Chevy HHR E-Fan install on a 3d Gen

[Ronin8002]

Alright so a quick bit of background...I had previously installed a Flex a Lite Black Magic fan (FLX-150) on my 2004 to replace the clutch fan.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums//showthread.php?t=254785

It worked pretty well, but it was already old when I installed it and I was starting to have some reliability issues with it. Plus, it didn't have a good shroud that would cover the whole radiator, so I started to look into other options.

Enter the Chevy HHR OEM fan. Here's a thread where JD4242 puts one on his 1st Gen: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=258507&highlight=hhr

The measurements of this fan seemed pretty close to my radiator size on my 2004, and the CFM seemed good from JD4242's testing. I needed something that didn't pull more than 30A since my fan controller taps out after that. This fan fit the bill. Since it's an OEM design, you also get OEM reliability. Oh, and it's also pretty cheap...I got a brand new one from RockAuto, along with the connector harness for $78.52 shipped but you could get it even cheaper at a junkyard.

OK so on to the install. As far as tools and materials, this is what I had or bought:

-Dremel tool (a hacksaw would also work)
-Drill with a bit smaller than the diameter of the hex head screws
-Ratchet or nut driver for the hex head screws
-1.5" angle aluminum with holes (home depot):
-Box of self-drilling hex head screws, #12x 1-1/4"
-Package of toothed lock washers for the screws
-Some old pieces of garden hose or similar material...enough length to make a bunch of 1/2" long pieces for spacers
-Self Adhesive Foam rubber weather seal (for windows and garage doors)

Alright so on to the install. I'm assuming you've already removed your stock clutch fan and shroud at this point.

The HHR fan has some plastic tabs that you need to cut off for it to fit well. These are on the top/bottom of the fan shroud, and also on the edge of the shroud that contacts the radiator. Use the dremel or hacksaw:

After that, cut your angle aluminum down to size...again with the hacksaw or dremel. You'll need two pieces...the need to cover the length of the portion of the fan shown in the following pic:

Then drill pilot holes for your self-tapping screws:

Take your 1/2" hose segments and place them between the angle aluminum and the fan shroud. Run your screws through the angle aluminum, through the inside of the hose segments, and into your pilot holes until tight.

Quick side note: originally I didn't put those hose segments on...but what happened was my brackets didn't reach the lip and the top/bottom of the radiator so I couldn't attach the fan. These hose segments act as spacers to make the assembly the right length so you can drill into the lip at the top/bottom of the radiator and mount it.

Ok so next, I used the weather seal on the top/bottom and sides of the fan surfaces that contact the radiator. This provides a cushion so the fan doesn't grind against your radiator fins and it also gives a better seal so the fan works efficiently:

The next step I don't have pics of, but I used vice grips to hold the upper bracket of the fan against the top lip of the radiator while I drilled. I just drilled 4 holes through the angle aluminum and into the top lip of the radiator. I attached it using more of the self-drilling screws. Then I did the same thing with the bottom lip.

The final product:

As for wiring I just hooked it up to the existing wiring for my fan controller. You can see some pics of how that's set up in the first link I posted.

This fan is definitely quieter and a cleaner install than the flex a lite.

It cuts on at 193 and gradually ramps up speed as needed, reaching max speed at 205. Generally my motor would sit at about 198 with the clutch fan. This fan is able to maintain that at about 40-50% of its max speed. If the A/C is turned on then it goes to max speed. My motor stays at 195-198 pretty much all the time with this fan and it keeps the engine cooler when you are in slow traffic compared to the clutch fan (I would hit 202-205 with the clutch fan in traffic in hot weather). As far as gas mileage...this plus underdrive pullies gives me about a 4-5 mpg gain over stock and a little extra power too.

Hope this helps anyone thinking of doing an electric fan swap in their 3d gen.

 

[Got2bneo]

how much did the fan cost you?

 

[Ronin8002]

I got a brand new one from RockAuto, along with the connector harness for $78.52 shipped but you could get it even cheaper at a junkyard.

