well ill finally get around to typing this up. Well i built my own controller set up, and am currently running only one 16" fan. The temp controller i bought from auto zone for 20ish bucks. Then i wired it up with a relay and still plan to wire a master on off switch as a saftey back up incase the relay or temp controller fails... I can draw up a wire diagram on the computer, but i dont have time right this minute to do it.

I would imagine the hardest part for the average guy to do would be taking the stock fan clutch off the water pump. I had a special tool that i had access to that hooks up to an air hammer, broke the clutch loose in 5 seconds. But for me the hardest and most time consuming part was laying the wires, creating the harness, and figuring exactly how i wanted to wire the whole thing up.

Now for the pics:
Ground wire
Hot wire I used a fusible link instead of a fuse and you can see that greyish brown wire is the fusible link part


Controller and relay stacked


you can see i twisted the heads of the screws off of the crappy mounting screws it came with.... The screws were bigger then the holes in the supplied bracket, so i didnt take too much to break them off, by hand with a screwdriver.


temp probe and top corner of the fan

 

And sorry for the dirty engine bay....


Fan


Controller placement


Stock shroud gone, look at all the room


All done

 

And here is a video i shot after i finished fine tuning the controller, ive got it set at 205 at the radiator inlet. The hoses were reading about 195-200 b.c of the thickness of them.

The video is kinda boring, but you can see how fast they fans start to cool things down, and how quiet they are.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfrIsUGvSE8

(thats an infra-red thermometer im holding, and pointing at the temp probe)
-Patrick

 

Very good looking setup. Can't wait to start on mine.

 

Not bad, Pat, not bad at all.

There's some hope for you yet

Good job

 

Nice install and good job Patrick!!

Mike

 

heya pat.. did you run a wire to your ac clutch compresser? so the fan kicks on when the ac clutch is engagged? if not when sittin still your ac might keep you from sweating.. might not

 

When the weather starts to warm up more, and i actually might be using the AC ill buy a second fan and tie it into the compressor. I dont really want the primary fan running with the AC all the time... But honestly i dont use the AC that much, but i might be this summer if the AC is more efficient with a efan for it...

Just a thought guys, if im gonna dedicate a second fan for the AC, should i set it up a as a puller on the Condensor, or should i just put it on the radiator like i have this first one?
-Patrick

 

Hi Pat;

I think you meant to say 'pusher' ...

I'd set it up the same as the first. I think the efficiency is a bit better when these things 'pull'.

Get some dielectric grease & some heatshrink on those spade connectors

Cheers
Bubba

 

No they are pullers if they are on the back side.. I meant mount the AC fan on the condensor as a puller instead of mounting it as a puller on the radiator. Since it comes on primarily when the AC is on, wouldnt the AC be more efficient if the fan is directly on the condensor? And would i have any negitave effects of the fan blowing air right at the front side of the radiator?

And i bent the (female) spade terminals on all of those connectors to get them to stay in place for now.

 

Gotcha.

Didn't realize there was enough room to put a fan in there. I don't see a problem otherwise with your idea, except for access.

The other stuff was just for sealing/waterproofing the connections ... you soldered , not just crimped, the lugs on the wires, right?

 

There is about 5" of gap between the condensor and the radiator

90% of them i soldered, started running out of time, but i will be adding more wires soon so i can have a dash light, and a dash switch, so ill go back and make sure everything is soldered

 

Well i finally got around to finishing a wiring diagram write up. This is abosultely everything you would need to make a dual controller. The relay in green is optional if you want to have a master OFF switch. Its also recomended that you have a master ON switch just incase something fails, you have a back up plan.

also i need to look up and figure out if the AC compressor is + switched or - switched.... but the wiring would just be one wire swapped on that relay.


-Patrick

 

heres the fan light coming on, i was waiting at a light, it was about 85* out and very humid. You can hear the rpms drop slightly when the fan comes on initially, and then you can hear the fan in person, but cant really hear it in the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeucpZk6Qm4

and the light is in a temporary spot, its eventually going up in that hole (just under the cluster) once i do a little more wiring, and i paint that panel and the radio surround

 

pat quick run down on every thing and prices b/c this seems a lot cheap this way that buying a kit