'd say it would be a miracle if it was physically working, and electrically you'll need the ground back in the relay base. It's a while since I played with that section of wiring, but presumably it's part of the circuitry to run the electric fans as the condenser needs additional cooling. ETM is your friend (K4) Although I thought all those relays were in the fuse box. Does this look like it's an after-market addition ? (that someone has hooked up to a switch somewhere...)

Hi Roman, hard to tell, it does look like an aftermarket as it does not look like it is meant to be just lying around in the engine bay - but I don't know that - and there is no evidence of a switch inside the car that it might relate to.
There are two sensors on the oil radiator, so I presume it could be connected to one of those via this relay.
I think the red and loose black wires come directly from the fan, so the black must be ground and the red the switched live?
If I want to replace it - any one got any ideas what I buy?
 
Hi Roman, hard to tell, it does look like an aftermarket as it does not look like it is meant to be just lying around in the engine bay - but I don't know that - and there is no evidence of a switch inside the car that it might relate to.
There are two sensors on the oil radiator, so I presume it could be connected to one of those via this relay.
I think the red and loose black wires come directly from the fan, so the black must be ground and the red the switched live?
If I want to replace it - any one got any ideas what I buy?

you first need to find what it does (or supposed to).
If it’s not standard, why is it there?
fan on gearbox rad?

is it possibly the extra cooling mod ?
Is thisLPG stuff?

J
 
you first need to find what it does (or supposed to).
If it’s not standard, why is it there?
fan on gearbox rad?

is it possibly the extra cooling mod ?
Is thisLPG stuff?

J
LOL - "What does it do?" Is the question I started with!
The fan on the oil cooler rad is standard, I should have said its a 2.5D - 2000 model. definitely no LPG funny stuff, and not the extra cooling mod - although I am planning on dong that next.
Although it looks shonky, I think it might be original - so I'm wondering if anyone else with a 2.5D and has the same relay?
 
Those are really good questions - next time I'm looking at her I'll try and follow that back and see where it goes.

Thing is, if its a mod - why would you put a mod on a standard fan set up?
 
Drop viscous, extra cooling due to problem, some put a switch in to wade deep. Who knows when it comes to PO’s decisions.

A - you know how to get it to run OE

B - you know how to mod it Data’s way

Therefore you Shouldn’t need whatever it is/isn’t doing now
 
Do you have two plug sockets with a towbar?
Mine does and it has a relay triggered from the alternator B+ that allows a charge for a caravan battery when the engine is started. ;)
 
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