 

[jd4242]

nice!!it does cover more than the flex fan.looks like the rad on the 3gen is much larger than on a first gen but it looks like it covers 98% of it.does it hang off the bottom at all?i only paid $58 to my door from rockauto,what harness are you talking about?what controller are you using?where i mounted my controller it sits perfectly under the hood crack and when it rained all the water ran off my hood through the crack and got in my controller,shorting it out again and this is my second one and just found it was my fault and they wont replace it this time so i need a new one.i like the idea of it not coming on a 100% till it reaches high temp because mine would kick on and bring it down so fast that it would drop too cool.

 

[Ronin8002]

It doesn't hang off the bottom at all, in fact I had to do those hose spacer things on both top and bottom so it would reach the lip on the top and bottom of the radiator.

As far as the harness: The wires that come from the fan motor go to this receptacle thing...the "harness" I was talking about is the plug that fits into that receptacle....separate part you have to order. Just allows me to unplug the thing if I need to take it out instead of cutting wires or whatever.

The fan controller I'm using is the SPAL PWM V-3. I got it from Amazon and it was a good price but if you shop around it might be cheaper. It is waterproof.

Basically you just set the temp where you want the fan to turn on and then just go 10-20 degrees above that and you set that as the max fan speed. So basically if your thermostat opens at 193, then you just set the max fan speed to 205 and it won't get any hotter than that...probably will keep it about 10 degrees cooler depending on your setup. It comes on real quiet and gradually increases speed as needed. So basically it will always be running when you're up to operating temp it just won't be running fast unless it needs to cool things off....saves drain on the alternator and I guess less wear and tear on the fan motor.

 

[jd4242]

o got you,i just pulled the black plug off the wires and used female flat connectors and made a plug man the rad must be way bigger than a first gen.looks good man let us know how that thing does when it heats up this week and i really like that it will fit right on without barley any trimming.20 mins of work and under $100 for everything,even if it adds 1-3mpg it will pay for itself in no time!!

 

[Ronin8002]

Hey have you done your gears yet?

 

[jd4242]

Nope I allready got yukon 4.88s and aussie lockers and just bought my rotors and brake stuff.I just need a sec gen rearend,seems to be hard to find one belive it or not.I had one but turns out the tube was bent but didn notice it till I was half way done pulling it!!!ha I've also have come acoss a 10lb bottle and hoses that a buddy needed to get ride of!! I'm thinking about doing a 6 injector direct port wet system now.a little more control but nervous about drilling and taping my my upper intake.I also still have to do a tune of some sort after my gears too.money is a little tight right now and GOOD lord gears just about drained every penny I had!!$i see you did udp anything else in the works?

 

[Ronin8002]

Ok so I did a long test drive on the highway and in the city. Fan was set to turn on at 193 and reach max speed at 206. Outside temp was 86 degrees. All driving was done with the AC on, so the fan ran at max speed the whole time.

On the highway the temp ranges from 197-200, depending on if I'm coasting down a hill or driving up a hill. In traffic, temp hangs out around 202 and at one point got to 206 when I was sitting in traffic for a bit. Seems fine, since my thermostat is rated to open at 194 and be fully open at 210. At a couple of points I turned off the AC, when I did that the temp dropped about 2 degrees on average...which I guess makes sense because the condensor cools down and doesn't pre-heat the air going through the radiator. I think the temperature changes have a lot to do with my underdrive water pulley, but they're still within spec so I'm not too worried about it. Voltage at one point dropped down to 12.7v so I may finally have to put on my overdrive alternator pulley.

As far as future mods JD, I'm going to get a stainless Gibson catback system and probably a Volant CAI. I have to do some modifying to get my MAF to work with the Volant kit but it should help.

I'm still split on whether or not I'll go any further after that...I don't think I'll get a tuner unless I do something big like spray it or put a supercharger on it. I'm not sure I'll even go that far since it is my daily driver and I don't really want to make too many changes that are going to cause reliability issues or make me have to keep a real close eye on things....went through that with my last truck!

