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Fan Control Module (FCM) Blowing the 20A fuse constantly

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Thanks to all of you for helping me out with this, I really appreciate it. 

I made myself a list of things to try on the weekend, hopefully I sort this out. 

-Change the 20A fuse for a 25A and see what happens. 

-Run the car without the fans connected to see if the fuse blows. 

-Check the wiring loom from the AC system in case there's any left causing a short to ground. 

-Unplug the AC sensor on the thermostat housing, maybe that would delete the signal. 

I'll be reporting back! 

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2 minutes ago, fendervg said:

I think it is meant to be read as the 506 being the replacement for the 506A. It's a bit of a minefield really - is it worth doing a poll of other late cars that had AC installed to see what they have? The E certainly just seems to be for other engine types. 

The other thing to bear in mind is that no UK cars had factory air conditioning installed, they were always a dealer retrofit - so did they replace the fan conrol unit with the correct one, or simply use the existing standard VR6 one and maybe change the wiring? Hard to know.

It is hard to know yes. I'm assuming if UK cars didn't come with AC and I deleted mi e, then I should have the equivalent system and that seems like it was with a 506. 

I did ordered the E version years ago as it was non AC parts. It is for like a MK3 or a different engine because its totally different. 

It's the 506A that baffled me a little. Dekker swears it will work as a replacement to the 506 but the one fuse is strange. I don't want to add more issues to the equation so I'll stick with 506 until it's sorted out. Once it is, I could always swap the 506A and see what happens. Because they are definitely cheaper and might be worth it to know 

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My breaker Corrado had Davia aircon and had the same fan control unit as what was in my current non aircon 94 VR6 - I know this as I swapped the units over as the breaker one was in better visual condition. Not sure if that is of any help. 

 

 

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1 hour ago, _Matt_ said:

My breaker Corrado had Davia aircon and had the same fan control unit as what was in my current non aircon 94 VR6 - I know this as I swapped the units over as the breaker one was in better visual condition. Not sure if that is of any help. 

 

 

Hi mate! 

I found a used OEM fan control module yesterday, the 506 one, it's another test that I'll do; swapping the Meyle one just in case. Can't find a new OEM one so anyway I'll see what happens. At least now I know both AC and non AC cars got the same FCM. I'll unplug the sensor for the third speed on the thermostat housing and technically it should be like a factory non AC car. We'll see! 

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This is my one, well it was the one in my breaker car but part no was the same. Good luck with the diagnostic, looks like you're making strong progress. It is frustrating at times when things don't work and not being able easily get parts.

 

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Alright, a little bit of an update! Weather is changing and I only drove the car once since, tomorrow I may go for my last drive of the year. 

I decided to order a module to control the fan with soft start and speed adjust plus you can decide how long it will stay on so it doesn't kick on and off too often. But meanwhile I decided to try things that were suggested and started with the easiest, swapping the 20A fuse for a 25A. I only been in one drive but fans work perfectly, no burned fuse! Crazy isn't?

I was wondering why "Charles the humble mechanic" where I took the "how to" seemed to be working just fine? I came up with the theory that maybe because MK3 have just the one 30A  on the FCM he was not blowing up the fuse. And maybe on the corrado with the combined 20A + 5A, it was just not enough to withstand the initial draw at start up? 

Anyways, I'll do another drive tomorrow and see how it goes. Would be nice if it was just that! 

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Good hopeful progress.  I did notice on Classic parts Website yesyerday that they do a module B which says for mk3 golf and Corrado. I forgot to look at the fuse size on it!!

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If you're going up sizes of fuses you need to carry a spanner to remove the battery negative terminal should smoke or fire appear (tape it to the battery for quick access).

 

It could be the fans are consuming more power than intended?

It could be high resistance wiring connections contributing to current draw?

It could be that getting the fans moving its taking extra current draw to spin them up?

You can buy mini MCBs to replace fuses - reset rather than replace.

I'd measure current draw with the fans running, if it's less than the fuse rating, you may be getting a spike in current draw spinning the up from stall? A 10A draw would need a 20A fuse to be reliable and safe?

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The FCM ending with the "B" is the one I ordered and returned. It was sold as a MK3/Corrado unit. But when I saw just one 30A fuse, I figured that maybe this superseded parts was wrong for the Corrado. Now I wish I had kept it to try it out... This exact setup works flawlessly on a MK3. But I wonder if the afterrun auxiliary coolant pump will work with the MK3 FCM? I don't even know if it's a Corrado specific perk or MK3 got that also. 30A would definitely be better than 20+5 in my case. I looked at the fans and they need 25A which explains the 20A jumping all the time and the 25A seemingly working. That said, and I agree, it's a little scary to install a 25A fuse where it should be a 20A. I'm not super comfortable with it either but wanted to try it out. Although, one thing that I would like to point out is that the wiring on the electric fans is very thin compared to the OEM wiring so I think (maybe I'm wrong) that if it was the other way around then chances of burning wires and catching fire would definitely be high. So I'm drawing a conclusion that it might be alright, anyone with better knowledge than me could confirm or deny this? 

This winter I'll be installing the FCM module I think just to be sure. 

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The recurring 20A fuse issue in the FCM might indicate a problem with the new Meyle FCM or the wiring. Check for any potential shorts, faulty connections, or if the fans draw excessive current. Consider consulting with an experienced automotive electrician for a thorough diagnosis.

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The recurring 20A fuse issue in the FCM might indicate a problem with the new Meyle FCM or the wiring. Check for any potential shorts, faulty connections, or if the fans draw excessive current. Consider consulting with an experienced automotive electrician for a thorough diagnosis.

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2 hours ago, Oker43 said:

The recurring 20A fuse issue in the FCM might indicate a problem with the new Meyle FCM or the wiring. Check for any potential shorts, faulty connections, or if the fans draw excessive current. Consider consulting with an experienced automotive electrician for a thorough diagnosis.

Thank you for jumping in the discussion. 

-I've swapped the new FCM for another new one (although the same brand) and it was the same thing. 

-I'm pretty sure it's the initial kick off of those powerful fans that jumps the fuse. All my electrical has be redone and sound. 

-I'm tempted to try next summer a MK3 FCM with the 30A fuse to see what happens. My only hesitation of doing so is I'm not sure since the MK3 FCM has only one 30A fuse if my after run water pump will still function?

-I also recently purchased a stand alone system for the fan that would control speeds and duration  plus it has a soft start built-in. Not installed yet. 

Cheers! 

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7 hours ago, Oker43 said:

The recurring 20A fuse issue in the FCM might indicate a problem with the new Meyle FCM or the wiring. Check for any potential shorts, faulty connections, or if the fans draw excessive current. Consider consulting with an experienced automotive electrician for a thorough diagnosis.

And I was having a SPAM feeling on the wording!! Hmm. Anyone else !! 🙃😂

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23 minutes ago, Cressa said:

And I was having a SPAM feeling on the wording!! Hmm. Anyone else !! 🙃😂

Maybe you're right 😁 I didn't get that because English is my second language I guess 🤣🤣🍻 cheers mate 

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