714DC4

Hey guys I need your helping with finding the reason and solution to my condensor fan fuse popping. I was driving to work today and a/c was working fine, rolled down the window to get some fresh air and then got a phone call so rolled the windows up and kit the a/c but no cold air. When I got to work I had one of the techs look at it and he said my condensor fan was not turning on and checked the fuse, it was blown. He replaced it and a few mins later it blew. We replaced it again and it was fine for a few hours until I got off work and went home. The tech at work said it might be the compressor arcing and causing the fuse to pop. I am no mechanic and have dont really know that much about a/c systems so I am here asking for all the a/c experts here on HT for some help to fix this problem.

Here is a little bit of info on my car:

-its a 99 hatch Dx
-bought the car with no a/c
-bought the a/c parts from a HT member and installed it myself
-a/c was installed about 1 year ago and have not had any problems with it until today
-no electrical problems with the car since I have owned it
-rear motor mount is shot and needs to be replaced (this probably has nothing to do with my issue but am just throwing it out there just incase)
-fuse that is popping is located in the engine bay (by the firewall on the passenger side) and it is labeled as condensor fan and is a 20 amp fuse

If there is any other info I forgot please let me know

Thanks in adavnce

Former User

What specific fuse is blowing? Fuse 56?

714DC4

Not sure what fuse number it is. The fuse is located under the hood by the firewall on the passenger side and it says condensor fan and is a 20 amp fuse

Former User

Okay, that's fuse 56. It protects circuits for both the condenser fan and compressor clutch. Disconnect each component individually and then run the A/C to see which disconnected component prevents the fuse from blowing.

714DC4

okay i am pretty sure I can disconnect the condensor fan but where is the compressor clutch located so I can try disconnecting this?

Former User

Disconnect the gray 1P connector at the compressor.

714DC4

I think I found my problem, as I was getting ready to start testing the fan and compressor clutch i noticed that a ground wire from the a/c harness was broken and just laying there. I traced the wire to the connector it and it was for the a/c condensor fan. I hope this is what was causing my problems.

(here is a pic of the broken ground, not the best picture)

Jimster480

did it fix your probelm when u re-attached it?

714DC4

havent re-attached it yet. going to do that in a few mins

Former User

The black ground wire for the condenser fan attaches at G751.

714DC4

Okay I fixed the ground and fired up the a/c, it was working fine for a few mins. I disconnected the 1 pin connecter as RonJ advised, let the run for a bit and the fuse didnt blow. I next disconnected the condensor fan connector, let it run for a bit and fuse didnt blow. Plugged up the condensor fan connector and just let my car sit with the a/c on and went in the house really quick. When I came back the fuse was popped. Changed the fuse and went back again and unplugged the compressor cluth and the condensor fan and the fuse didnt blow.

I let the car sit for 5 mins with the a/c running and it hasnt popped. Even turned off the a/c and turned it back on.

Also noticed when I was fixing the ground for a/c harness that my fog light harness is grounded at the same bolt (dont know if this is bad or not). Noticed that there was a hole in that ground and could see the wires. I wraped it up with some electrical tape. Could the fog light harness being grounded to the same place the a/c harness is being grounded cause any problems?

Former User

With everything hooked up (nothing disconnected and the ground for the condenser fan connected and a new fuse 56 installed), will the A/C now blow cold air without blowing fuse 56? If so, you are good to go.

714DC4

Okay cool. I am going to take my car for a drive and hopefully everything is good now. If anything happens I will post it up.

Thanks for the help

civic_driver

never mind

djkurious

Any update on this?

714DC4

Okay, just took the car for a drive from the Inland Empire to Long Beach and a/c was working great until I was about 5 mins from the destination in Long Beach. Fused popped and a/c wasnt blowing cold air anymore. Popped the hood and noticed that the 1 pin plug for the compressor clutch was really hot and look to be resting about one of the a/c lines.

