Review Previous Lesson

LESSON 3: TESTING AND REPAIRING

WIRING/REPLACING RELAYS IN THE CAR
(TRW) TLE-IAAUS9-12TRW-IVh-i-12
LO 4. Test electrical system/Replace Defective
Relay and determine preferred action.
4.4 Execute remedies based on the identified
faults/defects.
 OBJECTIVES
The learner demonstrates an understanding of the principles in
servicing/Replacing of the Relay in wiring system in the car
How Do Automotive Relays Work?
Relay Locations
How Relay is Designed?
How to Tell If a Relay Is Bad in a Car?
How Do Automotive Relays Work?
• Relays are switches controlled by
electrical power, like another switch,
computer or control module. The
purpose of an automotive relay is
to automate this power to switch
electrical circuits on and off at
particular times. However, the real
benefit behind a relay is more than just
automation; they also provide
the ability to switch multiple circuits,
including different voltage types,
within the same relay at the same time.
RELAY LOCATIONS

Relays are located throughout

the entire vehicle. Relay
blocks, both large and small,
are located in the engine
compartment; behind the left
or right kick panels, or under
the dash are common
locations. Relays are often
grouped together or with
other components like fuses
or placed by themselves.
How is a relay designed?
• If you were to open a relay, you
would see an electromagnet coil,
the switch, and a spring. The
spring holds the switch in
position until a current gets
passed through the coil. The coil
then generates the magnetic field
which moves the switch on and
off.
• 87 and 87a are the two contacts to
which 30 will connect. If the coil is
not activated, 30 will always be
connected to 87a. You can think of
this as the switch in OFF. When
current is applied to the coil, 30 is
then connected to pin 87. The great
thing about relays is that you can set
87 and 87a to be either open or
closed, depending on how you need
the switch to work. If you want a
closed relay, you will want to wire
to 87a. If you want a normally open
relay, you will wire to 87.
How to Tell If a Relay Is Bad in a Car
Step 1: Check for Clicking Sounds 
• If any one of your vehicle’s accessories isn’t
working and you suspect that the relay is
bad, you can do a simple test to confirm your
suspicion.
• Taking a horn example, if you have one that
doesn’t produce sound have someone press
it as you place your finger on the relay. You
want to feel and listen for any clicks. 
• If you feel and hear clicks, the relay works if
you didn’t feel or hear any clicks as the horn
button was being pressed, the relay has a
problem along its energizing circuit. you
have broken internals in the relay, a bad
horn switch, a broken connection, or bad
ground.
Step 2: Swap Relays
• Another easy way of finding out
whether your relay is bad is to swap
it with another one that’s identical to
it. You’ll need to first ensure that the
numbers indicated on both relays
match. 
• Secondly, the swap should be
between the bad relay and another
working relay. You can check the
circuit of the second relay to ensure
it works. If it’s for the headlights,
ensure the headlights work. If your
horn or any other vehicle accessory
works with the second relay, you’ll be
now sure that there’s a problem with
the first one.
ACTIVITY:
• How to Replace Relay in the Car
Teacher Demonstrates how to replace a relay
 Thank you for your
participation
May The Lord God bless Us All