Thread: Electric cooling fans

Only problem with this solution is that it shows when power is going to the fan - it does not show that the fan is drawing current (i.e. working) and would not have helped in this case.

JD, I don't know what temp guage setup a Rio has - my Hyundai Getz just has lights for "low" and "high" temp - but I would have thought that the coolant temp would have been high. I had some earthing problems with my electric fan setup but could always tell when the temp guage rose above its usual, and well before it overheated. Thought about running a warning light like above but the temp guage always told me anyway.

The biggest overheating problem I had was when the original fan cracked up - I thought I run over something, didn't think of fans shattering for no apparent reason. Needless to say, the Landie overheated once I slowed from highway speeds. Could argue your example is a good reason to have my current fan setup with two fans - chances of both fusing at once has got to be slim. I've also shredded a fan belt post electric installation, which stopped the water pump and overheating ensued that wasn't improved by airflow! Again - the water temp guage went up and I stopped - fortunately about 200m from a garage.

I can't see that the electric fan stopping is any more of a risk than doing a fan belt, and there's no electrical warning you've done that (unless you have a serpantine belt and your power steering and A/C go as well). I'd say it just comes down to watching your guages, and expecting things to go wrong. Perhaps that's one advantage of driving a classic Landie - you expect it to fail at every moment so you're vigilant.

You're absolutely right of course - I was just pointing out that it is not foolproof. (and two fans sounds like a good idea. But then each new foolproof device finds a new way of being a fool. In the case I mentioned of my son, he swears the temperature gauge did not rise, but then he was driving slowly into my place watching the road, which needs careful driving in cars with low ground clearance, so I'll bet he wasn't looking at the gauge. Which of course is the advantage of warning lights - they are more likely to attract your attention.
John

Slightly off topic - but of some curious value: Where I live the distances are longish and there's little stop start stuff. On the old ED Falcon I had to remove the viscous fan for some reason. I left it off for several months and had no probs - as the car moves thru the air. The motor seemed to work a bit better, given the enormous weight of the fan was gone; I notice the wifes AU has electric jobbies. I was a bit surprised how heavy the v fan was. The X1/9 has an electric fan which runs only on very hot summer days and usually after the car has been parked - then the fan starts up! Typical Fiat. GQ

Originally Posted by JDNSW

The primary purpose of the viscous coupling is to allow the fan to rotate at the pulley speed when idling, but as the rpm increases and the turning resistance of the fan increases as it tries to move more air, it does not speed up as much as the pulley does. The fixed fan fitted to most earlier engines moves far more air than needed at high rpm if it is designed to move enough air at idling and low rpm.
An alternative to the viscous coupling is used on, for example, the Isuzu engine on my 110 - it has a nylon fan designed so that the fan blades bend under increasing load so as to decrease their angle of attack for a similar effect.
The advantage of an electric fan is that it can be switched off when not needed, which for most cars, is most of the time.
All of these gadgets are to save a little fuel and keep the engine quieter.
John

I replaced the fixed drive fan on my County-Isuzu with an electric one from an unknown Toyota model. This is switched by a Murphy "Switchgauge" set at 220 degrees F. with a two pole switch master switch to over-ride the switchgauge at the driver's will. Never had to use the master switch yet.