ok so... whats the hottest that is "safe " for the engine tempt to get to.. i just want to able observe this and stop it from happening before it happens.

 

nice write up. subscribed for future reference!

 

id say 190 is a good place to have the ceiling limit as it sometimes tends to creep to 194, but by this time the fan is cooling it off so it will fall.

 

Great writeup and nice diagrams too.

The mid to late 80's Saab adapter is a perfect fit for the Audi/VW temp switch. I used one before on a similar dual speed fan setup on an Nissan RB25 in S14. Only thing is I used the dual fans from an Audi 90.

 

Nice write-up, I was looking into a Ford Escort efan but it looks like this shroud covers the radiator way better, doing this after I solve my sloppy shifter problem.

 

thanks for the write up i'm hoping my local u-pull-n-pay will have the 50% off so i can get a lot of your "junkyard projects". I'll be doing the e-fan the hood strut and the ambient air intake this week and next depending on my job.

 

Well, good luck with all of that.

I'm currently experimenting with the fan from a 1992 Mercury Cougar XR-7.
It has a deeper shroud and the shape perfectly fits my Godspeed radiator.
Also has a two speed 18" fan, compared to the Taurus fan's 16.5" blades.
The fan blades are also differently shaped- much "swoopier" than the straight blades on the Taurus or Volvo units...don't know if this a sound or efficiency mod.

Here it is, fresh from the junkyard...


Trimmed to clear the hoses (note the exaggerated shape of the fan blades compared to the others pictured below)...


And (temporarily) installed...


These are the other two fans I've been playing with- Taurus on the left and the 9-series Volvo on the right...


The Volvo is interesting for a couple of reasons.
It's shroud has the relief flaps discussed recently in BDC's fan thread (here)
and the entire fan structure is bolted to the shroud...it'd be quite easy to mount it to a custom fabbed shroud.
Although it's the smallest of the three fans, the Volvo has been cooling the swapped FD with no problems so far.

 

Wow, that XR-7 fan fits the radiator pretty dang well!

 

what junk yard do you go too my local one has nothing as nice as that lol and i'm searching for a 2003 vw jetta fan its a dual fan that i think will look very nice here is a picture



what do you think would 2 fans cool good enough as a single?

 

The XR7 fan pictured is aka the MIghty Lincoln Mark VIII fan. It is a beast. I have abandoned that fan.

The early series Mark VIII had 2-speed fans and 2-speed controller. The later series Mark VIII had single speed-HIGH-and used PWM control. Both fans use the same connector as the Taurus fans. The intent at Ford was that if the later model fan was put into a car with the two speed controller, the fan would merely function on high instead of low. I have discovered that most of the early series Mark VIII in salvage have the later single speed fans fitted. This tells me that the original fan died and was replaced. It was not so durable just like it's reputation states.

The fan is also found on some Tbirds.

This fan has a reputation for being shorter life than the Taurus fans. I personally had one fan lose the bearings.

The wider fan blade design is intended to increase flow at high static pressures; IOW the fan blade design makes the fan less sensitive to static pressures. I also believe that the Merc Villager fan blade design allows more free air flow through the fan when it is off. This and the reduced amperage draw made me try the Villager fan.

Did I mention that the Mark fan is a Beast? It pulls a couple of amps more than the Taurus fan pulls on both high and low.

 

Colorado Auto & Parts @ Santa Fe and Oxford.


Jack: Does the later model PWM fan have strange wiring?
Mine appears to be a standard two speed fan, one black (presumably) ground wire and two heavy gauge wires but one of the heavy wires splits into two lighter gauge wires about 5" from the motor. The motor only runs when +12v is applied to either of the lighter gauge wires, the other big wire does nothing...I only get a single speed.
I attempted a halfassed search for a 1992 Cougar wiring diagram and came up with zip.

 

I haven't seen the 2 wires split.

The single speed fan wires with that 3-wire plug as pictured. The plug is exactly like my Taurus fan plug. 1 ground and 2 power wires. If you wire it like the Taurus fan it runs single speed on either wire.

 

Went scrapyard shopping this past weekend.

For anyone's reference, The same fan is used on 3.8L Ford Tauruses from 1988 to 1994 as well as Lincoln Continentals. Verified by part number.

The Lincoln Continental, being a larger car, ALWAYS came with the 3.8.
The Taurus, you must verify that it's a 3.8L V6. The 3.0L V6 uses a weaker fan.

 

clokker,

I have two questions with regards to this picture:


1) Is the 30 amp fuse box located in the Taurus or is that an aftermarket piece? I got my fan out of a 94 (?) Taurus 3.8L and it has a fuse block rather than individual fuse boxes. If it's from a Taurus, what year did it come from (if you know) and where is it in the engine bay? If it's an aftermarket piece, where did you get it?