Could the wire resting on the a/c line and it getting really hot cause the fuse to blow?

gotz2b16

Grounds, whether bad, nonexistent, loose or otherwise will NOT cause a fuse to blow.. If anything just the opposite as they will create resistance if they are not clean and tight..

You need to check the condition of your wires and wiring harness. Make sure it's not loose and flopping around, make sure it's not pinched by the radiator or anything else..

Fuses are an Over current protection device.. Meaning if too much of a current load is demanded of the circuit, the fuse pops before any damage can occur like melting plastic and burning hot wires..

I bet you have a wire that's just barely broken through and grounding on something metal that it's either chaffed on or pinched against..

gotz2b16

If your condenser fan is difficult to turn, this will require alot of current as well and could cause your fuse to blow..

john666

had this problem with my ac.. it would pop the fan fuse after afew mins.. swapped a cheap thin fan i had laying around and that fixed my problem.

trustdestruction

Check all that wiring in the area and make sure all connections are solid and there is no exposed wire.

I installed a slim fan and was blowing the same fuse over and over again and I thought I wired everything right. Turned out that I had in fact wired it correctly, but one of my wires somehow got a gash in the insulation. It wasn't touching metal, but it might have been enough of a gash to cause some resistance or something. Once I cut the wire back back and rewired it the problem went away.

714DC4

Going to check all the wires and the connections on my next day off. I am pretty sure now that its a wire is touching something because my a/c was working fine this morning just sitting in the garage and as soon as I started driving down the bumpy streets of long beach the fused popped.

newtron63h

good idea. the fuse is blowing because the amperage through the circuit is too high(i think you already knew this but im just laying the foundation). this can be caused by a couple of things:
1) you have a short to ground, there is no resistance in the circuit and so the amperage goes through the roof BUT this is not likely because shorts to group pop fuses instantly(as long as the right fuse is installed), your problem is a slow acting problem which leads me to.......
2) there is MECHANICAL resistance in part of the system, like the quoted poster said if the fan is not easy to turn this means more amperage is required to turn it, eventually heating the fuse to the point where it pops.

on a side note: ANY high electrical resistance(corroded grounds, corroded connections) causes amperage to go DOWN and therefore cant blow a fuse, this cannot be your problem.

bottom line from what ive seen i agree with the QUOTED, bearings in the fan might be shot.

i would suggest having a tech at the shop measure the amperage that the fan draws. ill bet its near 20 amps and after a while it kills the fuse.

an easy way to test this: buy a length wire (16awg will work fine) a couple of aligator clips and an inline fuse holder. solder a length of wire on each side of the fuse holder, and the alligator clips at the other ends of each wire. using a T-pin fix one alligator clip to the HOT wire of the component, and the other end to battery POS. install the correct fuse for that component in the fuse holder and if the component really is bad, the fuse will blow. problem confirmed for about $5, and its reusable with any rating fuse you need.

access to and knowing how to read wiring diagrams is a HUGE help. with electrical problems, a meter and a diagram are usually all you need.

714DC4

I finally got around to figuring out what was causing the fuse to pop. I disconnteced the thremal wire protector (single red wire that connects to the top of the compressor) and just drove to work with condenser fan and a/c on and the fuse popped. I will be buying a new condenser fan assembly and will have the a/c blowing cold soon.

Thanks to everyone that helped me figure this all out, very much appreciated.

my91wagon

I'm having the same problem with my ef. I did everything you guys had wrote about but it seems like only when my compressor ignites is when the fuse goes out doesnt last at all. but when i unplug the compressor it doesnt blow. are the condenser fan and compressor on the same fuse?

wicked_gk

was this problem ever confirmed to be a bad fan?

i have the same problem and checked the wires for shorts - everything good, fuse blows
replaced the fan assembly - fuse still blows
checked condenser fan relay - works good, fuse blows

i did notice a lot of dirty grease on one of the connections but that should cause resistance and NOT blow a fuse.

anyone?