I got a thermostat hooked up to my fan, and I wanna know what I should set the temp at.

I do alot of city driving, not as much highway driving. And I am in Northern Califonia.

Thanks

 

You should usually have the electric fan come on just before the thermostat opens. Basically, you want to give it some time to start cooling the water and get ahead of the game.

So, right around 180 degrees F.

Dale

 

Oki, thanks!

Now if the damn fan thermostat only had numbers on the adjustment dial I just have to test and try I guess.

 

I set my Black Magic #150 on once my Temp gauge reached a quarter high. By doing It this way, I ensure that on those hot days my temps may reach half way - max In stop and go traffic, for example. It's worked for me for the last 2 yrs.

 

Fans are only supposer to run when the airflow through the radiator is low, not whenever there's water flowing through the radiator. Since the thermostat's only closed when the engine is cold, setting it like that would mean as soon as the engine warmed up the fan would come on, and stay on until the engine's switched off!
The fan should come on if the temp starts to go above normal operating temp. The easiest way to set it is to idle the engine from cold and watch the gauge rise. As soon as it reaches the point where it sits during normal driving, and just starts to pass it, turn the adjustment on the fan's thermostat to make the fan switch on. That's the ideal point. Go for a drive with lots of stopping and starting and watch the gauge to see it doesn't go higher than it used to. If is does, turn it down just a tiny bit and test again. If the fan seems to come on too often, turn it up a bit.

 

Why not just make a normal on and off switch and turn it on when ur stuck in trafic or when the temp gets high?

 

Because you'll forget to use that switch. Plus you'll be stuck having to flip a switch every time you stop in traffic or for any low speed cruising. A thermostat is $20 from Summit Racing. Well worth it.

 

Fair enough Aron, but I don't think I will forget, each to their own though. A normal switch $2 From DIck & Smith.

 

You should still use a relay, otherwise that is a lot of current flowing through that litle $2 switch.
Also the wires you run into the car will need to be large or they will get hot. The relay eliminates that problem, and guarantees maximum voltage to the fans.

 

Yes you will one day! Nobody's perfect, and your engine's cooling sytem is far to important to be anything other than completely automatic.

 

I guess I should mention aswell tha I, at the very least, waited for my thermostat to open up before I followed the above.

 

I would set it turn on 200F to 210F (and shut-off at 190F, if you set this).


Keep in mind, the stock thermostat opens around 180F - 195F.&nbsp No sense setting it below this, as this will just "flutter" the thermostat.


-Ted