Thread: another take on trying electric radiator fans

While not %100 sure I suspect by putting the 4.6 in with the 3.9 sized radiator it is now actually to small to cool it properly even if everything is in perfect working order?

I would have thought that at hwy speed the fans would not come on, also the Fenix all alloy radiator may be a standard size, the original copper one was a high efficiency jobbie.

Water wetter effects the surface tension of the water so when it does get hot it minimises the creation of bubbles collecting in the system, which cause cavitation and hot spots in the circuit. Has no effect on increasing the boiling point of the fluid.

What about the cap? Pressure also plays a part in the systems operation. Also I've found that Penrite Pink coolant made mine run cooler. Mine sits at 87 all day, with the std fan, penrite and distilled water.

i have been running the davies craig electric water pump and a flex a lite 15" pull fan, operated by the same controller. it works great on my 4.0. no more loud fan clutch noise and I salvage a tiny herd of horses. my temps are much more stable that the stock setup. fluctuations of +/- 3 degrees

i have used water wetter for years. and even with the stock lr system, the only difference I have found is that it turns the coolant in my reservoir pink.

I have twin EL Falcon fans (and shroud) and a Delta Current Controller FK55 to drive them and it seems to keep the V8 cool enough, though I have the OEM radiator not an alloy one.

The advantage of the DC Controller is that it is a variable speed controller - it varies the fan speed to maintain a constant coolant temp - it slowly speeds up as needed rather than pulling a lot of current to go full speed.

The kit also includes a small LED and adjustable knob mounted on my dash - the light tells me what the fan is doing - it changes color depending whether the fan is off (green) at partial speed (orange), and full speed (red). The knob can be turned to vary the temp at which the fans first start to ramp up.

I also use Water Wetter but not sure whether this contributes much to cooler running.

Where'd you get that controller? Jaycar? Can you link us to it?

I was planning on building my own controller, but if there's a pre-made one out there I'll definitely look into it.

Traco, thanks for posting that as I was trying to find your earlier mention of the Delta controller, but searching through this site is almost impossible.

The company link is here: Welcome to Delta Current Control but I did a search and it sounds like the products are pretty good, but some people have had them die in only a couple of years, and the order time is very long since he works from home, or something. So it pays to do your research.

Yes I'm aware there have been a few reported failures. But many of these units are fitted to muscle cars in the US where the market is huge and there are many reports about how reliable and durable these units are.

I have one on my Disco (FK55) and one on my 4.6 SD1 (the earlier FK50 with AU fans) and both have performed faultlessly for the past 2-3 years.

Brian Baskin is a busy man trying to keep up with demand, so you have to be patient when ordering. I think I waited around 4-5 weeks for each controller to arrive. They're simple to install, and have been improved over time.

Here's one review from a Mustang forum:

"Many people (including me) swear by the DCController Home
He doesn't deliver real fast usually, but his products are top quality. It feels real good knowing the controller WILL work when it's hot out.

Advantages

Pulse Width Modulation: Allows the fan to be ramped up in speed so the fan only spins as fast as is necessary to cool then rad/engine. Instead of being turned on full speed.

Temp settings: Allow you to configure/tune the temp that the controller comes on.

Full Speed on switch: Allows you to wire a switch to turn the fan on full speed when you want it to.

A/C integration: Allows you to wire the DCC controler into the AC compressor power line to kick the efan on when the AC system is turned and the A/C condenser is dumping more heat into the front of the radiator."

I believe Flexlite do a similar system, though there have been both good and bad reviews of this too.

It's just a bit of a poo for me, since if I had a failure it would be in the middle of nowhere, (that's all we have up here), and I couldn't wait that long for a replacement. So some relays and a temperature switch would be what I'd go for. However, what the DC Controller does is what I really want.

This is why I ditched the fans I had, since the electrics were too complicated compared to just bolting on a viscous unit and a fan. But the electric fans have a lot more flexibility, so I was thinking about using them again. The fans always seem okay, it's the controllers that people tend to have trouble with, whatever brand they may be. Reviews mention melted spade connections, connections that twist off, and so on.