If you just want them at max speed, feed one ground and 12V until it starts. These fans are probably PWM fans that use the 4th wire for RPM control.
Start it does, for about 180 degrees, then it stops and quivers in place. Way too much trouble for me to mess with it and 50 years ago poking that match into that 220V socket 'cured' me of feeding any wire into any opening ....
Sounds to me like you hit the PWM wire with 12v. Seriously, you're not going to kill yourself feeding 12v into a fan.