Radiator Fan

To reduce the noise and parasitic drag of the stock cooling fan, I replaced it with a Mr. Gasket 16" electric fan.  I purchased the fan from Jegs catalog for about $100.  The fan is rated at 2100 CFM at 11 amps.  Since I live in Washington State and don't run the AC very much, I feel that a single fan of this CFM will be adequate.  The fan came with thru-the-core ties, but I didn't want to put strain on the fins and tubes.  The mounting points were just the right size to mount directly to the frame of the Nissen 3 core radiator from iPd.
 

Fan mounted to radiatorFan and radiator installed in car
 
I tried a electric adjustable thermostat but was not happy with it's performance.  The circuit board blew in it and I don't know why.  I had planned on getting an original equipment style sensor (T fitting in radiator hose) and wire it to a relay.  After more thought, I still wanted adjustability but wanted the repeatability of having the temperature probe in contact with the coolant.  Based on these criteria, I went with a Flex-A-Lite bulb/capillary tube mechanical adjustable fan switch from my local parts store (~$25).

So I could have a rough idea of what temperature the fan was coming on at, I 'calibrated' the thermostat using a good cooking thermometer and a glass of boiling water.  As the water cooled, I marked various temperature on the case.  The marks seem to be evenly spaced at 20F.

I mounted the control module to my battery box, ran the bulb into the upper radiator hose, and closed her up.  I went with constant 12 volt power from the battery so the fan can cool the motor after it has been shut down.  I had a little leak past the 'gasket' that comes with the thermostat and had to crank it down.  The next time I was in the cooling system, I used a little silicone to get a better seal at the edge of the gasket.  I adjusted the thermostat to be about 190-200F.  This temp setting seems to keep the fan from running when the car is moving (plenty of cooling) but kicks on when sitting in traffic for a while.  I know that the stock temperature gauge is compensated so It doesn't move much, but the temp never gets above 'normal'.   The fan will turn on about 1 minute after I have parked the car for about 5 minutes.
 

ThermostatThermostat bulb bent to fit into upper radiator opening
 
Thermostat mounted to battery boxThermostat mounted to battery box

 

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