2004 VU Berlingo 1.4i (M59) Cooling Fan Issues

[Blazer811]

Hi, can someone please help!

I purchased this van last week and it looks like someone has messed around with the wiring where the relays for the fans are housed.

They have cut the earth wire from one the relay that goes to the fan speed resistor unit located in front of the fan and earthed the relay end to the chassis which make the fan switch on constantly as soon as the key is in the “ON” position and will only shut off when the key is in the “OFF” position.

I’m having cooling issues and need to get this wiring correct so I can troubleshoot which part/s have failed.

If any one can help me with their knowledge or even a wiring diagram, it would be greatly appreciated.

[myglaren]

Post your VIN so we can see just what is in your Berlingo, helps a lot with fault finding.

[Blazer811]

Thank you for your quick reply myglaren. My VIN is VF7**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff]

[GiveMeABreak]

Hi - well here is the parts diagram for your Berlingo, which may help identify the components for you:

(6) Is the Fan Relay Resistance (0.54 Ohms), Grey.
(7) are the 35A relays
(3) is the Fan Harness - note: ASSEMBLY 2 RELAYS 1 RESISTOR INSTEAD OF 3 RELAYS 2 RESISTORS.

I'll see if I can dig out the relevant wiring for you shortly.

[RichardW]

Welcome!

What sort of cooling issues.... the fact the fan has been forced to run full time suggests it is overheating - but this is unlikely to be the fan, given that it's running all the time! If it's overheating with the fan on, then either the stat is failed closed, the water pump is not working, there is a blockage somewhere, or the head gasket is toast (not exactly uncommon on this engine, although it usually just leaks oil).

[GiveMeABreak]

Here's the relevant bit for you:

Hardware
1506: Cooling fan 2-speed / resistance (3 Pin Grey Connector)
1509: Fast speed fan supply relay (5 Pin Black Connector)
1508: Slow speed fan supply relay (5 Pin Black Connector)
1510: Fan (2 Pin Grey Connector)
MC94: Earth

Wiring:
1514: Fan Control
M1510: EARTH m1510
1512A: Fan unit low/medium speed command
152: Fan assembly low speed control
1590: Fan unit relay power supply
1550: Fan control 2 (-)
BF1A / BF1B: Power form Maxi Fuse MF1
1540: Fan control 1 (-)
151: Fan assembly high speed control

Also, bear in mind the fan is usually on low speed if you have the air conditioning switched on.

[Blazer811]

Firstly thank you Marc and Richard for your assistance and input.

When I test drove the car for about 15 mins and had it idling for another 15mins the temp gauge was sitting on 90 degrees which I thought was normal as my Alfa Romeo does the same. I failed to notice that the fan was running at top speed constantly. It wasn't until the next day that I noticed the temp had exceeded 90 and was on 110degrees, even with the fan on 2nd speed. It was at this point that I investigated under the hood and noticed that someone has cut the wire from the relay that goes to the resistor or vice versa and earthed it straight to the body which was powering the fan at 2nd speed as soon as the key was in the "ON" position.

It was then that I suspected that this was either done to conceal a overheating issue or a lazy owner who did a quick fix instead of replacing a faulty component. He did mention that he had changed the thermostat, so I ruled that out of the equation and narrowed it down to 1) faulty relay, 2) Faulty fan resistor 3) faulty cooling temperature sensor, so I tested the resistance on the CTS and it was over 6000 ohms (cold engine with an ambient temp of 20C) so I thought that this was the problem as my research was indicating that they should be between 1500 - 2000 ohms? and I replaced it with no joy.

So this leaves me to believe it could possibly be the fan resistor that's not functioning properly, hence why it was bypassed and why I also don't hear the 2nd speed engage. What are your thoughts?

PS: I have since reconnected the wiring to how I logically believe it should be wired and the fan now kicks in at around 108 degrees (but only 1st speed) and also engages when the air con is switched on.

[Blazer811]

Thanks Marc, I also have a couple of other queries , when the fan is working correctly, at what temp should 1st and 2nd speed kick in? and is the fan supposed to still run once the engine has been shut down if the temp is high?

[GiveMeABreak]

Here you go, note:

The mid speed of the three-speed cooling fan is used for the air conditioning. Mid speed is controlled by the BSI and depends on the pressure values of the pressostat:

• Pressostat pressure to engage the cooling fan: 16 bars
• Pressostat pressure to cut off the cooling fan: 13 bars

Click to Zoom

[Blazer811]

Cheers Marc, I checked both relays this morning and they seem to be functioning as normal, as mentioned earlier, I have replaced the green CTS that’s located on top of stat and have now noticed another sensor with a blue connector below the stat and to the right.

I believe that is also a temp sensor and was wondering if that can also effect the operation of the fan and speed? If not then am I safe to assume that the fan issue is isolated to the Fan speed resistor unit?

[GiveMeABreak]

As per your PM, here is the injection circuit. There is no pin 84 referenced - but that may just be because a lot of these are contained in one connector - but the 1540 wire goes to the engine ECU as you can see (I think they got the prefix code wrong where it starts 12** on the previous diagram), but goes to pin J4:

Anyway I hope this is what you need.

Bear in mind where there is a dashed line - e.g. going from the engine ECU (1320) down to 1504, you'll see this is also dashed and that is because the cooling systems and equipment can vary on htis configuration - so they show it as 15--.

[Blazer811]

Thanks Marc this now gives me a better understanding of where the trigger of the fans 2nd speed is coming from, could you or anyone else please enlighten me on where the ECU is located so I can do a continuity test to establish whether there is a break in the wire or its an ECU problem.

[GiveMeABreak]

Not the best of diagrams - but as you can see top left of battery (1320):

Click to Zoom

[Blazer811]

Thanks Marc, I know exactly where that is, I hope its just as easy to find J4 within that cluster.

[Blazer811]

After changing both temp sensors, reservoir cap and radiator it turned out to be the HG in the end, which I replaced yesterday.

Thanks to everyone who helped in providing information and advice not only on this post but my other posts as it’s given me a great insight as to how the cooling system works and how to trouble shoot.

However, there are two things that I am still not 100% clear on.

1) Is it normal for the cooling temp on this vehicle to keep rising even after engine has been shut down? Even with new HG fitted it still rises about 10 degrees.

2) is the fan suppose to initiate if the temp was rising above a certain point after engine shut down?

I ask the above questions so I can confirm if my cooling fan is in 100% working order. Not to mention, peace of mind knowing that my engine is not going to over heat after I have exited the vehicle.

Once again many thanks.