Almost lost my Europa

[califkid_66]

not sure what caused it i didn’t check the fan motor yet what i know is i went on a little ride last week and the engine temperature was going up the power was not going through the fuse box to the fan
when i moved the fuse it was working intermittent so the last ride i took i didn’t want the engine to overheat so i plugged it on the brown battery unfused side and it was working like it was supposed to and drove it with the fan running normal  and then the wiring started to smoke and since i bypassed the fuse the wiring started to smoke instead of blowing a fuse
Im not finished untaping the wiring but i don’t think that plugging it direct was the reason for the short  the only difference would have been the fuse would have blown early
What it could be is either short on fan motor wiring damaged and cause short or relay problem or just ran it to long and wiring overheated bad contact make wire heat up
Like i said i have to test all the components but for now im checking the wiring

Ps i know it was stupid to bypass the fuse lesson learned

[jbcollier]

I would install a relay in the circuit if you are ok with minor mods from the original.

[califkid_66]

i have no problem with modifications if its for safety reasons i forgot to mention earlier before my last ride i tested the battery while the car was running i noticed the headlights seemed to be much brighter and i don’t know if my tester needs new batteries but it was showing 14 to 16 volts dc so maybe my problem is the regulator might need adjustments its the old ones with aluminium cover
Maybe sending to much power in the wires everything electrical was off except the fan when the engine was running 
and their is a relay near the fan but the wire to trigger the relay and the power for the fan all start at the fuse block and go through the body and wheel wells to reach the fan the purple wire from fuse box to the fan relay beside the fan is always live maybe i should put a relay to the purple wire near the fuse box so that the wire doesn’t stay live all the time

[jbcollier]

One relay is enough.  Fit a new one though.

A duff voltage reg causing high system voltages will fry your battery and blow bulbs, it won't cause a catastrophic short.

Things that cause shorts:

- internal issues in the fan motor
- connection or wire going to ground (ie: loose and touching the case or chassis)
- misrouting leading to wire insulation failure (ie: rubbing through the insulation)
- insulation failing over time due to heat cycles or chemical exposure
- poor connection leading to heat, melting and eventual grounding (surprisingly common)

[califkid_66]

Hi JB i tested all the components the fan the relay the otter switch all worked ok what i noticed was the connection were dirty and corroded im going to sand them clean and put dielectric grease but im going to change the fan relay the wires did not rub anywhere the tape was intact but wires overheated along the circuit
So i think the cause was bad connection causing wire to overheat and stupidity of not going through a fused circuit that would prevented the damages