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Electric fan convertion

i did one on my N/A 240, and it was really great, i actually noticed increased throttle response.. but i had to take it off, due to the fact that with the fan and my stereo, the electrical system became non existent... im sure that other people here have done that... i would put the fan back on my car if i were to find a bigger alternator.... but i would do it...

Jimmy
 
How much power does the fan require, becuase i am running a 1200w amp, ps2, and a t.v. I have a optima yellow top with 2 1 farad caps with a stock alternator, do u think the fan will drain all the power?
 
A lot of it would depend on the car you are driving...My first guess would be that if your running that large a stereo system with out any problems you should be able to add a fan...The draw shouldn't be that much greater. The Bosch alternator listed as the "N1" can ut out either 70 or 90 amps...
 
damn.. thats pretty intense... im only running a 350x2 watt amp with no capacitor... but it was a really old battery that i had, so who knows... it might work... im thinking about putting mine on over the vacation...we'll see....


Jimmy
 
I suspect an almost dead battery or other electrical problem, not the alternator. I put an electric fan in my 242, a big old Bosch unit out of a BMW and it doesn't affect the car much at all, even with the 55A alternator.

My car has a new battery, but before I replaced the old one I was expereincing serious voltage drop whenever I used a few accessories.

The voltage does drop just slightly with the fan on, but hardly at all, not enough to cause any concern. I have my fan relay powered directly from the output terminal of the alt, same with my upgraded headlights.

I have a small waterproof fuse board which holds 6 blade fuses down beside the radiator on the right. Each fuse is powered by it's own big wire directly from the alt, 4 fuses for the 4 relays for each headlight (quad square with E code light units), one for the fan relay, and one blank which will be for the foglight relay when I get around to rewiring them.

Angus
 
Hi there
i converted my 240 to using an electric fan.. i think i made the right choice as well. As mentioned before i also did notice a slight increase in throtle respone, but then again i did and exhaust mod at the same time (this is on a n/a engine).

As far as electrical related.. it does drop the ole volt meter down when i kick it in. On alot of trips here in canada when it's cooler i barely turn it on.. and i LOVE the space it opens up in the engine bay. My battery and altenator are both new, but i am running 2 amps for my stereo.. and with the lights on and the elec fan on at night it's not charging even close to 14 volts unless i am above idle. But i havn't had any probs with a drained battery or hard starting so i am not worrying. I think i need to invest in a cap for the amps that's all.
 
what fans are you guys using? i would think theres some low voltage fans that would work just fine, especially with modern systems in the junkyard... would think anything from a FWD car would work quite well seeing how they have that whole packed in motor thing and smaller radiators.

you still using the 55amp alternator? i noticed a huge difference in power with the 80amp Robin hooked me up with... headlights are bright now, and radio has volume again.
 
I used a fan and related wiring, harness, and coolant temp sensor out of a 940. Total cost was $35 for the parts and the install was simple. The total install didn't take more than an hour.

Andy
 
i am using the stock alternator but i was thinking about upgrading anyway. I am going to look at the junk yard this weekend and see what i can find.
 
I was planning on doing the swap for my car using a permacool fan. I thought that these thingy only used like 10-15 amps if that when on? I know that the fan shouldn't need MUCH more current than the AC/aux fan I have on my 91 245se. And damn... I can't wait till I can finally work on the water pump, tbelt area without having to painfully take off that damn clutch fan :twisted:
 
dana, i think that i was the only one that was having problems with the electrical system.....but i was using the generic summit racing electric fan with an 80 amp alternator... my problem was that the battery was really crappy... and i really did like it quite a bit.... i think putting it back on is going to be an over-vacation project....

Jimmy
 
you know... thats funny cuz on the box it says 11Amps... (got the open style one... PN: 19114) and in the manual...

will prove once and all once I get a ammeter across that fcker...

but damn that thing flows! torques out of my hand with a small 9V battery that's low!
 
(In the best Nelson Voice I can muster) Haha!

Actually, Im running a 16" permacool fan that I had left over from another project, and its thermo sensor. Works pretty good, has a capilary that you just put under the top radiator hose, point the probe down so it sees water and your set. Working A-Ok so far!

16" is the biggest you can absolutly cram into the car for the style I have.

Doug
 
wait, so if u put an electrical fan on your car then u have to turn it on and off with a switch? how would u know when u do need to, and what if u space out and forget to turn it on
 
well, my Nissen 3-Row has a temp sensor that came with it (bolts into a hole on the top of it) which is really nice... its continuous when it gets hot enough and interuppts when its cooled down (ie. opens when water hits 195 degrees and closes when it hits 165 degrees... this is a rough example, not sure of the numbers!)

SO-> you have a standard 15Amp + relay have the tripping circuit controlled by the temp sensor and you're set!

It may turn on after you turn on the car... lol ... heat soak and all. Not too bad as the fan shouldnt drain the battery all TOO much... (anybody care to comment on how long a 11 amp fan run down a battery?)

It'd be a good idea to have a dash switch to turn it on when you want it on... (ie. hard driving and the turbo's red hot... before that...) but make sure you remember to turn it off... OR have that (the switch) interuppted when you turn the key anywhere else beside the #2 position (1 is radio only, 3 is starting... good idea eh? you wouldnt leave the fan on if you forgot to turn off the dash switch...

electric fans are cool, you just gotta make sure you wire it up so you miminize the risk of running the battery down for inconvience.
 
Yep, did that once by accident. I had an override switch before when I had this fan on my firebird.

About 2 hours of it running is all it takes to kill the battery enough to not crank a 11:1 400 cube pontiac. For a nice low compression turbo motor though, probalby more like 3.5 hours.

I ran my car into the trailer on nothing but the starter for about 4-5 minutes or so. Didn't even phase the battery!


Doug
 
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