Thread: Fan Upgrading...

With the intercooler installed it seems that the combination of 100°+ weather and the large FMHE are making the engine cooling work overtime. This got me thinking about upgrading the fans. Has anyone done this? Do we know what the stock fans pull in CFM? I would love to drop a Mark VIII fan in there, but it is a single fan unit with a high and a low input as opposed to the dual fan setup. Does anyone know what each fan does, such as what signals they receive? I would prefer to use the stock controls for the fan and not have to make something from aftermarket parts. Thanks in advance!

So you don't want to use pusher fans on the FMHE like this?
Electric Radiator Fan

Originally Posted by IndeedSS

So you don't want to use pusher fans on the FMHE like this?
Electric Radiator Fan

Not particularly.

A 1-3/8" Radiator maybe a worth while upgrade for you.

Over on the"other" board I was looking at the diagram of the fans, someone posted in your thread. As you can see the PCM, based on the fan settings you can program with a tuner, grounds either the high or low speed circuit to complete the electrical path. If you wanted the fans turning faster you could build a simple voltage regulator circuit and step up the supply voltage to the fan(s) to 16 maybe 18V.

The fans, although turning faster, will still turn on and off based on the PCM settings though. In theory, since they are turning faster and cooling quicker, the time they are on would be reduced.

The larger radiator seems like it would make sense too.

I finally got around to making this a reality. It is pretty easy and straight-forward, provided you can do simple wiring/circuitry. I used a Mark VIII fan; I would not recommend it for this, as it takes too much modification to make it fit. It has an 18" blade, which alone is almost as tall as the radiator, but is know to be one of the most powerful electric fans out there. It moves over 4000CFM, some claim closer to 4500CFM.

My recommendation is a Ford Taurus 3.8L fan. It is almost as potent as the Mark VIII fan, but uses a 16" blade and fits perfectly on the radiator. I would have done this, had the Taurus fan I pulled not been bad. Anyone that does anything with the Fox body Mustangs is probably familiar with this upgrade, and it is only different by being easier, as the fan control is already built in to the vehicle!

On the stock fan there are four wires. Two go to each fan. The white and black wires are all that are needed for a single fan setup. I am not certain how the stock fan settings would work with this, as I have the fan settings adjusted to push only the "high" fan when needed. This also allows for the fan to be run after the engine is shut off, again a setting within the computer.

Removing the stock fan is simple. From there, you can install the fan however you prefer. I would use the radiator mounting zip-ties that are available from Summit (and probably other places) that are designed to run through the radiator, using "feet" that do not damage the cooling fins. Again, with the fan I used I had a lot more work. Then it is just a matter of wiring in the new fan with a 75A relay. I aquired mine from ebay, along with a 40A circuit breaker in the power line which is just like using a fuse on any other electrical component. it is important to have your electrical system up to snuff, as this is an increased load on the system. I have the alternator rewired, which I am sure helps, although a maintained stock system should be adequate.

I definitely consider it a worthwhile upgrade if your modifications start heating things up under the hood. I am a prime example, as the 3.1" pulley makes a lot more heat and the FMHE "blocks" the entire radiator. This cools emmensely better then the stock fan. Before I could not keep the coolant stable under light operating conditions on the highway. With the A/C on and the temperature above 90º, the coolant would slowly work its way up above 210º, and getting into the throttle would run it even higher, but the fan could not cool it back down. This is with a 180º thermostat. Now the coolant will not get above 190º given the same conditions, and will only slowly climb with more spirited driving. I think with a coolant flush, cleaning the radiator and engine bay a little, and Water Wetter I can keep the engine at the desired operating temperature.

Here's info on bolt in upgrades:

North American Impala Owners Association - 2000-2005 Engine, Exhaust and Transmission - Cooling Fans... L67 on a L36?

Originally Posted by Sabrewings

Here's info on bolt in upgrades:

North American Impala Owners Association - 2000-2005 Engine, Exhaust and Transmission - Cooling Fans... L67 on a L36?

