Cooling fan on 1430

FOURTEEN · Apr 8, 2005

( I then removed the two wires from the senor or thermostat? mounted on the oil cooloer and jumped them together. Fan came on. The fan comes on with the ignition on only )

 Correct! My thermostat died after ~20 hours! I have run my fan constantly ever since (200 hours)! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

J_J · Apr 9, 2005

To test the thermostat, use a heat gun, or hair dryer.

menchhofer · Apr 9, 2005

Very good idea regarding the hair dryer. It it does not come on maybe I will wire it direct or, I may just order another one from PT. They do not look expensive but who knows. I will try the heat gun tomorrow.

Thanks for all the help..

menchhofer · Apr 11, 2005

OK Replace the fuse and used hair dryer to check the sensor. It works. So now I will just use the machine and see if the fan turns on when the fluid gets hot.

pequeajim · Apr 11, 2005

Is the fan only on when the key is on and temp sensor contact closes? Mine is that way.

BobRip · Apr 11, 2005

I don't know much about the 1430 (only that I want one, but my attachments won't work with it), but isn't there an engine cooling fan that blows air across the engine? This may help keep the whole engine compartment cooler and force some air through the hydraulic oil cooler. Sounds like you need to call Power Trac and see what they say. The blown fuse tells me that the fan tried to run, but for some reason the fuse failed. Keep an eye on the fuse and see if it fails again. Look for damage to wire insulation that may be causing a short to ground. Put a jumper around the thermal switch and wiggle wires to see if a short occurs and blows the fuse. If the short is erratic and the switch is only closed some of the time, you could go a long while before it blows again. Using the jumper may make things happen much quicker. Leave it in while using the device and if it does not blow after a few hours you might be OK. You could also put a 12 volt light bulb across the thermal switch. Wiggle wires and see if it gets bright. This will protect the fuse and yet let you diagnosis the problem. A car head lamp (60 watts) would be about right for this if your fan is similar to the PT422 fan current of 4 amps. Of course if you have a 20 amp fuse, then your fan probably pulls more than that. You could parallel several light bulbs.
Sorry for the complex techniques. I hope something in here helps.

Good luck.

Bob Ripley

menchhofer · Apr 11, 2005

Thanks again for all the replies and ideas. The fuse is only 10amps. I will keep an eye on the fuse and connections and just wait and see if the fan keeps working.

Clarke · Apr 12, 2005

Try this test. Reach down and touch your hydraulic tank. If it's **** hot the fan most likely should be running. Testing the thermostat with a hair drier only establishes that the contacts in the device close not at what temperature they close. The thermostat could be out of calibration or may be the wrong one. If you look close at the numbers on that snap acting control you should see the temperature settings for cut in and cut out. I will take a look at the stat on my 425 and post what i find the temps are most likely the same.

sg

Charlie_Iliff · Apr 12, 2005

One experience that has been reported several times is a small stick which keeps the fan from turning. That can be temporary, but can blow the fuse, because a stopped motor is effectively a dead short, with only the resistance of the windings, not the back EMF from running.

Another possibility, which isn't your problem, is when you've left the machine out in the weather all winter, and you find that the fan motor rusted into an immovable blob, which heats up but doesn't turn. The 20 amp fuse that runs the whole machine in the older 425s then blows when you leave the key on while your helpful lawyer friend cuts the fan wires, making sparks.

Right Bubenberg? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

tracdoc · Apr 12, 2005

Yes, Pequeajim. Fan only operates when ignition is ON and the temps is above thermostat setting.

I thought it might be good if the fan ran after the ignition was shut OFF w/ automatic fan shut off when temp goes below threshold (like some cars). However, since this is a hydraulic fluid cooling fan, not an engine fan, and since the hydraulic fluid is no longer circulating, there probably isn't much of a benefit with that arrangement.