junkyard gold with fan

[jeff5347]

I just got back from the junkyard and i got 2 fans. on the left we have a fan off of a lincoln continental. Not a Mark VIII but they do look alike.
The right has a taurus fan off oa 3.0. The 3.8 fans did not look like the ones everyone is using. Ive cleaned them for pics and have connected them to a batt and the do spin freely. Needs some more cleaning but was curious as if the continental fan is as good as a Mark VIII? Which is the better one in this case to move Just so you know the taurus fan covers the whole rad while the lincoln is just shy. Need something with good cooling as in traffic the engine can get to 220 and me not likey.

[jeff5347]

oh heres the pic.
Well i screwed up but the pic. it got cut so this is the Lincoln cont fan. The one u can kinda see is the taurus. Looks like all the taurus fans with the tab on one side and 2 on the other side.

[gmachinz]

The Continental fan is about 3800 cfm so not as powerful as the Mark VIII but not a bad fan-I would go with it over the Taurus fan. I talked with Brian at DC Controls about the popularity of the Chrysler Intrepid fans everybody seems to like on G-body cars and he told me to stay clear of them. They are very cheap (around $80 new, without harness) and are dual fan design and move about 3500 cfm but they always had a bad reputation for bad bearings and annoying sqeaks that turned into locked up motors pretty quick. Chrysler re-designed the fans and unloaded their stockpile to various outfits CHEAP-so stay clear of 1997 and older Chrysler electric fans fyi! -Jabin

[jeff5347]

Thanks Jabin,
Thats what i was curious of. when i connected them to the battery the continental fan seemed to spin faster (and did it move some air. way more than the black magic). Also it has 9 blades instead of the 8 on the taurus fan. Do the curved design of the blades make these fans draw more air than say a black magic that is a straight blade? All in all the fans work good and i will go with the lincoln fan. I cant wait to have a car that stas cool in the hot weather. one less thing t worry about

[gmachinz]

The curved design of the blades act as a funnel and it allows the fan to pull more air at the same RPM than, say a fan with straight blades-they (straight design) tend to draw more power as a result. You will ALWAYS be better off with an quality OEM fan vs. pretty much anything aftermarket. The key to getting the most out of any fan espescially a curved blade design is to seal it tight to the radiator-you want the air pulling through the fin area, not around it. -Jabin

[jeff5347]

should i use a dc controller with the fan or can i use something like flex a lite controller or do i even need a controller?

[jeff5347]

Jabin,
i was reading the board here on the dc controller and may just order that tomorrow. A few questions.
Is it hard to wire up? I already have an electric fan and have the + and - wires right there so i think i would just need to connect the + and - to the controller and then the controller to the fan. Insert the probe and just figure what jumpers i need. Reading these posts it seems people are finding it hard to wire this unit up. Is it really that hard? Im pretty good with the elec stuff so i think ill be ok. Also what is the turn around time if i order tomorrow and live in Mass?

[gmachinz]

Jeff, it isn't hard to wire at all. You have the leads from the controller to the battery, then the leads to the fan and the then the probe. I think some are getting a little confused with temp. readings because the controller is reading inlet temps while most gauges are reading outlet temps with the temp. switch in the intake or worse, the head. You don't have to run a controller but doing so will drastically drop your amperage draw to the fan and extend the fan life longer. Plus, you'll have a quieter operating fan, too. If you order today or tomorrow, you'll have the controller by Friday. Email me at [email protected] and I can send you the diagram-you'll get one with your controller anyway but at least you'll have an idea beforehand. -Jabin

[jeff5347]

Jabin,
i m gonna grab one today i think. Also i was curious on what you wrote. "I think some are getting a little confused with temp. readings because the controller is reading inlet temps while most gauges are reading outlet temps with the temp. switch in the intake or worse, the head."
My temp gauge is in the head. Is that a bad place and if so where is a better place to locate.

[gmachinz]

Well, let me clarify: the controller doesn't care where your temp. sensor for the gauge is located because it acts independant of it. But the gauge will read warmer in your head vs. the intake cooling passage because of the increased temperature cause by the combustion chamber events. Most engines will have about a 20* build-up of heat from the motor alone-this means while the controller may be wired for a 180 setting, the gauge will read closer to 200. So that just means the coolant exiting the engine through the thermostat is about 200 and by the time it passes by the DC Controller sensor, the fan will automatically increase speed so that the incoming temperature is 180. You could set the sensor at the radiator inlet then to cool right away, right? Wrong. You have to let the radiator do its job of removing heat through disipation and then the fan will speed up as needed, there's no sense having the sensor at the inlet because with engine heat build-up, the fan will always be spinning faster and faster because it thinks the incoming coolant is 200 so it will cause that fan to spin way too fast and although ultimately it would work, it defeats the purpose of having a radiator. So, just know that the difference between the two (gauge vs. controller) is usually around 20 degrees but can vary with respect to comp. ratio, head selection, timing, etc. so that is where the jumpers come into play. -Jabin

[jeff5347]

Jabin, i did order the controller earlier today. i trimmed the shroud and now need to fab and mount it. So you're saying leave the gauge sensor in the head? Also i was just curious. the controller says to connect + to the battery,but can i wire it to the + on the horn relay. Also the diagram for Dc says to mount the sensor on the driver side of the rad. My hose on the driver side is on top, what would be the most beneficial place to insert the probe. Thanks Jabin. Sorry for a ton of questions.

