Electric fan

[Dominic]

Gonna fit an electric radiator fan to the first gen cos the oil clutch has finally packed in on the original fan/windmill. Can anyone recommend a good one and a suitable size for a standard 12a. It seems Kenlowe have earned a good name for themselves but are typically more costly as a result. Would consider second hand if anyone has a suitable used one to spare.

Forgot to mention, decided to hold on to the first gen after having no offers on the sale. Looks like we were meant to be together :InLove
Ashamed I even considered parting with her :Nono!

Plan is to keep the car as original as possible with a few engine and suspension mods (decent zorst, dumpy muffler, weber, street/bridge port when money allows, and LOW :cool ).

[oldone]

Cooling is the be all and end all,get the best you can bud !!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY YOU ARE KEEPING THE BABY.............. :cool

[Markp]

Dominic, it is good to see that you have seen the light and decided to keep the old lady. My Gen 1 Elford Turbo is fitted with a Kenlowe fan, and I would recommend that is the one fit, it may be expensive, but so is replacing the old engine due to it getting to hot.

Regards

[Dominic]

Took the plunge and forked out around £160 for a 16" Kenlowe automatic fan (the biggest one they do!). Fits a treat on the standard rad and has freed up a load of space in front of the engine.  
I think the old engine driven fan must have been completely mullered because the throttle response is WAAAAY better now. Blip the go pedal and the revs pop up far quicker than with the engine driven fan. She\'d sounding much better too. Havent driven her properly yet but I reckon several horses have been released, inadvertantly pulled a huge wheelspin when moving her up the driveway:Laugh  I think the old engine driven fan must have been properly siezed, it certainly didn\'t stop or slow down after startup or when the engine was cool. Hopefully i\'ll get a few more mpg\'s too.

Verdict: Fit one

Will post pics sometime.

[Don Pamponi]

Hmmm, dont think mine ever stops either.  Perhaps I\'ll invest too.  16" you say eh?  How was it to fit?

[Dominic]

Hmmm, dont think mine ever stops either.  Perhaps I\'ll invest too.  16" you say eh?  How was it to fit?

Pull out the windmill and fit one I say. Yup 16" fits perfectly with about half an inch to spare. Easy to fit just unbolt the old windmill and shroud, fit Kenlowe with ratchet pulls that go through radiator fins, connect up thermo control unit, wire up to battery and ignition. Everything you need is provided with exception of 30A inline fuse. Took me most of the day to fit but that was mainly due to the fact it wouldn\'t stop raining. Got mine from Demon Tweeks (think they need to order them in though). Make sure you specify the suction type fan if you are mounting it between the rad and the engine.
Pacet do cheaper similar units but build quality not as good, nor performance.

[Dominic]

Having fitted the fan, fuel consumption has definately improved. Power seems to be better too, this is probably due in part to the reduced resistance on the engine but also because its running a bit hotter now.
As the old fan was permanently engaged, the engine temp was cool at about 1/3 of the way up the dashboard temp gauge. With the new setup, the engine is definately running hotter (needle approx 1/2 way up temp gauge) and the fan comes on after coming to a halt and idling for approx 1 minute then goes off after approx 30 seconds.

Could anyone advise if this is the normal position for the temp gauge or am I running too hot :confused:

[antnicuk]

i would set it so it comes on a little less than half but to be honest the stock gauge is old and they are all a little different. Mine is running a little warm at 1/2 way up.
It would be well worth fitting a water temp gauge. You want the fan to come on at about 88 - 90 degrees i would say. Even if you take the gauge off once you have set it up.

If you are looking for some bits, i have a full Racing Beat Exhaust engine back which is in very good nick,  that will release some horses.  You can come and see it or hear if you like as its still on the car.

[oldone]

Having fitted the fan, fuel consumption has definately improved. Power seems to be better too, this is probably due in part to the reduced resistance on the engine but also because its running a bit hotter now.
As the old fan was permanently engaged, the engine temp was cool at about 1/3 of the way up the dashboard temp gauge. With the new setup, the engine is definately running hotter (needle approx 1/2 way up temp gauge) and the fan comes on after coming to a halt and idling for approx 1 minute then goes off after approx 30 seconds.

Could anyone advise if this is the normal position for the temp gauge or am I running too hot :confused:

Its normal for what you are seeing...the viscous fan blows so much air over the motor that it keeps al and sundryl cool,with the electrics it just seems that its all to hot .No probs,half way on the stock temp guage is only about 80 C.....no panic.I run VDO and stock gauge just to be sure.:guinness

[alban1973]

if you bought a kenlowe, did you get the adjustable thermotatic switch with it??   then you can set it to come on at any desired temperature. I run an electric fan on mine, I rarely need to use it, even in the hot summer temps only after sat it traffic for more than 5 minutes do I turn it on, and it soon cools back down after 30secs or so, I think they have a fairly efficient cooling system and you need to keep the temp up to spec for the best fuel consumption and performance...

[Dominic]

Thanks for the replies folks....

The fan does have the thermostatic control which I have set to come on as suggested in the instructions. I dont want to set the fan to come on any cooler because 1) the fan will come on when the car is moving 2) it will invalidate the warranty because the fan will be on too much.
I\'ve got an old temp gauge lying around so i\'ll temporarily fit that and see what temps she\'s running at. If too hot I\'ll take a look at the thermostat.

Ant, I\'m interested in your racing beat exhaust, ideally though i\'m looking for a long primary system. Is yours collected or long primary?

[antnicuk]

The system is seperated right down the length of the car,  it doesnt join untill it reaches the back box.  It has 2 slim mid silencers (1 for each pipe)  and chrome tail pipes.   There is no rust on it at all and the rear box is still has its original black paint. the two headers are huge,  they must be 2" in diameter.  I tried to find the system on the racing beat web site but i couldnt. Here is a picture of the headers though.

[Dominic]

Perfect, that\'s just the job. Was looking into building up a DIY system to save some money but always liked the Racing Beat option.

How much do you want for it? If you prefer, PM me or send me an email: dom100@hotmail.com

Cheers

Dom

[mpk490p]

dominic, did you have any problems with overheating before fitting the fan?
Thinking about getting one as i think my viscous is fubared and she gets warm when you go over 110 for more than 2 secs which is not good!
Mark

[dubber91]

if you want a cheap adjustable thermo-switch talk to these guys....

http://www.nfauto.co.uk/cbs_products_new.htm

have a look through the pages....

also there fans are fantastic so im told. Cheap too......

I have a thermo switch on mine...works a treat!