That is good, but seems to be a relatively small upgrade. That would be more for someone that is having a little harder time keeping things cool in a hot climate I think. Also, I am not sure how much a new motor costs for that. Quick math for my upgrade: $19 for the fan, $24 for the relay, $5 for the breaker, and then wiring and connectors that I had, but would probably run $10 if you had to buy them all outright (of course there would be extras laying around afterward), so say $60.

I don't think the fan upgrade will help much honestly. I know others have done this before with little or no success. Only good and effective upgrade you can do is a 1-3/8" rad or an electric water pump the choice is yours. A 1-3/8" rad solved all my issues, i'm still on my stock 160,000 mile water pump...

Originally Posted by Iron Indian

I don't think the fan upgrade will help much honestly. I know others have done this before with little or no success. Only good and effective upgrade you can do is a 1-3/8" rad or an electric water pump the choice is yours. A 1-3/8" rad solved all my issues, i'm still on my stock 160,000 mile water pump...

Who has put a Taurus or Mark VIII fan in? I hear about folks tossing pusher fans on there, and the occasional aftermarket fan replacement, but could not find anyone anywhere that put a fan like this in place of stock. I know for a fact that this upgrade had a substantial impact on the cooling efficiency of the car.

The only upgrade to the fans I did on my car was loose the un shrouded 1997 fans and run the newer style fans from the later year-ed GP's that are housed in a shroud. That made a HUGE difference.

Went in and adjusted the fan setting in the PCM, got even better.

In your case that you have additional coolers on the front, I would suggest running small dual pusher fans along with the stock or the others you have already installed. The ones that you will find as stock puller replacements just don't have the CFM to pull enough through all the coolers up front.

My $0.02

~F~

Originally Posted by GR8racingfool

In your case that you have additional coolers on the front, I would suggest running small dual pusher fans along with the stock or the others you have already installed. The ones that you will find as stock puller replacements just don't have the CFM to pull enough through all the coolers up front.

My $0.02

~F~

Why is no one getting this? The upgrade was simple and does a great deal more for cooling. No pushers, no aftermarket junk, just a quick and easy swap that has addressed my concern. The Mark VIII and Taurus fans move a huge amount of air compared to most any other electric fan out there, stock or aftermarket.

^Thats cool, sorry must of mis read it, sounded like you were still wanting info.

Get you a fan that moves the most CFM for the area you have to work with and you will be in good shape regardless.

Anyone know the specks (CFM) on these Mark VIII/Taurus fans vs. the Grand Prix fans? Just curious.

~F~

Originally Posted by GR8racingfool

Anyone know the specks (CFM) on these Mark VIII/Taurus fans vs. the Grand Prix fans? Just curious.

~F~

I know that the Mark VIII is rated anywhere from 4000-4500, typically referenced as 4300CFM from anything I have read. The Taurus I tend to see at 3800CFM, again with a range of numbers from 3800 and up. I have no way of knowing what the stock fans pull, but I know that it is nowhere near 4000CFM.

Also, I dropped a Taurus fan in there yesterday evening, and it fits like a glove. It is not as wide as stock, but that should not be an issue, as the Mark VIII fan is about the same width.

Pictures?



~F~

Originally Posted by GR8racingfool

Pictures?



~F~

I can probably grab a few tomorrow.

its been three days....



LOL

But seriously, no hurry, just giving you crap.


~F~

Originally Posted by GR8racingfool

its been three days....



LOL

But seriously, no hurry, just giving you crap.


~F~

I managed to get busy working on the car and could not get around to it in daylight hours. Thank you for calling me out on it, or I would have forgotten!

I have been doing the F-Body upgrade, exhaust manifold, O2 sensors, and more, so I have not had a chance to put the Taurus fan through the wringer yet. Hopefully in the next day or two I can do some scanning/tuning, which will get things hotter then any instance of driving, like I did with the Mark VIII fan. I suspect it will do fine, but I might even extend the shroud to cover the rest of the radiator which will certainly improve things even more.

Here are the pictures of the Taurus fan, installed: