Coolong Fan Options

[Slither]

Just in case you have forgotten what snow is for, here is a refresher.

Sweet! Where is this? I could ski that someday... What a view!


NOTE: The server must have barfed, as this should be reply #46 and it has ended up as #1... I also noticed that it disappeared from the new posts list. Can you fix this Patrick?

[Slither]

Just in case you have forgotten what snow is for, here is a refresher.

Let's try this again...


Sweet! Where is this? I could ski that someday... What a view!


DiTTO: I guess it didn't work.... Patrick?

[arrowdriver]

Let's try this again...


Sweet! Where is this? I could ski that someday... What a view!


DiTTO: I guess it didn't work.... Patrick?

The ski shot was taken while skiing at Lake Louise, Alberta. I put it on to show that some snow is good snow, unlike the stuff the falls on the roads.

[Justin Upchurch]

I have resisted using the front pusher fans on my FIA and have only used the 16 in SPAL fan, but in traffic the SPAL is not getting the job done. I haven't seen over 210 yet, but I know that it is just because I haven't had to sit long enough. As soon as I get back above 30 mph the temp goes back down to 180.

Other than building a custome shroud that the sway bar passes through, has anyone found a differnt way of dealing with the fan/swaybar clearance issue? Are there any other swaybar options out there or is there a way to modify the front swaybar to fit a larger SPAL fan?

Suggestions welcome.

Justin

[spd4me]

Justin - Brent solved that problem by bending the sway bar. Search his past post, he shows pictures.
Bob

[Jim Harding]

You might want to verify that the fan is getting a full 13 to 14 volts with the engine running. You would be surprised at how much voltage drop you can get by running the fan voltage through too small gauge wire. That voltage drop will cause the fan to run slower than expected.

[pgermond]

My experience is that the pusher are more for looks - they do very little to move air on a hot day or when sitting in traffic. I installed the SPAL and it has made a world of difference. The SPAL does have a big amperage draw, so after burning up a toggle switch or two I installed a relay - 10gauge wire and a 20 amp fuse won't hurt either....... no more problems and a cool running motor.

[Justin Upchurch]

I will check the voltage to see what the fan is drawing. Since I never used the pusher fans, I just used the wiring for them and hooked it up to the Spal. I am not a wiring expert by any means, so should I have done this differently?

Justin

[pgermond]

You should be okay.

[Jim Harding]

Justin, I think the wire feeding the front pusher fans is no more than 14 gauge. In theory, it should do the job. But I've found that for a good, high CFM puller fan, a 10 gauge wire will make a marked improvement.
I'd venture that you'll probably measure about 2 volts less at the fan as you'll measure at the battery. A 10 gauge wire should only drop a few tenths of a volt.

[arrowdriver]

Here is a pic of the fan in my car which is what it had when I bought it. Seems to work well enough to keep the engine cool when sitting in traffic on hot days. It is controlled with a dash switch but I think that having a thermostatic switch might be a good idea. Has anyone here done this?

[Jim Harding]

I installed a thermostatic switch in the intake manifold that over-rides the dash switch. That way, if I "forget " to turn it on, the thermostatic switch will turn on the fan when the coolant gets over 180 degrees.

[arrowdriver]

Jim, do you recall what you used and where you got it from? Did you need to add a relay to the system or could the thermostatic switch handle the current?

[Jim Harding]

Jim, do you recall what you used and where you got it from? Did you need to add a relay to the system or could the thermostatic switch handle the current?

I would bet my britches that I got the thermostatic switch from Summit, but I can't find the receipt...... and I don't throw anything away (usually).

Anyhow, it's similar to their part number SUM-890017.

I'm attaching a drawing of the way I wired it in. The relay is a standard automotive "ice cube" type available at most auto parts stores. The circuit breaker is Summit Part Number SMP-BR30.

[arrowdriver]

Thanks Jim, appreciate the help. The drawing is about what I figured I'd need with the relay but it's nice to confirm this before trying to invent my own way. I like your idea of adding a power point at the same time since that is something my car is missing. It does seem to me that one really doesn't need the dash switch with this set up.

[Jim Harding]

Thanks Jim, appreciate the help. The drawing is about what I figured I'd need with the relay but it's nice to confirm this before trying to invent my own way. I like your idea of adding a power point at the same time since that is something my car is missing. It does seem to me that one really doesn't need the dash switch with this set up.

Your right, but in case the thermostatic switch "malfunctions" I still have the dash switch as a backup.

The power port is real handy to keep the cell phone charged, GPS, and other goodies that need recharging while on the road.

[diegokid]

I used a SPAL fan and their relay harness. No guess work and it gives you the use of a dash switch to overide the thermostatic switch if desired. I mounted the sensor in the steel upper radiator pipe. I just had to weld in a bung that was included and a nut on the backside for a ground strap. If you mounted it in the intake manifold you wouldn't need the ground strap.

I run a 160 degree thermostat with the 185FH relay. Fan comes on at 185 and goes off at 170, with overide switch if the sensor fails. Only time the fan runs is in traffic since the engine stays cool on the road. The directions also show how to hook up the relays in a series too if you wanted to run more than one fan. Heavy wire with the 30 amp fuse hooks to the battery or the batt side of the solinoid.

I first had the fan ran only through the dash switch. I was told by SPAL this could have caused the failure of the regulator on back of the alt. and the burning of the batt wire off the alt. After using the SPAL part no more problems and now the batt wire from the alt is ran to the batt side of the solniod and will replace the ampmeter with a voltmeter.

[arrowdriver]

Based on stuff I have seen fail over the years i'd bet that the relay is a lot more likely to fail than the thermostatic switch and therefore there might be little advantage of adding a dash switch unless one sees a need to run the fan when the engine is cool. When diegokid says "overide the thermostatic switch" I presume this is to accomplish this rather than to prevent the theromostatic one from running the fan. It would appear that for real redundancy intalling a 30 amp rated dash switch in parallel with the relay might be what is needed to get you home in the event the relay or thermostatic switch fails.

[diegokid]

The switch is there to overide the temp sensor if it fails. The folks at spal also said if the relay fails the switch will still allow you to run the fan without the heavy wiring in the dash. All the switch does is provide a ground that the sensor usually does.

I did have the numbers wrong though. The 185 comes on at 185 and off at 165.

[arrowdriver]

If that is the case, your wiring is diffferent than Jim's since his won't let the switch run the fan if the relay fails.