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e-fan woes

BeaverMeat

Active member
Joined
Aug 8, 2020
Location
Vancouver Island
Spent just over a month doing an overhaul of the engine bay of the Volstang which included custom fitting a Ford Contour V6 rad fan assembly... Yes, it fits perfectly on a 240 Diesel rad but it's a tight fit in-front of that 5.0L.

Having some thermo switch issues and looking for suggestions.

Currently my set-up is

Volvo two-speed fan relay
Volvo "regina" 102*-97*C thermo switch for the high speed in the rad
Beck/Arnley 201-1797 97*-92*for the low speed in the T-stat housing.

The Beck/Arnley sensor is the problem. The fans kick-in way too early and they don't shut-off until the engine is really cool... around 30*C (92*F).

Apparently that sensor is for a Toyota V6 of some kind... I'm starting to think (or recently discovered) that Toyota uses a closed circuit thermo switch design where the Volvo system uses a open circuit? idk.

So, I need to find a thermo switch in the realm of ~210*F that fits a 3/8npt (or M16x1.5 for my adaptor) Is there any way to use a common ground (single post) sensor on a open ground circuit?
 
I have another SAAB set like this: https://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=359900 if you want to use it instead of the radiator switch.

Yeah... looked at those but I decided to go with modifying the OE t-stat housing with a 3/8 NPT hole (as per standard Stang practice), I got it done for free by a local machinist who said “a 5.0 swapped Volvo, that’s cool. Bring it by when you’re done”. So... can’t argue with free
 
You don't think the thermostat stays open longer than it should?

Well... it’s a 192*f t-stat. According to the interwebz a rad fan should turn on 10*f over the t-stat temp. I don’t know the justification of that. All I know is according to Ford optimum operating temp for. fuel injected 302 is 200-210*F with 214*f being that absolute top. After that the ECU starts to pull the timing.

I’m trying to replicate the 94-95 fan sequence with the low speed fan kicking in at around 208-210*f


Note: I think I started a thread on this already. Perhaps they should be merged. lol
 
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The beck-arnley might be for the return hose after the radiator

I looked deeper into the design of that Toyota/Lexus/Dihatsu sensor type. It'a a closed circuit, meaning the circuit breaks when the temperature is reached instead of closing the circuit like most other thermo switches.

So my mistake and I learned something.

I need a closed ground, open circuit thermo switch... I wonder if there is a way to use a common ground type?
 
My question is: in your experience, is the E-Fan life worth it? I have a good quality Spal that I was considering putting in my NA B23F 242, and I am just not sure! I am wondering if the Spal fan pulling for normal temp and an OE AC fan pushing for when AC on/high temp wouldn't be so bad.

I know it's a beat to death topic, and usually ends up with someone shooting their eye out, but I figured I'd ask!
 
There was no alternative... it was already e-fanned. Converting it back to a clutch type will be difficult. I have considered it. But, Have you seen a diesel rad fan shroud lately? Almost impossible to find these days.

For your application, idk. It’s worth it if you stay analog with off-the-shelf parts. I’ve read that those fancy adjustable units are hit’n’miss.
 
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