Topic: Electic Fan temp switch

[sharpxmen]

Hi All,

I ordered an electric fan and i need some tips on installing a temp switch for it - what location (where to install it), what kind, any other tips & tricks and suggestions appreciated. oh, and if you have pics that would be even better. the fan i ordered is a 16'' 2700cfm, let me know your thoughts on this as well (no shroud, and it is a thru core installation type but i think i will make some brackets for it).

Thanks in advance

[Jeffy]

I don't like the thru the core mounts as they can damage the fins when the radiator gets older or from a jostling, depending on how much mass it caries.

The thero probe location will depend on the kit and if it's calibrated for a certain location.  Some have you put the probe into the radiator through the top hose.  Others have you mount it to the fins.  A third option is to buy pipe fittings and add a second sender on the thermostat housing.

[Castr8r]

If you're running a mall cruiser, the thru the core mount will work OK.  You should have a shroud for the fan to make it work efficiently and will need it if you run it off-road.  Do the Taurus fan swap; you have the shroud and a decent fan.  Put the controller on the front bulkhead by the radiator and mount the probe according to instructions.  If it calls for sticking it in the radiator hose, you will have problems- take it back and get something less problematic.  My probe is JB Welded into the radiator fins right below the radiator inlet and adjusted to come on at 195*-200*.

[sharpxmen]

thanks for the tips, unfortunately i already ordered the fan but i looked for the Taurus fan at abput 5 wreckyards and they were all out of them. The fan i ordered is a zirgo rated at 2700cfm, 16'' diameter - i was thinking of using a 4.0L shroud to mount this on, definitely don't like the idea of having some wires running thru the core so i agree with you on that one. my other option is to use 1/2'' aluminum corner plate ro fab a mount (just 2 bars running across the rad) and then use some 20 gauge or so aluminum sheet to fab a shroud around it - i prefer the first option with the 4.0L shroud but i am not sure if the fan will fit ok or not. For the controller i've seen an adjustable thread in probe (they also have a thru core probe as well) from hayden - it is $46 at Summit and it has the relay and harness, i think it is a fair deal considering that one probe is about $20 and the relay runs for another $7 or so. The only thing that i am wondering is were to put the probe, i was thinking on the bottom tank and since this is adjustable to set it at about 190F or so, the logic being that driving on the hwy or city you still get some airflow and the coolant would get to a reasonable temp w/o the fan, if I put it on top of the rad i am thinking that it might turn on even though the airflow would give enough cooling as it and not need the fan. Still evaluating this but i will go to my favourite Jeep wreckers tomorrow to check on the L6 shroud.

[Castr8r]

Sharp-
     Yer on the right track.  The fan is not much good without a shroud, and your idea sounds good.  My fan is out of a Saturn and was modified/shrouded by my son who is a tinbender extraordinare'  (DaTinman.com).  See what the instructions say on probe mounting- I thought the same way you do, but the instructions said otherwise.  Son said not to overthink it; he'd put a lot of them in racecars, and close to the inlet is the way to go.  Mine works great as far as I can tell.  I've had one episode of overheating since the controller was installed, and that was towing another Jeep off the trail and up a steep hill on a hot day. ( I turned the heater on to get the temp down- can you believe HOT?)  Under highway driving conditions, the fan almost never comes on; but will cycle off and on when in a V-notch on a hot day with little air stirring.  Good Luck!

[sharpxmen]

picked up a shroud out of a Cherokee today - it's 18'' in diameter, my fan is not here yet but i got the shroud for $10 so i figured it's worth the risk. also ordered an all aluminum rad with a 1-3/4 core 2 rows so i'll have time to install it on the bench (my rad is a 1 row and not even sure if it is 1'' thick). Will post an update when i get some work done.

[Bounty Hunter]

The mounting straps through the radiator fins are fine if you rest the fan on the lower tank.  The lower tank can hold the weight of the fan & the straps simply locate the fan.

[sharpxmen]

so i got my Zirgo fan yesterday - looks good but... not close to the cher shroud i got. see, the 16'' fan is not 16'' blade diameter, is actually 15.5 and the outside of the fan housing is 16.5'' so there's about a 3/4'' space around in between the cherokee shroud and this fan - i thought i could use a rubber strip to fill the gap but honestly it looks like crap (oops, not sure if i'm allowed to say that but in the context i hope it's ok). So off i went to the wreckers on another quest to find a Taurus fan - no way, they're all gone around here, the only ones you find are the dual fan shrouds. so browsing around in the wreckers yard i came across a fan from a Lincoln, 22x19 shroud, all square, seemed perfect - got it for $30 (canadian dollars also) and took it home. It has 3 terminals so i figured, yeah baby it's a 2 speed - not really, 1 speed, middle terminal is the same as the + terminal and even more of a genius spark for the one designing the wiring the middle and ground are both black and the positive is blue - you'd think the blue which is labelled + is always at 12v and then you have ground on one of the other 2 black wires one for high speed one for low speed - nope, i welded the wires to the battery since the middle and the + are internally connected. Anyway, to make the long story short - this is a Lincoln Mark VIII fan, apparently moves 5000cfm (no typo, i couldn't believe it either) and it draws about 40 or 50 amps). It kinda hovers when you turn it on (not really but it sounds like a got dam jet engine) - so i figured, what the heck should i do - i really like the shroud and the fan blades - went back to the wreckers - apparently the newer Tauruses have a high power resistor in series with the fans for A/C i think (low speed anyway) - so i picked up a couple of those for 5 bucks along with the wiring. Put one in series, the dam thing still wants to take off, put 2 of them in series - much better - i think that would be my low speed and leave it wired directly for the high speed - i don't think it will ever need high speed but just for redundancy i wan to have it in just  in case one of the resistors dies. Apparenly this fan would spike to about 100 amps on start if it's wired directly, and from what i read it needs at least an 85 amp relay (good luck to me finding a cheap one of those, it will probably cost more than both fans put together).
Now i'm waiting for my rad so i can start fitting this baby on it.

[chardrc]

that sounds like a headache.. i installed my electric fan today that i got a few months ago.. ran out of daylight before finishing the final connections so tomorrow will be another work on the jeep day