Later on I might put on a suspension lift, but if I do that and bigger tires then I'm gonna have to regear since it's only 3.55 right now.

 

[High_Order1]

Hey!

Thanks for taking the time to write this up. This is something I plan on doing sooner than later.


Compared to the stock fan, overall, would you say the HHR fan setup works as well as, or better than?


Thanks,

Shawn

 

[Ronin8002]

As far as how it compares to the stock fan...I can't say it's totally "better" because the stock clutch fan will never fail unless the blades get broken off or something. An electric fan has more potential to fail compared to that.

But as far as cooling ability, it seems like it works just as well as the stock clutch fan, maybe better at slow speed/low rpms.

If you do a lot of driving under extreme conditions though, i.e., extreme heat or water crossing or something along those lines, a clutch fan might be better.

 

[fr0st m0nkey]

Can you please post some proof or evidence about the 4-5 mpg gain? That's a pretty significant jump in gas mileage.

 

[jd4242]

Can you please post some proof or evidence about the 4-5 mpg gain? That's a pretty significant jump in gas mileage.

thats with udp and the fan,i believe it.i got about a 3-4mpg with the same fan and udp but on a ohv but its harder to stay out the gas now too!!

 

[Ronin8002]

While I understand and respect your skepticism, I'm not sure what evidence I could post would be satisfactory in proving my MPG gains. I didn't scan gas receipts and take pictures of my odometer or anything like that. My excel spreadsheet that I tracked this on could just be numbers I made up and typed in for all anyone knows.

As far as my methods...I just did my mileage calculations by taking miles driven/gallons used. I based my "4-5 MPG gain" off of the results of those calculations when making the trip from central MD to central VA on the same roads during similar traffic conditions during the same time of year. Not laboratory grade results, but controlled enough to convince me that the gains were the result of the modifications and not some other factor. There were a lot of other trips I made where I recorded mileage, but I couldn't really use them for a comparison because they were too inconsistent (different roads, different traffic conditions, etc).

I'm certainly not selling anything or guaranteeing that anyone else will get the same results as I did, though I think it's normal for most people to infer that if someone does these mods to a similar truck then they will get similar results. My only intention is to report my experiences and opinions...how people use that information or whether or not they feel it is accurate is entirely up to them.

 

[jd4242]

I'm certainly not selling anything or guaranteeing that anyone else will get the same results as I did, though I think it's normal for most people to infer that if someone does these mods to a similar truck then they will get similar results. My only intention is to report my experiences and opinions...how people use that information or whether or not they feel it is accurate is entirely up to them.

now that is a well written disclaimer!!!:bsnicker::bsnicker:

 

[Ronin8002]

LOL. Gotta use that English degree for something

I like to tell people I got a B.A. in B.S.

 

[DVRDOWN]

Maximum, I see your running a 4.0 on your X, can you point me in the direction of a UDP kit for our engine? I can only find one for the 4.6. Great job with the post! It's next on my modification list!

 

[Ronin8002]

Thanks!

I got it here: http://www.stuffforyourranger.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=4_30_37&zenid=080c4ab658b958f0f52d545cefa915d4

You can get the crank, alternator, and water pump pulleys with an idler pulley and new belt all as a set. If you don't want the idler pulley you can skip it to save money....it's just for looks.

Don't forget to order a new crank pulley bolt.

 

[jd4242]

I just run them on my crank and alt.I was scared to underdrive my water pump because of overheating

 

[Ronin8002]

I just run them on my crank and alt.I was scared to underdrive my water pump because of overheating

yeah after the past few weeks of really hot weather I definitely think you're right. You can run the water pump but you should run the clutch fan if you do. If you have an HHR fan it won't cool quite enough in my opinion...runs a little too warm on my truck.

I took off my HHR fan and the Spal controller yesterday for that reason. It's a good fan setup if you have the stock pulley, so I think I'll sell them together here soon.