got a viper, first problem

[androbud]

Well I just bought a 96 GTS this weekend. Anyway, sometime during the drive from Florida the radiator fan went out. Come to find out the positive wire fried in two and stopped the fan from getting power. The fan still runs when power is supplied but the wire fried up into the connector piece so there is no room to put a splice in.

Is it even possible to rebuild those simple plug type electrical connectors found in most wiring harnesses? I'm going to the dodge dealer tomorrow but I'm NOT going to buy a new fan because of one wire gone bad.

Is this a quick fix like I'm thinking, or should I be looking out for a more serious problem within the electrical system?

My fan is centered and it was held in by 3 bolts in the top and 2 in the bottom. I don't know if that is stock for a 96 or not. If not, could the non-stock setup be causing a power surge of some sort? No fuses were blown that I know of.

If all else fails, does someone have a junk Gen II radiator fan that they would be willing to cut the wires off for me? Of course I would pay.

 

[Vic]

I'd have to see it to make a guess.

Personally, I'm not shy about changing both the female and male connectors if neccessary.

Can you post a picture of the issue?

 

[androbud]

I'll post a picture later today. I just called the dealer and they said the only solution is to get a donor connector from another car or build my own. I would think that besides looks there's no harm in cutting off the factory conntectors and just making my own.

 

[GR8_ASP]

Note many pre-1998's installed the 1998+ fan module. It draws more amps thus may be the culprit. If that is the case (they look different) you may need a post 1998 connector.

 

[JoeB]

Its easy to make your own with "weather pack connectors". Here is a link:
http://www.weatherpack.com/pages/900563/

You can buy them at Racer parts whole sale

http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/long56.htm

The first one is expensive, crimping tool etc, but real handy to have around. Good Luck

Joe B

 

[androbud]

I've ordered a service manual but it won't be in for a week or so.

From searching the forums I've gathered that the different years have a different amount of bolts in the radiator fan and the fan is either centered or offset, although I couldn't figure out which was the old and which was the new. Can anyone describe what visual difference I could look for to tell what year radiator fan I have? And where do I look to find the fan module? Just follow the wires back to the post?

Thanks

 

[418viper]

Take your connector down to the local NAPA dealer they have libraries of catalogs to look through and can usually get you anything.

 

[hemibeep]

andro,
old fan has hard plastic flaps on one side (think pass). the newer fan has rubber flaps on both sides.

Do you need the actual fan connector or the wiring harness side? I may have an old fan.

Also, the new fan is around $130, if the dealer isn't ripping you off. The new fan will need some diff holes drilled to mount...

Let me know about the plug.

 

[androbud]

You guys have been a big help. I realized it was either going to be 3 splices to put in a new connector or 2 splices to simply bypass the connector entirely. I was tired of letting my 2 day old car sit just sit there and not get driven so I took the easy way out. It got me driving again so I'm satisfied.