i was wondering about the fans on my 82 ea81 wagon, it has 2 electric fans, but it seems like the only one that ever comes on is the one on the passenger side. is one supposed to be on all the time? or does it only get used if you install the optional a/c?

 

anyone?

Edited June 24, 201015 yr by doobieryan

With the lack of a reply from anybody else, my understanding is that the secondary slimline fan runs off the a/c wiring, there is a special plug for it on that side of the a/c harness.

 

It runs whenever the other fan is on, but via a relay...so I'm not sure whether you can simply run the two fans together off the same source. I'm certainly not an authority on the matter.

Whenever I have ea81s I like to wire up both fans to come on when the vehicle is running.. or put them on a switch.. (just don't forget to turn them on if you have them on a switch.) A switch is good for off roading.. because you can turn off your fans for deep mud / water crossings.

To attempt to answer your question.. You really only need the one fan.. the secondary is the "ac fan" or "emergency fan" (if you're getting too hot, or the other fan stopped working) You can hook up 12v directly to it to test it. If you like your fans working off the relays.. it is okay to hook the secondary fan up to the same power supply as the primary fan. Then they will come on/off together and cool a little more quickly.

ok, i think i will just wire the other one to a switch when i find out if it works or not. most the time i have no fans running, then when im crawling in the hills it will heat up a little and the one will turn on