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I have a 1988 Trans Am with the 5.0 TPI and a 5 Speed manual, and I was curious what the two relays I have pictured are for, and where they go? The one by the battery has a broken mount that looks like it would allow it to attach next to the radiator. As for the one behind the coolant overflow tank, I see it has a bracket to attach somewhere on the car, however I don’t know where it is supposed to mount at.
Pretty sure the one by the batt isn't a relay; looks more like a fuse holder. Kinda hard to have a relay that only has 2 wires.
The one in the last pic, by the wire colors, looks like the fan relay. Tan and dk grn/wht are the coil (you'll find the dk grn/wht at the fan switch in the pas side head), org & blk/red are the contact (org is protected batt, blk/red goes to the fan motor).
Pretty sure the one by the batt isn't a relay; looks more like a fuse holder. Kinda hard to have a relay that only has 2 wires.
The one in the last pic, by the wire colors, looks like the fan relay. Tan and dk grn/wht are the coil (you'll find the dk grn/wht at the fan switch in the pas side head), org & blk/red are the contact (org is protected batt, blk/red goes to the fan motor).
I appreciate the insight, looking into the fuse holder by the battery, it seems to be the fuel pump fuse connector. So I’ll find a replacement and get that reattached.
I’ll see if I can find out where that fan relay mounts up as well.
The fuse holder mounts to the side of the red frame next to the radiator and condenser, in a small hole that's hidden by the wire loom. I've circled the area in your picture below.
The fuse holder has a tab that you can see in my picture below. The tab on your fuse holder looks broken off. The hole in the tab is where it bolts/push pins through that small hole in the frame.
For the fan relay(s) (there should be two), one mounts the same way as the fuse holder, but on the opposite side of the radiator and condenser by the air cleaner, in that same portion of the frame. The second one is attached to the frame in front of the charcoal canister, at least, that's where my 87's second fan relay is mounted. So if you have one already mounted in one of those spots, then mount the other one in the other spot, or in the vicinity, wire length permitting.
I appreciate the help so far, and I found a page in my service manual showing the names and respective locations for both the fuse connector and fan relay which I’ve attached an image of. My next question is if anyone has images of 88 formula/trans am engine bays in these two locations?
The primary fan relay seems like it was removed from its original location, and what looks like the ground wire for it was connected behind the overflow tank in place of the rubber nipple that should normally be there. My question there is where the ground wire should go normally since it was rerouted?
As for the fuse connector next to the battery, the mounting location seems to be partially blocked by what looks like the wiring for the headlights and I’m curious if that’s normal for all 88 TPI cars or just how it’s currently set up on mine?
The relay pops in right there where your blue glove is and my goofy looking circle.
The ground wire coming out of the harness should be grounded with that other ground wire, where I put an arrow, and from the look of that spot, it used to be attached there. We can only wonder why someone moved the relay and harness.
The arrow I put in front of the air cleaner is where the other fan relay should be. There should be two holes in the frame for it down there, just like the two holes for the other relay.
And the line I've drawn on the headlight harness shows it should be coming OUT of that hole in the frame. It should pass IN that same hole on the driver side (pictured below with a line and an arrow showing it going in) and run underneath the support on the outside of the engine bay, leaving the hole for the fuse holder (pictured below with an arrow) and fan relay location unblocked by it. Doubt you'd be able to move the headlight harness at this point, so you'll just have to use your third hand to hold it out of the way while you attach the fuse holder and the fan relay.
You could probably find a new fuse holder in a junkyard car. You'd only need the top of it (it's just a cap), then pop off your broken one and snap the "new" top onto yours. You won't have to rewire anything.
The relay pops in right there where your blue glove is and my goofy looking circle.
The ground wire coming out of the harness should be grounded with that other ground wire, where I put an arrow, and from the look of that spot, it used to be attached there. We can only wonder why someone moved the relay and harness.
The arrow I put in front of the air cleaner is where the other fan relay should be. There should be two holes in the frame for it down there, just like the two holes for the other relay.
And the line I've drawn on the headlight harness shows it should be coming OUT of that hole in the frame. It should pass IN that same hole on the driver side (pictured below with a line and an arrow showing it going in) and run underneath the support on the outside of the engine bay, leaving the hole for the fuse holder (pictured below with an arrow) and fan relay location unblocked by it. Doubt you'd be able to move the headlight harness at this point, so you'll just have to use your third hand to hold it out of the way while you attach the fuse holder and the fan relay.
You could probably find a new fuse holder in a junkyard car. You'd only need the top of it (it's just a cap), then pop off your broken one and snap the "new" top onto yours. You won't have to rewire anything.
Makes a lot more sense now so thank you for pointing that out. No clue either why the harness for the headlights was relocated, the car hasn’t been in an accident but was repainted so it could’ve been from that process. I’ve looked at pictures of other engine bays and believe the secondary fan relay which you mentioned, is present and in the right spot. So the primary fan relay was the only one that was relocated. I’ve included a couple pictures of the secondary fan relay for reference.
03-28-2024, 08:12 PM
