Weird CAC wiring?

[thewumpus99]

I was just getting ready to wire up a sensor so my intercooler fluid level light will work, and I noticed something strange. It looks like somebody has run a white jumper wire from the green intercooler fluid level wire over to... looks like the fuel pump relay?

The orange-black-green 3 wire connector has been unplugged, and it looks like a short circuit gets created if I plug into its other half (it blows the ECM fuse). Looks like somebody did some kind of bypass? Anybody know what's going on here?

 

[phoonTy]

Re: Weird CAC wiring?

I was just getting ready to wire up a sensor so my intercooler fluid level light will work, and I noticed something strange. It looks like somebody has run a white jumper wire from the green intercooler fluid level wire over to... looks like the fuel pump relay?

The orange-black-green 3 wire connector has been unplugged, and it looks like a short circuit gets created if I plug into its other half (it blows the ECM fuse). Looks like somebody did some kind of bypass? Anybody know what's going on here?

My first guess would be someone was trying to jump the IC pump to have it on all the time. I've done this on my truck. As soon as you turn the key, the pump comes on. But it shouldn't be a green wire. It's a yellow wire to hotwire the pump. Don't know what that would be :dunno:

 

[Loeryder]

Re: Weird CAC wiring?

I would disconnect it and start with what you KNOW.

I agree with TJ, someone else may have been trying to hotwire the IC pump and it appears they weren't too clear on the instructions.
Maybe they were trying to get the Turbo Coolant light in the dash to come on anytime the IC pump was on.
But either way they failed...

 

[thewumpus99]

Re: Weird CAC wiring?

What is the relay-looking thing on the right that the wire comes out of? I'm trying to figure out where that wire was *supposed* to go.

Here's what I've got coming out of the rightmost box:
1) A black wire to chassis ground
2) A black wire to the alternator
3) A black wire to a big silver coolant pump (probably this is the intercooler pump?)
4) The white wire that goes... nowhere now that I've cut it.

Thanks for the help -- I don't have any of the Typhoon-specific schematics, unfortunately.

 

[thewumpus99]

Re: Weird CAC wiring?

Ugh, I'm now starting to wonder if this is supposed to go to somewhere on the ECM? Otherwise, how could the ECM turn the pump on and off. Anybody know which pin?

 

[phoonTy]

Re: Weird CAC wiring?

yeah, i'm not sure what the extra relay is... My truck is almost completely stock...

I've got two relays on the firewall.

Here's another way stock truck:

Maybe they just moved one of the relays that should be above the brake booster? :dunno:

 

[thewumpus99]

Re: Weird CAC wiring?

Guys,

All 3 of the relays in the photo are just above and to the right of the brake booster.

Maybe this is some sort of aftermarket intercooler pump control unit? The two thick wires go to the alternator and the pump, then there's the obligatory ground, and so this white wire must be for triggering the pump somehow. Looks like my intercooler pump is dead and produces a short, so I won't know more until I get a working one. But this explains why my IC reservoir gets too hot to touch!

 

[phoonTy]

Re: Weird CAC wiring?

Hmm... if it's into the relays by the brake booster, then they were tapping the wrong thing for the IC pump. In the pic of my engine bay, the Yellow wire (dead center of the pic) you see grounded to the firewall just above the relays is for the IC pump.

Someone refresh me, what are the relays by the booster?

 

[thewumpus99]

Re: Weird CAC wiring?

Yeah, I'm kinda confused now. I see the relay with the yellow wire in the middle of the engine compartment. But my (apparently aftermarket) intercooler pump power and ground are routed through the rightmost relay over the brake booster (which is what I posted a pic of).

How is the intercooler pump's temperature control supposed to work in a stock vehicle? Thus far, it would seem to involve a yellow wire (which can be grounded to turn it on) on the middle relay, and an orange wire (the one that goes near the brake booster, and travels down to the IC as part of the orange-green-black harness... I know that green is the fluid level sensor, and black is ground). And then there's my white wire, no clue where that fits in!

 

[Tooky]

Re: Weird CAC wiring?

This might help: http://www.sytyarchives.com/howto/viewarticle.php?article_name=ic_pump_hotwire.php&dir=engine

Check out the rest of his How To list for stock IC too.

 

[thewumpus99]

Re: Weird CAC wiring?

Thanks Tooky!

It looks like the rightmost relay in my photo is definitely aftermarket. It's a general purpose relay made by Omron; you can see the schematic and pinout on this forum for people not cool enough to have SyTy's:
http://www.camaroz28.com/forums/showthread.php?t=599720

The white wire is used to energize the coil, thus connecting the positive terminal of the IC pump to the alternator +12VDC in this case. So I connected the loose white wire to the pink/black on-with-ignition +12VDC wire on the adjacent relay, and now my IC pump goes on with the ignition switch.

Up until now, my IC pump would occasionally be on when I shut the Typhoon off after a long drive. I can't imagine how the not-even-plugged-in intercooler fluid level sensor was driving it, but it was, somehow... <shudder> It's like an electrical engineering ghost story!

 

[thewumpus99]

Re: Weird CAC wiring?

Dave,

Yep, that's what I did -- thanks for the guide! Now my turbo coolant light won't go out... coolant comes out of the drain petcock in the IC radiator, so there is definitely coolant down by the sensor. My guess is that the sensor is too corroded or caked to work. Will try to pick up a new one tomorrow if NAPA carries it. Then onto the skidplate and IC radiator scoop projects.

 

[Loeryder]

Re: Weird CAC wiring?

the 'extra' relay on the drivers side of the firewall sounds like the ATR Aux ic pump kit.

do you have a stock IC pump?
the ATR used the larger shurflo pump and it was typically mounted on the drivers side fenderwell area.

 

[thewumpus99]

Re: Weird CAC wiring?

Dave,

I measured 950K across the sensor (I then double-checked it directly on the blade that comes off the sensor to make sure it wasn't just the wiring). So looks like my fluid level sensor is definitely shot.

How do you remove this sensor? It looks like it's molded into the back of the IC radiator... no hex pattern to grab or anything.

 

[Big Mike]

Re: Weird CAC wiring?

Dave,

Yep, that's what I did -- thanks for the guide! Now my turbo coolant light won't go out... coolant comes out of the drain petcock in the IC radiator, so there is definitely coolant down by the sensor. My guess is that the sensor is too corroded or caked to work. Will try to pick up a new one tomorrow if NAPA carries it. Then onto the skidplate and IC radiator scoop projects.

You need to make a better ground from the IC radiator to the IC radiator frame remember it is rubber mounted into the frame. Fix the ground issue and you should be good to go.