[gmachinz]

No problem, Jeff-glad to help. You need to insert the sensor as close as possible to your lower radiator hose for a proper reading. As for the horn relay buss bar, I believe that ties in directly with the alternator main charge wire-you don't want to connect the +12V battery lead to anything over 12.8V so I would connect it to the battery instead. And for the temp. sensor location, I always go with an intake port for a good location-the head location will only give you a high reading on your temp. gauge-it can seem a little un-nerving at times. -Jabin

[jeff5347]

Ok i will do this then. Change the temp gauge to the intake port. And run the rad sensor in the fins close to the lower hose. My battery is is the trunk. Would a 10 gauge wire be ok to run from the engine bay for the dc to the trunk where the batt is. Isnt this a little to long of a distance and will there be any problems? Also a quick ques (like mine are ever quick). The fan that you listed above in the pic i have trimming to fit flush on the rad. Where the fan will sit on the fins on the rad the rad is 23" wide. The fan is about 21" wide. It is almost the same hight so no worry there. But since i am shy 2 inches is that something to be worried about. My black magic left a total of 6-8 inched uncover so already i am ahead of the game, but i was just curious.

Is there a 12 spot on the fuse panel near the pedals that would provide 12volts. Also on Dc site it states for the taurus fan they sell with the DC control the cfm at 14.4 volts. Does this still mean then that the pos can not be hooked to the horn relay. Just dont want to fry anything.
Thanks Jabin,

Jeff

[70GS455]

From the following amp draw test, the dual intrepid fans pull about 18 amps. I'm asssuming that is total for the two. So the cfm won't be much over 2000:

http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98008

[cad]

Here is how I fab'd mine up for my 68 Camaro....
http://doukas.us/fan.htm

[jeff5347]

i was curious on that too. The bottom of the taurus fan has a opening about 3 inches wide by 1-2 inches deep. Should a piece of metal be fabbed to close this so this is a tight seal agianst the rad or left open. Also would it be beneficial to make to holes in the shroud and cover with a rubber flap for iar to pass thru if there is to much pressure?

[gmachinz]

Input for the controller needs to be 12V but the output can be as high as 14.4V-and no on the flap idea for air passing through-the sensor will read the drop in air temperature as the rushing air cools the radiator opening thus dropping the overall temperature and the fan will gradually ramp down to the point it just freespins with the air. Do you have a remote mounted solenoid? I would run the 12V connection for th econtroller to that-the starter isn't a bad idea but if it (the starter) shorts internally...well, you never know. That can happen with a remote solenoid but less likely since it won't see the same heat your starter will. -Jabin

[jeff5347]

Jabin,
I have a ford style solinoid to help with heat soak for the starter which is in the trunk mounted on the bat box. I can run a wire for DC + to this. What gauge if im going from the rad support all the way to the trunk would be sufficient? Also i will scratch the flap idea but what about the opening at the bottom of the shroud such as in this pic. http://doukas.us/images/fan/DSC07577a.jpg. it doest sit flush with the rad. . If i need to close it i can fab a piece to cover it or should it be left alone?
Oh also Jabin i ordered the fk35 Monday. They havent sent me a tracking # but i did recieve a paypal confirm. Would Friday be a poss arrival date?

[gmachinz]

Jeff-if you ordered from DC Controls directly, it may take a couple of weeks. Brian has been pretty busy lately and I move them so fast out of my shop, I can't keep them in! I usually stock three or four at a time but with install work, I can't keep up myself half the time. Why not run your controller 12V lead to your fuse box? You should have a BATT terminal in it, or is it being used? -Jabin

[jeff5347]

Jabin,
I never thought of that. Question? Do you have a diagram or now a site i can get one from the net. See its good to have this forum cause the obvious answer is the one never thought of. Thanks.
Also i did send an email last night to Dc but havent heard anything back. Just asking a update on anything on if sent or waiting and such but no word.

[jeff5347]

Well i got my Dc control today. Thnaks a bunch Brian. HOoked it up and ran into a few probs but nothing big. Fan comes on and looks nice. Just need to fine tune when it comes on and sch. Ill get some pics up once i finished the install by cleaning up the wiring and what not.