cooling fan switch

[jd4242]

anyone know of a stock fan switch that uses a 3/8 -1/2 thread or any npt thread and turns on around 190-210?

 

[jd4242]

ok ill answer my own question,for other people who want to know also.ive gone through many fan controllers now and tired of paying outrageous prices so now im just going to wire my fan up with a fan switch in the head or where im putting it is in the heater hose.then im running it to a high amp relay,witch im pulling from the junkyard,dime a dozen.ill also have two switches that are in cab,one that is a switched power so the fan only comes on when the truck is running and one that i can manually turn the fan on.the switch im using is out a 88-92 ford tempo and is 1/2 thread,it turns on at 200-210 and off at 173,most of these switches run on the high side of the rating and also im putting it in the heater hose so temps may be a "little" lower.also im running a 180 tsat.here is a list of the part numbers and where to get them from

Autozone: all rated for on at 200-210 off 173
sw-531 $21.99
ts-158
ts-392

Napa: on 200-210 off 173
f3-103 $32.69
or a little lower one
fs-120 on at 193-207 off at 173 $30.69

Advance: on 200-210 off at 173
wt5058z $17.89
EDIT:::this is not a switch so it will not work and they dont list a switch for this year))

ill be going with the one from advancehope this helps anyone that doesnt want to spend $100s of dollars on controllers!!this setup will cost about $20 and the parts can be picked up any where

 

[jd4242]

ok after some testing the switch that kicks on at 200-210 and off at 173 will work but runs all the time.the kick off is way to low.i went with a fan switch from a 84 tempo diesel,its 1/2 thread and said to kick on at 217 and or off at 192.i found it kicks on at 212 and off at 195.it works perfect and doesnt run the fan all the time.217 is a little higher than i would like but is a perfect temp for a dd.i also have an override switch in the cab so i can manually turn it on if i want to keep it cooler.i also used a relay for a 92 explorer blower motor,50 amp with 8 gauge wire and a 30 amp circuit breaker.

84 tempo deisel
advance:
tfs13p

autozone:
sw 532

napa:
fs 102

 

[Nedwreck]

Thanks for the info!

(no one chimed in, weird)

Hey, can you include what type of fan your running? Or anything else relevant?

I'm parting up another Explorer, and I'm looking at electric fans for it and my DD too.

There's a SHO Taurus I'm eyeballing for one fan, and a couple SC T-birds I might try also.

 

[jd4242]

i run a HHR fan
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=258507
i used a stock fan switch($12) from a 84 tempo diesel(215on,off195),a stock 92 explorer fan motor relay ($11)-(50 amp),a 3/4 pipe-t($3),2- 3/4 to 3/8 reducers($.60 x2),2- 3/8 nipples($1 x2), 5 ft of each,red and black 8 gauge wire and two switches.i have it wired so that one switch stays on and only gets power when the truck is on sending power to the fan switch.i can turn that switch off if i go through deep water and need the fan off.the 2nd switch is wired with power from the battery and goes straight to the relay so i can turn the fan on anytime,running or not.

you can see a stock relay fits right up in next to the other relays under the fuse box,i used a 30 amp self resetting circuit breakers also

t goes in the inlet hose

all and all this type of control cost me little over $20 and i can pick up the parts anywhere.whole setup including the fan was well under $100

 

[Nedwreck]

Thanks for the info jd!

There's some good fans in salvage yards too - if one knows what to look for.

1) I like the heater hose splice-in.. does the heater core get full flow all the time?
(I'd thought it would be no-flow when no heat was called in the heat/air panel?)

2) Do you have A/C?

WAIT - don't answer that stuff if it's in the link you posted... lol

 

[jd4242]

in a first gen, yes it gets flow all the time.i took all the ac stuff out,i run a nonac box from a ranger.yea was going to go with the Taurus fan but didnt feel like cutting it all up to make it fit.the hhr fits with no trimming and is very cheap new

 

[Maniak]

I believe it was late 1994 that they added a heater control bypass valve.

You can retrofit that into an older X and take vacuum from the max a/c door from in the cab to control it. That way, when your on Max A/C, you have no hot water into the heater, but you still have water running on those lines (just bypassing the heater core itself).

Its a great mod to get your A/C to run cooler which is a good thing when its converted to r-134, and your in a hot place.

~Mark

 

[Xeek]

yea i picked up that heater bypass from the junkyard myself. just waiting for the day i goto try to add it in, i dont even have heat right now anyway, or ac, so it doesnt matter

im happy with my fan switch, youre trying to hard jd lol
didnt have to tap any fluid lines either

 

[jd4242]

yea witch fan switch/controller are you running?how much does it cost new?and how many time did you try and hook it up and send it back?what happens is your controller stops working?how long would you be without a fan?i can hit any parts store and for $10 be right back on the road

 

[Maniak]

yea witch fan switch/controller are you running?how much does it cost new?and how many time did you try and hook it up and send it back?what happens is your controller stops working?how long would you be without a fan?i can hit any parts store and for $10 be right back on the road

That is why I carry a spare $40 controller in the Van.. I would like to find switches to use that I can find anywhere, but I run my fan based on the radiator lower temp and not the engine temp... I need lower #'s. I just haven't spent the time looking at different switches yet.

I do really like the idea of being able to find replacements almost anywhere.

~Mark

 

[jd4242]

that comment was towards xeek. I've found that no matter if i run the fan nonstop i can't get under 185.it just may be the fan im running also but with a 180 tstat i don't wanna get under 190 anyways.what temp does a stock ex run at anyways?i know a stock tstat is 190 so i image its around 200-220

 

[Maniak]

Using a hayden Server Duty fan clutch with a 10 blade fan and reading the temp from the output of the intake (as it goes to the heater), I'm getting 195-205 average with an occasional 210 spike depending on what I'm doing.. I've never seen it go over 210F.

Oh yea, we run a 30% coolant to 70% water (give or take some) with a 16 lbs radiator cap..

Those temp are coming from an Isspro 270 degree sweep gauge, so it should be somewhat accurate.

Oh yea, those are non winter temps. In winter, It runs about 190F (Az. Winter).

~Mark

 

[jd4242]

yea my rang seems good.its kicking on no higher than 215 and off at 192lowest.and it doesn't run all the time on highways.as long as the fan is on i don't get over 205.good read
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=218957

 

[Xeek]

yea witch fan switch/controller are you running?how much does it cost new?and how many time did you try and hook it up and send it back?what happens is your controller stops working?how long would you be without a fan?i can hit any parts store and for $10 be right back on the road

spal. $70-$130 i think. more then fingers and toes, once(bad splice). i still have the temp wires i ran right off the battery with a fuse and switch. as long as it taks for me to put those in.

 

[Nedwreck]

If possible, I'm still looking for a donor vehicle to grab the fan, switch, and wiring from.

It seems like people have tried a lot of things already - maybe I won't be as successful as I'd hoped. lol

I'm going to try a SC T-bird fan, see how it fits and go from there.

A two-speed fan would really make me happy.

IIRC, there was a website somewhere that listed fan CFM's from stock cars. (?)