2) How did you mount the Volvo relay?

 

That fuse came from the Taurus I originally pulled the fan from.
It was bolted to the head.
I've never seen another like it but it was definitely OEM as I had to cut it from the harness.

The Volvo relay assembly has clips on the back and is meant to slide onto a flat piece of sheetmetal. I just cobbled up a simple bracket to slide it onto.

 

is the escort radiator smaller that the Taurus one. Im looking to fit a fan up to my Scirocco style radiator. the twin setup not powerful enough.

 

Sorry for digging this out of the bowels of the forum, but I have two questions regarding this system I was hoping Jack or Clokker could answer for me; One simple and straight forward, the other a bit more involved.


1- Do any of the factory FC relays located forward of the radiator fit the criteria for the main +12v power (SPST) relay?

2- I would like to have my fans' high speed triggered from the A/C system. Can someone elaborate (possibly with a diagram ) on how I would go about connecting a feed from the A/C to the Volvo relay unit?

 

1. Not really sure, all mine were in use (doing whatever it is they do).
Volvos are packed with nice 40A relays, so I used one from the donor car as my main power feed relay.

2. The Volvo assembly trigger wires require a ground.
IIRC, there is a single wire connector from the AC compressor that alerts the ECU the AC is ON (presumably used to activate the BAC)...not sure if this wire provides +12v or a ground.
Either way, you could tap into that to activate the high speed relay.

 

I would be careful in using the factory relays as I have already had 2 original stock ones ruin on me. One was for the headlights, and it almost left me stranded as it was night and the lights would not come on. I ended up swapping another just to make it home.
It would be bad if you relied on the relay and it went south and your engine overheated.

I would at least buy a new stock one from Autozone.

 

Two year update:
The basic system has worked fine and has been used w/ several different fans (including the amp-hog 18" Lincoln unit)...never a blown fuse.
Last spring however, the fan trigger failed and for various reasons, I bypassed the trigger and ran manually all summer.
It was exhausting, I don't know how/why anyone would choose to do this in a street car.
I was rather proud of the way I did it though...I used the wiring and switch from the AAS system to control the fan (all it does is apply ground to the fan power relay).
Every FC has the wiring in place regardless of whether the system was ever installed, so it's super easy to do.

I found a stock switch in the junkyard which plugs right in to the center console.
The spare tire well is the location of the system computer (if installed) and all that's necessary is to bridge two pins, completing the circuit.
Now, in the engine bay one of the pins in the connector for AAS (by the fusebox on the strut tower) gives you a cabin controlled ON/OFF ground*.

Splice this wire into the sensor lead- betwixt the relay and the sensor- and the low speed circuit can be grounded either manually or automatically by the trigger.

This would be handy in case of another trigger failure (which is highly unlikely if you bought new instead of used like I do) and in my specific case, it's providing extra comfort as I fiddle with my new gauge setup.

*It occurs to me that this could be easily adapted as a fuel cut switch.
There are AAS connectors at the rear struts that are part of the same circuit and so should have similar results. It's a factory looking install that doesn't say FUEL CUT on it, so it's pretty stealth.
Hmmm...

 

Sorry for bringing this back from the dead but I have some questions. I had to use the high setting of the fan and within minutes the relay 30a ford, died. I just picked up a 5 pin 70/80a relay that utilizes some large spade connectors. Relay # ar3-012-c21r

I read that using the 30a relay will not work on high setting, hence the use of this monster relay. I am reading up on how to wire it up on fc. Am i going to be okay using this relay and 10g wiring on high? I am using it as soon as you open the switch the fan will turn on. Any problems doing this? I live in Florida, don't have an undertray and have a huge ic that blocks the radiator. Thanks

 

All of the different fans I've used (including the Lincoln) have run through a 30A fuse with no problems at all.
I'm unsure what Volvo claims for the relay assembly but I'm still on the original junkyard part I started with.

I don't believe the HIGH speed has ever come on in normal use but I have tested it and know it works as well.
Dunno why the Ford relay failed.

 

I have read on different sites to use the higher amperage relay to avoid failure. The temps are getting to 100-102* celsius under there on the highway and traffic. I'm freaking out about that.

 

I don't know what to tell you other than the Volvo relay has held up fine, to the point I no longer think or worry about it.

 

I used the microtech to control a part store 4 pin relay with no amperage rating for a few years with a villager fan. I am changing to a summit fan this spring with the new v mount setup and plan on using same relay.