Am I missing something here? or am I just getting too old?

Turbogus

Turbogus

Active member
Yes, this is a soap box rant but I'll try not to embellish this.

Doing the Ford Contour/Merc Mystique coooling fan conversion I've found some odd thing transpiring...
In my area, walk into an Auto Parts shop or even a Dealer with the nomenclature of the vehicle in this case a 1998 Ford Contour 2.5 motor, radiator cooling fan relay, 70amp.
I receive a blank stare then "we have relays but I don't know the amperage"
:shades:
Do the dealerships no longer have access to parts information from LAN, Internet or Ford books?!?!
Less than 5 years ago I got electrical parts for my van '81 Ford Econoline 300 ci 4.9L from this same dealership with no muss or fuss.

My best friend whom got out of the auto parts trade a few years ago (that he studied for in Community College and degreed in) can tell me off the cuff what I need only having to research briefly and that is rarely.

WTF is going on?!?!
 

Are you saying that they can give you a radiator cooling fan relay for a 1998 Ford Contour 2.5, but can't elaborate on the amperage / specifics of the relay?
 
TerryMason said:
Are you saying that they can give you a radiator cooling fan relay for a 1998 Ford Contour 2.5, but can't elaborate on the amperage / specifics of the relay?
Click to expand...

What I'm relating is they can't detirmine how to EVEN find this relay ! Despite providing Make, model, year and motor. :x

Terry, I hope for your sake it's different in your neck of the woods.
 
So, I went back to the boneyard and found the wire and what I think are the correct relays to drive my Merc Mystique fan, but since I ran these by the Ford Dealership they couldn't tell me what they were for on account of the '98 Contour/Mystique being "obsolete".
So here are pics of what I pulled from the PDB and just need verification of low speed relay and high speed relay; 7832871730_e69b8cba59_c.jpg7832884004_d810703f53_c.jpg


7832864670_4249f51ed9_c.jpgthe numbers on this oversized green relay read as follows,
Ford C8F6A
93B6 8C616 AA
RELAY ASY.
ENG.COOL.
FAN CONTR.
12V-
[PA6-6F30


...and the normal sized black one;
Ford G1UHD
93BG 14N089 CA
V23136-34-X1
12V 70A
PA
7832859660_516d733d9a_c.jpg
 
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As someone who grew up working on vehicles that needed regular work because it was a necessity, I feel your pain.

Most parts store counter people don't know anything about the vehicles and how they work.

1. the computer does all the thinking and searching rather than looking in a parts book.
2. most cars are point and shoot for the first 100,000 miles so maintenance is less routine.
3. people are lazy.


Couple weeks ago I went to the store, asked for 8 7/16-20 open end lug nuts, guy looks at me "make and model?" seriously, you don't have a bin of lug nuts that are labeled!


Wanna screw with part store lackys, ask them to help set your dwell... steam will come out of their ears.
 

Not only lazy, but also don't take any pride in their work when they do something.
 
Yeah, I guess I'm lucky in that regard. I'm the 3rd generation running this small office and before my dad would even allow wages for me I had to read/study the entire 300+ page tariff that he'd quiz me from. On hindsight, it's stood me in good stead except that many of my contemporaries are taking advantage of gaps in computer data that leads to breadowns in continuity within the company.

So John, I think that little black relay is the high speed 70/80 amp, but what's that big green weenie for? It's marked Relay Asy. Eng. Cool. Fan Contr. but I may have misinterpreted the wiring diagrams I've seen thus far.
 
jps4jeep said:
Couple weeks ago I went to the store, asked for 8 7/16-20 open end lug nuts, guy looks at me "make and model?" seriously, you don't have a bin of lug nuts that are labeled!


Wanna screw with part store lackys, ask them to help set your dwell... steam will come out of their ears.
Click to expand...
So I went to the auto parts store and needed a single 1/2-20 open end nut to pull the studs on my tire carrier rebuild, all I asked for was a single 1/2-20 open end acron nut that I could pull three wheel studs through my tire carrier. "
Make and modle"?
"no its a custom piece..."
"I am sorry sir we dont carry custom lug nuts like that then"
"can you get your manager"
The manager pulled a stud for my jeep, walked back, went through the bins handed me the nut and said "no charge...I dont want any one knowing about this."
 

Hmmm that part no. 93B6 8C616 AA shows no results on CARQUEST, double checked at the local radiator shop and they couldn't find it either. I learned from a former Ford parts guy that Ford sometime will obsolete a part within two years of its listing. Remind me to never buy Ford again.
 
Turbogus, don't tell anyone I am telling you this, if you want a cheap, reliable plug and play relay pack for that fan, go find a 90's 740 volvo wagon, they use the same exact fans as ford used and the replay pack is mounted on the side of the shroud, will plug into the ford fan and you simply need to ground and 12v to low and high side of the relays.. (3 wires to hook up)

Shhh don't tell anyone, I've been getting them out of the Junk Yards for a couple bucks and selling them for pure profit as "pre-wired taurus fan relays"
 
I'm voting that John the Moderator is the Koenig (King) of forums. Thanks a lot, I'll head out to another boneyard this weekend if I have time, hoping to build some shelves in my garage so I can get to my tools more easily in the back.

7354704654_7d2b864551_z.jpg
 

HAH! Wouldn't ya know it John? The ONLY Volvo wagon in the yard had it's entire front clip sawed off. But I found another Ford and pulled two more contemporary 70/80 amp relays;7846802392_5f4691f44d_z.jpg7846802860_357d68310b_z.jpg

I scanned the other vehicles in the lot, lifting hoods and removing debris but it seemed all the PDB's that accepted Bosch style relays had a huge footprint both in the vertical and horizontal. Checking back at NAPA and they had an interlocking 40 amp pigtail-but only one. The next nearest one (1) is 90 miles away and then over 500 miles away. I really am tired of this dam consumer desert I live in-and it wasn't always this way.
 
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