Engine Fan and ALB Light.

[John Sweeney]

Hi guys,

Over the last few days, my car has developed an odd fault: when you start the engine (cold or warm) the engine fan comes on as soon as the car goes above walking speed. As soon as you stop, it stops (very annoying when you're trying to locate what it is that's making all the noise!).

After a few minutes driving, the ALB light comes on and the fan stops. From then on the fan stays off but the light stays on! Turning the engine off restarts the whole process, as does disconnecting the battery for a while.

I removed the fuse for the engine fan relay (number seven) and this stopped the fan coming on, but the ALB light is now on permanently. I'm highly confused!

Does anyone have a thought as to what might be causing this? I know it's a very small problem, but it's the only one I have to get worked up about at the moment!

Thanks,
John.

[ghettogeddy]

why would you stop you fan from coming on thats a nono

as far as the alb

its not a widely discussed topic but heres one
http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64030&highlight=anti+lock+brakes

[John Sweeney]

Ghettogeddy, thanks for the link.


why would you stop you fan from coming on thats a nono

I just took it out temporarily to check - it's back in now. There's no danger of the car overheating here at the moment anyway! :)

[ghettogeddy]

Ghettogeddy, thanks for the link.



I just took it out temporarily to check - it's back in now. There's no danger of the car overheating here at the moment anyway! :)

ok i was just making sure lol

[Nafs Asdf]

The alb and fan shouldn't be related at all, if they are I'd say there's something strange going on.

The ALB system work off it's own control unit, and if you're getting the warning light, there's something about it that doesn't function like it should. The control unit is in the center column, if you don't already have them, download the shop manuals and follow the instructions to checking the ALB system. Checking it is just a matter of counting LED-blinks :)

http://www.pauldesign.ru/honda/shopmanual.html

[John Sweeney]

Which shop manuals would they be? I have a Haynes manual, but it only has two paragraphs on the ALB system.

Is there something I could read to get some better idea?

[Nafs Asdf]

Yeah, click on the link in my post above... The ALB stuff I think was in the '88 supplement.

[Nafs Asdf]

Ah forget what I said, didn't realize this was 2geez... I don't know if the ALB is the same on those.

[John Sweeney]

Sorry - I didn't see the link! Thanks anyway.

[2ndGenGuy]

John,

If I were you, I would definitely go pick up a copy of the Honda factory service manual from the dealership. I know that they are spendy, but it will give you all of the detailed trouble codes, and troubleshooting guides for your specific year, and model of car. The Haynes, as you found out, is going to be vague as it has to cover multiple years of car.

The only relations I could see between the ALB and the fans might be:

A) There's some sort of cooling mechanism for the ALB system, and maybe there's a temp sensor gone awry. This I kind of doubt.

B) There's a direct short between the two systems somewhere. When your ALB should be kicking in, it's actually shorting to a fan circuit. Perhaps the ALB only kicks on when the car is moving (wheel speed sensors and VSS) and instead of the ALB circuit kicking on, it's shorting out the fans instead. This is about the only thing I could figure, since I have zero knowledge of the ALB system. But just a guess.

Good luck, and let us know what you find out!

[79cord]

Might also be worth referencing a 2nd gen Prelude w/shop manual :http://hondatech.info/downloads/Auto/Manuals/Prelude/Prelude%202/
(also available from the Honda UK webite in the owners area -but has to be viewed page-by-page)

Index page here:
http://ww1.honda.co.uk/car/owner/workshop.html

if you can't find an Accord one, since that was of the same era & possibly more widely sold with ALB.

My CR-X's ALB warning light would light once at walking pace when it did it's own system check & found a faulty wheel-speed sensor, after which it would stay on. As suggested I believe the ALB system is only activated once moving.
Curious that the ALB & fan should share wiring.

[accord83]

John try here:
http://media.honda.co.uk/car/owner/media/manuals/Accord86/index.html?flv=9
It's the Honda GB site and has lots of old manuals in pdf. This links for an 86 but might have a reference point.
My works manual is for 2g, but I will look tomorrow if there is any thing relevant in it. At the moment it's raining in biblical quantities, it's as dark as the inside of a cow, just above freezing and the manual's in my garage.
Cheers John.
Also consider asking on:
http://oldjapanesecar.proboards91.com/index.cgi?

[John Sweeney]

2ndGenGuy, I think you might be right about a short somewhere - the problem only started after the recent heavy rain. One thing the haynes manual does tell me is that the ALB and the cooling fan share the same fuse, so that may be a hint.

79Cord, thanks for the link to the shop manual - very useful indeed!

I'm driving to Cambridge tomorrow (230 miles), so we'll see if anything develops.

Now I come to think of it, It's only my assumption that it's the cooling fan I can hear humming, as the noise only happens when I'm moving. Having never heard the ALB pump or the cooling fan before, I assumed that it was the latter - perhaps I was wrong. What does the ALB pump sound like?

Many thanks,
John.

Edit: Accord83, thanks for the link. I'm just looking through the 86-89 accord manual at the mo!

[accord83]

John, try a water dispersant, WD40 etc, on all the electrics.,

[AccordB20A]

heres an idea, the noise you hear is not the fan, its the alb pump located on the front crossmember. my alb has recently fucked itself and it does the same thing. i think ill be removing mine tho it looks too complicated.

[accord83]

John. Nothing of assistance in my manual. John

[John Sweeney]

I've just returned from Cambridge, a round trip of about 450 miles over three days, and everything is back as it should be. No odd noises, and an ALB light that goes and comes as it should. In fact, the car behaved absolutely faultlessly throughout.

Thanks for the advice, guys. I'll try the WD40 anyway - it can't hurt, after all!

P.S. - Accord83, thanks for looking for me!

[Dr_Snooz]

You probably want to find the fault. If it's a wire getting wet, fixing it now is going to be a lot easier than after it's corroded all to crap.

[Ichiban]

I think it may be a common circuit/power backfeed/speed sensor issue.

Let me explain: Many unrelated systems do share wiring, especially power and grounds. One system's failure can negatively impact another system, depending on the configuration.

Speed sensor: ALB is only supposed to function on locked up wheels when the car is actually moving. It requires a speed sensor signal to determine this, otherwise ALB may disengage your brakes at a stoplight, thinking all wheels have "locked up". Also, the radiator fan is virtually useless at all speeds except stopped, and a foreign car may have features that associate the fan with the speed sensor as well.

Even if it's the ALB system itself making the noise above a certain vehicle speed, it's likely being toggled on/off by a VSS. Possibly you could block up a wheel, put the car in gear, and diagnose further?

[John Sweeney]

I think for the moment I'll have a good look around, spray a bit of WD40 and leave it at that. If it happens again, however, I shall look into it a bit further.

Thanks for all the advice!
John.

Update, 07-01-09:

The noise, which I now realise was the ALB pump and not the engine fan, has not returned since the spray with WD40. For the moment, I guess I'll just leave things as they are.