Dakota Digital Fan Controller PROBLEM!!

All right, I about lit my car on fire this afternoon:nopity: and I think I may have a bad relay. I need some electrical advice in a bad way!!

I was installing my controller when my ground wire from my gauge pod melted and turned red. After the smoke and smell went away I got back in there and started taking some readings with my multimeter.

Here is a link to the instructions for the fan controller:
http://www.dakotadigital.com/pdf/pac-2700.pdf

My main question concerns the lower right hand side of the 1st page labled "single fan."

When I take a voltage reading from a known GROUND to the black wire on the relay (fan ground) I am getting a 12 volt reading. I know this is wrong and the only place it could be coming from is the +12 (green & red wires). Maybe I just answered my own question, but do relays fail like this? Seem like they should fail in a way that wont start a fire:)!

Also, just to be sure...GROUND is GROUND right? Meaning I have the fan grounded in the engine compartment and the relay is using a common ground under the steering column(shared with the gauges). Is this OK?

I am a little scared to hook everything back up!

Let me know what you think about the relay and the ground PLEASE!

Thanks
Jason

If you don't have 12vdc at the red or white wires with everything else turned "off", the relay contacts are welded & the reley is bad. Does the amperage draw of the fan exceed the amperage rating of the relay?

Tommy

The red wire has voltage as did the black wire. Its a Taurus fan and a 70a relay. The literature on the unit had mentioned Taurus & Lincoln fans so I hope thats not the issue.