Electric fan cooling problems
11-20-02, 01:15 AM
#1
Electric fan cooling problems
Well this weekend I put in a 16inch Electric fan I bought at checker made by Imperial.
I also got the temperature switch for it.
Well I was on the highway today and there was an accident. I was stuck in traffic for an hour when I realized my damn Temp guage was 3/4 the way up!
It is around 1/4 the way up on normal city driving.
I don't have a fan shroud on so I am thinking that is part of the problem.
You guys have any tips about how I can get the temps down? Maybe bigger fan, shroud, put stock fan back on to help at idle?
This fan was $75 and am now thinking of going for more of a name brand fan.I don't even think this one had a CFM rating.
I live in Arizona so This has to be fixed before I have a melted engine. The average temps here now are 50-85F but it will hit 110F in the summer.
I also got the temperature switch for it.
Well I was on the highway today and there was an accident. I was stuck in traffic for an hour when I realized my damn Temp guage was 3/4 the way up!
It is around 1/4 the way up on normal city driving.
I don't have a fan shroud on so I am thinking that is part of the problem.
You guys have any tips about how I can get the temps down? Maybe bigger fan, shroud, put stock fan back on to help at idle?
This fan was $75 and am now thinking of going for more of a name brand fan.I don't even think this one had a CFM rating.
I live in Arizona so This has to be fixed before I have a melted engine. The average temps here now are 50-85F but it will hit 110F in the summer.
11-20-02, 01:27 AM
#2
Senior Member
Does the fan fit directly over your radiator? I did the e-fan mod to my TII also and noticed the temp going up sometimes. A friend also with a fan mod told me that I needed a shroud between the radiator and the fan. I wasn't too sure he told me to do that, but I had one custom made to fit my e-fan and radiator and it worked! My temps never go above 1/4, if that.
11-20-02, 01:51 AM
#4
well it is directly on the radiator.
A: is what I have now. Just the fan mounted to the radiator.
B: is what I am planning on doing. Making a shroud that covers the whole thing and the fan sits inside and blows out the hole.
I realize right now I am using at the most half of my radiator due to the fan not being able to pull air through the rest of the Rad.I was thinking that the cover might help increase the amount used.
A: is what I have now. Just the fan mounted to the radiator.
B: is what I am planning on doing. Making a shroud that covers the whole thing and the fan sits inside and blows out the hole.
I realize right now I am using at the most half of my radiator due to the fan not being able to pull air through the rest of the Rad.I was thinking that the cover might help increase the amount used.
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11-23-02, 08:14 AM
#10
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That imperial fan is not strong enough to keep the temp down at idle. Return it and get the 16" perma cool heavy duty (2950cfm) fan from jegs for about 10 bucks more.
Shrouding a radiator like that actually reduces the efficiency of it under heavy load situations. You have to push all that air through a little hole instead of having it all venting to the engine bay while the car is in motion. Factory shrouds work much better because rather than making a "little box" they make a funnel. You'll end up having a high pressure zone inside the shroud you proposed and actually reduce the air flowing through the radiator while driving at higher speeds.
One of the main reason electric fans are so great is because they turn off while the car is in motion. No more added load on the alternator and no parasitic drag on the engine. I have the highest flowing commercially availible e-fan I am aware of for automotive use. I use a thermo switch in the thermostat housing to activate it when the temps reach 180 degrees. (same temp as the t-stat) My fan comes on when I slow down after either runing hard or traveling at high speeds. The fan is strong enough to cool the system down to below t-stat level while parked. (in other words, it'll get cool enough at the t-stat to turn the fan off again while runing)
No fan can move as much air as natural flow while the car is in motion. Their only function is to keep the engine cool while not in motion. Sorry the pic is so big. This is a very old pic of my e-fan. (I don't have any of the A/C crap in the car anymore)
Shrouding a radiator like that actually reduces the efficiency of it under heavy load situations. You have to push all that air through a little hole instead of having it all venting to the engine bay while the car is in motion. Factory shrouds work much better because rather than making a "little box" they make a funnel. You'll end up having a high pressure zone inside the shroud you proposed and actually reduce the air flowing through the radiator while driving at higher speeds.
One of the main reason electric fans are so great is because they turn off while the car is in motion. No more added load on the alternator and no parasitic drag on the engine. I have the highest flowing commercially availible e-fan I am aware of for automotive use. I use a thermo switch in the thermostat housing to activate it when the temps reach 180 degrees. (same temp as the t-stat) My fan comes on when I slow down after either runing hard or traveling at high speeds. The fan is strong enough to cool the system down to below t-stat level while parked. (in other words, it'll get cool enough at the t-stat to turn the fan off again while runing)
No fan can move as much air as natural flow while the car is in motion. Their only function is to keep the engine cool while not in motion. Sorry the pic is so big. This is a very old pic of my e-fan. (I don't have any of the A/C crap in the car anymore)
11-23-02, 09:32 AM
#12
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You need a plenum style shroud, so that the fan pulls through the entire square are of the radiator, that is the biggest problem with the e fan, is that it only will use about 2/3's the of the facial area of the radiator without a plenum shroud.. I attached a pic so you can see what I mean by plenum... Max
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