Kenlowe Fan

[webmaster]

Whilst I remember, I measured up a V8 rad the other day, the main surface is appox 22" across by 16" tall, meaning the absolute best fan would be a 16". There are however clearance issues with that due to bracing and slam panel etc.. It would probably require a few mods to get it in. Of course one consideration is, if the engine driven fan is removed then the rad could possibly be moved a little closer to the engine to gain a some fan room.

 

[rockdemon]

2x11 might work better if ppulling rather than pushing?

 

[webmaster]

Well, in theory 1x16inch fan should flow more air than 2x11inch, based on area, i.e. a 16inch circle has a greater area than 2x11inch circles. Add to that the fact that a 16inch fan would only have 1 motor taking up some of that area, and you can see why 1 big fan is better than 2 small ones. I'm sure there's more to it than that, but that's the general idea.

For fitting, the 2 x 11inch would probably be easier.

 

[chrisyork]

Having wittered on for years about the best control for an electric fan being to add a boss and switch to the hot side rad tank - I finally got round to taking a picture so you can all appreciate how neat it is!




Chris

 

[rockdemon]

That does appear the ideal solution....

 

[webmaster]

That looks spot on Chris, although not adjustable, I presume you can get various different switches. Much simpler and neater than the electronic boxes & probes.

One tip, if you're getting one from a breaker, get the OEM connector and a bit of the loom too, I have a terrible aversion to crimp on terminals :?

 

[Tom W]

I'm a bit shifty about fan cowls. I suspect they may limit the flow of air when the fan is not running. I could just be over cautious though.

Chris

My Jag has an interesting setup to get around this. There are 2 fans mounted in a rectangular cowl behind the radiator. The fans are at diagonally opposite corners of the rectangle, they work independently to give varying cooling. The remaining areas of the rectangle are covered with rubber flaps. These blow open when the cars at speed to open up the full area of the rad for cooling. When stationary, the vacuum generated by the fans holds them closed, so the full airflow passing through the fans has to come though the radiator. Here's one for sale on eBay with a photo that probably illustrates what I'm on about better than my description.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jaguar-XJ8-X3 ... 2652wt_869

I can try and measure mine up if anyone wants to see if it will fit.

Tom

 

[webmaster]

That does look like a neat solution. Although given the square nature of it, I'd probably prefer one dirty great fan in the middle covering almost the whole rad. I presume they need the 2 fans to handle all sorts of different situations, maybe one runs all the time the airconn is on, that sort of thing.

 

[dmcsweeney]

Hi all,
this is the fan i fitted to mine last year http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Electric-Radi ... 2eafe0d3d2 . No mods required, just about fitted in. I retained the existing fan and connected this one to a switch for emergencies. A very unscientific test (offering up different weights of A4 paper to the grill with each fan running seperately, to see which could hold the paper in place) suggested that it was slightly better than the engine driven fan.
Regards,
Dave

 

[Tor]

Dave, that looks like a decent one. How is it in terms of noise? Any shots of your install?

 

[dmcsweeney]

Dave, that looks like a decent one. How is it in terms of noise? Any shots of your install?

Thor,
the unit is pretty quiet. No noticeable noise with the engine running. I'm away for a few days but I'll take some shots on Friday/Saturday when I get home and can get some db readings. I fed it via a toddle switch on the dash, relay, and power from my new aux fuse box which also serves the headlights, under the bonnet, powered off the solinoid. It's mounted using the plastic ties supplied. Absolutely no mods required to the body and it appears to be the biggest in the range that can be fitted.
Regards,
Dave

 

[dmcsweeney]

Dave, that looks like a decent one. How is it in terms of noise? Any shots of your install?

Finally got around to getting a few pictures today. I forgot the db meter when I left for the workshop but took some video instead to demonstrate the noise levels. Seems far louder in the video than in real life though. I left the engine running at the begining of the video for comparison.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpYpiLJb ... vx3xfXbv8=

The deepest part of the motor body (a piece about 20mm in diameter and 15mm in depth sits under the metal work seen in the picture below.

With the grill refitted the fan is barely noticeable

PS: Excuse the dust!! I'll wash it over the weekend!
Regards,
Dave

 

[John]

Dave, Did you manage to fit the fan without removing the radiator?




John.

 

[happy days]

For that price and the fact it works by an on/switch and you keep the mechanical fan I could be interested again

 

[dmcsweeney]

Dave, Did you manage to fit the fan without removing the radiator?




John.

John,
I removed the rad to fit it as I had to clean it thoroughly. I assume you want to avoid disturbing the transmission cooler (mine are all manual so not a consideration). I had a look at a friends v8 auto yesterday and I think that if you undid the top hose, removed the top fan coiling, and removed the fan you should be able to lean the rad back enough to fit it in situ.
Regards,
Dave

 

[Tor]

That looks pretty good... Thanks for taking the trouble to shoot it, that's not very noisy at all in my books (with headphones on I got a pretty good idea).

For that price and the fact it works by an on/switch and you keep the mechanical fan I could be interested again

And I'm getting keener again!

I'll be visiting Cape Town this week, where our friend Alan the P6 wizard has fitted a set of twin 10" Golf fans with appropriate electrics to self-govern and keep my dad's V8 cool in hot traffic. I'll try to upload some visuals of that.

 

[John]

Cheers Dave, You guessed right about disturbing the trans cooler, sleeping dogs etc , I have one of those fans on the shelf, (somewhere lost in the garage) so it appears in needs some close scrutiny.





John

 

[dmcsweeney]

I'll be visiting Cape Town this week, where our friend Alan the P6 wizard has fitted a set of twin 10" Golf fans with appropriate electrics to self-govern and keep my dad's V8 cool in hot traffic. I'll try to upload some visuals of that.

That sounds an interesting set up, looking forward to seeing it!

Cheers Dave, You guessed right about disturbing the trans cooler, sleeping dogs etc , I have one of those fans on the shelf, (somewhere lost in the garage) so it appears in needs some close scrutiny.
John

Well worth the effort. Make sure you back flush the rad at the same time! Dispite the fact that mine had plenty of coolant (at least 50%) the rad was full of crud. I fitted the fan purely as a precaution for a wedding. It gives great peace of mind to know it is there.
Regards,
Dave

 

[Tor]

So here is one Alan prepared earlier. As mentioned, 10" VW Golf fans. They're 80W a piece and strong enough to arrest rising coolant temperatures in 30+ degrees of ambient rush hour temperatures, but not enough to bring them down until you're back up to speed. They clear the water pump nose by an inch or so and are surprisingly quiet - I often don't notice that they're on and the current pull doesn't interfere.

Here's the full assembly in the tired looking engine bay of my dad's car. All ancillaries are VW (owing to Alan's employment history). The expansion tank takes coolant from the heater matrix, bypassing the manifold pipe, and gets overflow from the radiator. The tank bracket is made up.



The temp sensor sits in the rad tank and is wired so that the fans will run with the ignition off.

 

[rockdemon]

looks a good installation to me!

What age VW golf is it off exactly?

Cheers,

Rich