Another Spal PWM control problem--please post!!

[tumper93]

I have installed this and wired correctly to a GM two wire sensor using the wiring diagram without a/c. The engine has a 180* thermostat and I have tried setting the low at 175 and high at 200 and everytime I hold the high set button and the red light flashes, all three will begin to flash shortly after that. I have read all that I can find on this and no one seems to give the exact temps I should set this at. What temp should the high and low be set at with a 180* thermostat? Also do I need to ground the white wire for this to work? I looked over the wiring diagram a few minutes ago and noticed that is one thing I didn't do, not sure if that is why I am having troubles. When I set the low at 175 the thing cools to 165 super quick but I want it set right to work as it was designed to do. I appreciate any advise you can give.

[SPAL Tech]

Are you directly connected to the GM sensor from the controller (green/black harness) or piggy backed onto an existing sensor with the white wire harness?

Does your controller have a 3 way connector inline on the sensor harness or do the wires come directly out?

If you are tied into an existing system you must see 0.3v minimum differential between your low and high set points. Otherwise the system will give you an error (3 blinks no fan running).

Likewise when you are using the 2 wire harness to a resistive sensor this equates to roughly 300 ohms minimum separation. If you are using the GM sensor the points you are trying to set are more than likely closer together than this.

The GM sensor used with the controller lets you set points over a wide range of temperatures, but if you really want to set the points tight at higher temps it is not optimal. I would recommend using a Chrysler: 5226374 or equivalent (TX13 Standard Ignition) you many not be able to set points much lower than 170, but for many that is a non issue. Thread size and plug are the same as the GM.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Thanks

Mark

[tumper93]

I am using the green adn black wires connected directly to the sensor and it has a 3-way connector closer to the box if I remember correctly, one black, green and white wires in it. I would prefer to use this sensor since I was explained this is the same two pin connector as the spal part. As I had mentioned should the white wire be grounded and could this be my whole problem? I will mess with this again this evening to try and get right, but hate the fact I have to wait for it to cool all the way down to recheck everything.

[SPAL Tech]

On previous versions of the controller the white wire was to be grounded because both it and the green were active inputs. If you have a controller with connectors the white wire is the only input, and if you look closely at the green/black sensor harness you will see that the white is joined to the green there.

Allot of times if someone modifies the sensor harness they omit this connection and the unit will not function, the 3 lights will blink no matter what you set the points to because the controller does not receive any input.

The sequence in the instructions is there so no one burns themselves etc. You could shut the car off and plug the fans back in right away if you want to. Also the unit can be programmed with the fans plugged in, the only reason we say not to is because with most cars if the fans were running you might not be able to heat the car up to the desired high set point.

If it’s all hooked up right it just might be that you are setting it too close, and it could be closer than what you think depending on how you are measuring the temperature. If you using an IR gun remember that you are measuring the surface temperature of what you are pointing at not the coolant inside...

If you want to be able to set the points closer use the sensor number I listed above, it will give you better resolution above 170 than the GM type and it has the same threads and plug. Our TS is a clone of the GM and we would probably sell both types except for the extreme confusion that would cause!.

Mark