Electric fan

[markcro]

This is probably been done to death but my searches don't pull up anything useful, so I will ask for advise anyway....  ;)

I am in the process of fitting a Kenlowe electric fan to my GT6. I have the fan mounted to the radiator using the plastic ties that go through the rad core.

- I presume that this way for fixing the fan is fine as there is very little other option of fixing it in place.
- The fan pushes air (not sucks) so it is mounted in front of the rad. The instructions say to get rid of the existing standard fan. But I intend to leave the fan in place as it will suck as the electric one pushes.
- The fan comes with a thermistor that you push between the fins of the rad. Should I put this at the top or bottom of the rad? It is better to use a manual on/ off switch or the automatic control with the thermistor?
- I have removed the cardboard cowel around the rad to allow me to work on the rad. It's a bit shabby. Should I refit it or it is okay without it?

Thanks for any advice or comments.

[jamespworth]

will the electric fan ever kick in if the normal fan is running? except i guess in hot weather or heavy use?? also i think you should put the cowls back in place

[markcro]

5161 wrote:

will the electric fan ever kick in if the normal fan is running? except i guess in hot weather or heavy use?? also i think you should put the cowls back in place

If it never runs then all the better. I am only putting it in place as last summer while in bumper to bumper traffic the temp went sky high, nearly into the red. I had to coast with the engine off as much as possible and then pull in when the opportunity arose and wait until the traffic cleared. If she is running in normal use/ normal daily traffic then she is 100% fine. Just hot days and traffic jams she goes towards the red.

Thanks, I'll put the cowels back on so.

[jamespworth]

cant see why that would do any harm then as long as the car isnt running too cold, i have seen people who have made their own brackets for fitting the fan but i probably wouldnt bother, though i would imagine people will have some of their own opinions on this a little later on  ;)

[markcro]

I was just afraid of those plastic ties over time and with vibration rubbing a hole in the rad's pipework. Probably being paranoid, anyway it's on now!  ;)

Cheers.

[Anthony]

Have you got any pictures showing how it's fitted?

I've always wondered how the fans are held in place

[jamespworth]

how does it sound, is it quiet?

does anyone know what the Kenlowe fans are like compared to the cheapy ones??

[Royboy66]

Hi Markcro,

I would definatly run it with the rad cowl on !  

some will say its not ideal to have the elec fan in front of rad as it blocks airflow to the rad!  I'd tend to agree!

For the thermo switch, again some will say top of rad, some say bottom, I prefer the bottom , reasoning if the coolants still to hot once its leaving bottom of rad then,it needs more cooling!  ;D

Im running a mk2 Golf rad, cheaper than GT6 rad, and it works well, also can switch back to Triumph rad easily in future if needs be!  :)

Roy 8)

[markcro]

I'll take some at the weekend as the car live 20miles from my house.  :-/

The fan has four foam pads in it's corners to stop it damaging the rad where it make contact with it. You then thread these plastic ties through a hole in each corner of the rad, and you wiggle them through the rad core (in between the fins), then once all the way through you thread a foam fad and one of those disk things onto the tie, and pulled them tight.

[markcro]

- I haven't wired it in yet (again next weekend!), so I haven't heard it run yet. And yes, there sure aren't cheap!  :X

- Yes I thought that a fan sucking would be better, but this fan blows and the blades are shaped so it is not reversible. Then again alot of new cars have the fans in front.
Also if it was sucking and I had to mount it behind the rad then I would have to remove the standard fan as there wouldn't be enough room for both.

[piman]

Hello Roy,

it's irrelevant whether you mount the fan in front of or behind the radiator, both affect the airflow, equally if the fan is the same size.
Personally I made up brackets to hold my fan, I don't like the idea of cable ties to the radiator core.

Alec

[2009poolesparky]

i have one of these fans fitted however its not wired up.

do you guys suggest to fit a thermostatic switch that would go in the water system? or would the switch in the radiator fins be better? also where could i get the switch from?

oh and does anyone have a pic showing the rad cowling? im not sure if mine has it or not.

thanks
alex

[Royboy66]

piman wrote:

Hello Roy,

it's irrelevant whether you mount the fan in front of or behind the radiator, both affect the airflow, equally if the fan is the same size.
Personally I made up brackets to hold my fan, I don't like the idea of cable ties to the radiator core.

Alec

Hello Alec,  Im struggling to see how they would affect the airflow equally, I'd have thought a 'puller' fan would be better in the space confines of a GT6?   :)
I'd agree that some brackets are better than those ties given a choice.

Roy :)

[GT6 M]

Mines infront, and have no issues at all with over heating.
You definatly need a good fitting rad cowl,as alott of air will go around the rad,and not thru it.
here is how I mounted the fan on mine.
east made brackets,bolted to chassis and then to fan motor.



and rad cowlings




Marcus

[thebrookster]

Markcro, if I were you I would remove the old mechanical fan tbh. You say that the electric will be a back up for standing traffic, however that is also the only time really that your fan would be needed, as the airflow would normally do the cooling without the fan. It is only if you are really ragging it that the fan may be needed. Or at least, that is how I see it.

