Expert: Roland Finston - 8/28/2011

Question
QUESTION: Power steering pump pulley broke, installed new pump and pulley.  Now safety relay under hood keeps clicking and wont start.  Is there a reset for this.  Nothing damaged when pulley failed, and van temp approached hot but shut off before in red.  pulled home to shop and fixed.

ANSWER: Hi Scott,
Do you mean by the 'safety relay' the automatic shutdown relay? If so, tell me what you mean by 'keeps clicking'(Once,or continuously, and when the key is in which position). Or do you mean a different relay?
Roland
PS Sorry for the delay but I just found your question in the 'pool' to which it had been referred by Kevin.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Under the hood on the left fender is a black plastic fuse/relay box.  The relay is the auto shutdown relay.  clicks continuously with the key on.  If you pull the relay when it is activated, the EATX relay activates,and clicks contiguously.  When the pulley failed the van was turned off by the driver, not by over temp or a safety of some sort.  The serpentine belt was good and did not catch on anything.  No damage was caused.  Only the pulley failure.  The van was driven after the pulley failed approximately 3-400 yards to a driveway where it was shut off and then pulled back to the shed, 5 miles away.

Answer
Hi Scott,
That sounds to me like there is a short circuit which is dragging down the battery voltage when you turn the key to run, or the battery is marginally charged. If the voltage is too low to keep the points of the relays closed then they open, only to be closed again as the voltage momentarily recovers. See what the battery voltage is showing wnen 'off' and when the key is in the 'run' position. If it is a short then we have to test alot of different circuits (pull fuses one at a time) to find out why.
Roland