Therefore, I should have thought that removing the mechanical fan will only give you gains, as it does not really do anything at a stand still (not spinning fast enough), and not really needed at speed for normal use, therefore I would just rely on the electrical fan.

Just a thought, anyhow.
Cheers,

Phil

[piman]

Hello Roy,

airflow is affected by an obstruction, and whether it is in front or behind there is still an obstruction and it reduces the amount of flow. The only thing I would add is they they both need to be the same distance away from the radiator for a true comparison. In practice a puller will need to be close to the radiator as there is not a lot of room to move it back, so that factor is accademic.

Alec

[markcro]

thebrookster wrote:

Markcro, if I were you I would remove the old mechanical fan tbh. You say that the electric will be a back up for standing traffic, however that is also the only time really that your fan would be needed, as the airflow would normally do the cooling without the fan. It is only if you are really ragging it that the fan may be needed. Or at least, that is how I see it.

Therefore, I should have thought that removing the mechanical fan will only give you gains, as it does not really do anything at a stand still (not spinning fast enough), and not really needed at speed for normal use, therefore I would just rely on the electrical fan.

Just a thought, anyhow.
Cheers,

Phil

Thanks Phil. You mean gains as in removing the mechanical load from the engine? To remove it, is it just a matter of unbolting it from the pulley wheel? Or do I need to replace the pulley wheel with a "blanking" pulley wheel that I see on some sites for sale?

The one thing that I will say about using the plastic ties is that the fan is mounted flush against the rad so there is only a few mm for any air to escape around it.

Cheers.

[junkuser]

Is your cooling system clean and free of blockages?

[markcro]

junkuser wrote:

Is your cooling system clean and free of blockages?

Yes, I descaled it last summer and flushed it about 3 times in the process. The car's temperature isn't a problem, only when stuck in standing traffic for an hour or so.

[thebrookster]

markcro wrote:

Thanks Phil. You mean gains as in removing the mechanical load from the engine? To remove it, is it just a matter of unbolting it from the pulley wheel? Or do I need to replace the pulley wheel with a "blanking" pulley wheel that I see on some sites for sale?

The one thing that I will say about using the plastic ties is that the fan is mounted flush against the rad so there is only a few mm for any air to escape around it.

Cheers.

TBH, I have no idea how your fan would be fitted, as I only have experience with Spitfires, maybe one of the 6 guys can help out with this one?

Yeah, it was mostly mechanical load I was thinking of in terms of gains, which of course has a knock on effect on your mpg IIRC. It is only something like a 1 or 2 mpg gain, but with fuel prices these days I would count that as a gain!

The only issue with the plastic ties for me is what do they strain against? I know there are sharp bits on a radiator (from painful memories ;) ), would they not possibly wear through the ties, or am I following a red herring?

Phil

[Bainzy]

thebrookster wrote:

The only issue with the plastic ties for me is what do they strain against?

The idea behind them is that shafts of the ties don't really touch anything, although you can't avoid them spreading the fins out a bit due to their thickness. Instead of bearing a vertical load, the aim of them is to pull the fan taut horizontally against the face of the radiator, so it's held on tightly by friction.

I'm sure in practice you can't manage that perfectly, but as long as the ties are tight you should have no problems. It's when they hang loosely that problems will occur.

[nang]

If it were me I would much prefer that the fan was mounted on brackets and not tied to the radiator core. This is probably the engineer in me speaking. (clap)
Tony.

[uksnatcher]

Heres my setup on a standard rad, vauxhall Corsa B fan and shroud cut to fit. 2 decent fan mounting upright bars bolted to x member, tops held by cable ties on rad frame.

Fan temp sensor has been drilled and tapped into the thermostat housing.

I have since fitted a wide rad and supported the fan uprights by feeding 2 cable ties through the rad core coated in silicone sealant so no movement and painted black, and 2 foam pads for the uprights to sit against.

1 year on standard rad and 2 years and counting on the wide rad with no cooling issues with the elec fan and the mechanical fan removed.

You dont need a dummy pulley on the waterpump, just take the 4 bolts out and remove the fan, it will be fine.. :)

[markcro]

Cheers guys. If only under my bonnet looked as clean as all of that!  ;)

yeah the only contact between the fan and the ties are the foam pad in each corner. (well apart from the ties contact as they go through the core). I presume this is a tried and tested method by Kenlowe as for the cost of their kit you would hope that they know what they are at. (I hope!)

I might just remove the standard fan so.  :)

[Tim Bancroft]

A thin fan is needed if fitting between the rad and the engine block.

I have a Pacet fan fitted behind the rad, the motor is fairly slim but I still had to fit a Vitesse bottom pulley.

As Roy stated, if the electric fan is fitted in front, the blades of the fan will restrict the air that goes through the core.

I'd experiment with the use of the std crank fan, I would think that the car will run hotter with the masking by the new fan.

As for ties, I use slim cable ties to hold the fan onto my rad and have experienced no problems due to vibration etc-obviously its important to ensure that the ties are very tight.

Essential to fit the cowl as well.

As for controlling the fan, ditch the cumbersome Kenlowe capillary tube system and as Roy again stated, fit a rad fan switch into the header or bottom tank. Most rad shops will fit a boss that the switch can be screwed into. Mine is in the header, again no problem.