dkchrist
Explorer Addict
- Joined
- August 13, 2006
- Messages
- 1,329
- Reaction score
- 2
- City, State
- Fayetteville, AR
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 93 XLT 4DR
So a couple months ago I aquired an electric fan out of a Lincoln Mark 8 from Turdle and I said I would figure out how to get it in the Ranger. For those of you new to e-fans, these are suppose to pull 3800 cfm on low and over 4000 cfm on high, more than the little 4.0 should ever need. After a lot of planning and wiring here it is...
What you will need if you plan to do the same:
First you will need to remove the belt driven fan and shroud. It takes a very large wrench and a spanner to hold the pulley from turning. I made the tools that I used but you can rent them from local parts stores.
Look at all that space!
Next you will need to trim the shroud to fit it inside the stock shroud. I ended up taking about 1/2" off the depth of the shroud and about 3/4" off the end to be able to set the fan in the stock shroud.
The trimmed fan:
I made the spacers out of 1/2" PVC pipe to space the fan foward to clear the water pump. The spacer ended up being about 1 1/4" but could be different depending on the amount of clearance you want.
I mounted the fan controller next to the radiator on a piece of aluminum sheeting cut and bent to fit three bolts close by. The fan controller I used was cheap but I have heard decent things about it. It is a Hayden PN 3647 available at places like O'reillys and such. It is adjustable from 90 degrees to 210. The best part is it was like $35.
After I mounted the fan in the back of the shroud I got to work on all the wiring. The space around the fan has been sealed as well as I can with foam tape to make the fan move as much air as possible. The pieces of tin riveted at the bottom help to stiffen and hold the fan to the stock shroud.
The fan mounting (note the offset mounting this helps with water pump clearance):
After all this is done you will have a lot of wiring to do. The 2 speed fans had 3 wires coming out of them. In my case I rewired the fan by seperating factory connection and putting in new wires to eliminate the need to splice.
Depending on the controller you purchase will depend on how you will proceed. Wire the fan according to the manufacturer of your controller.
For those using the Hayden controller. It does not have enough capacity to run the fan out right. You will need to put in a relay operated by the controller to allow enough juice to get to the fan. This is the website that I used to design my own wiring harness. At this site, he does a very good job of explaining the need for a diode when using an electric fan.
Mark VIII fan wiring
Here are the pictures of the final install:
LED to let me know if the fan is running
The rat's nest of wiring (still working to make this look much more professional):
The fan clearance (it is a little farther than it looks there is 1/4" to 3/8" between the two in a straight line; however the nub on the back of the fan is completely about the threaded snout of the water pump.):
My Fuse block providing power to the fan:
How I tapped power for the fuse block:
So far after adjusting the controller the fan works great. I need to hook up my Xcal and do some temperature checking to see that the fan is kicking on after the thermostat opens.
Feel free to ask questions about the wiring as it was the most difficult part.
What you will need if you plan to do the same:
- A MKVIII or Taurus 2-speed E-fan
- 10 gauge wire for your primary power and 16 gauge for signal wires
- A relay rated for a minimum of 40 amps (others recommend high which is not bad insurance
- A soldering iron or plenty of crimp on connectors for 16-10 gauge wire
- A fan controller (or knowledge to build one)
- Some diodes and resistors (more on this later)
- PVC pipe for spacers
- 1/4'' by 2 1/2'' bolts with steel fender washers and nylock nuts
- Foam Tape (weather stripping)
- Rivets
- Metal Flashing
- Plenty of Time
First you will need to remove the belt driven fan and shroud. It takes a very large wrench and a spanner to hold the pulley from turning. I made the tools that I used but you can rent them from local parts stores.
Look at all that space!
Next you will need to trim the shroud to fit it inside the stock shroud. I ended up taking about 1/2" off the depth of the shroud and about 3/4" off the end to be able to set the fan in the stock shroud.
The trimmed fan:
I made the spacers out of 1/2" PVC pipe to space the fan foward to clear the water pump. The spacer ended up being about 1 1/4" but could be different depending on the amount of clearance you want.
I mounted the fan controller next to the radiator on a piece of aluminum sheeting cut and bent to fit three bolts close by. The fan controller I used was cheap but I have heard decent things about it. It is a Hayden PN 3647 available at places like O'reillys and such. It is adjustable from 90 degrees to 210. The best part is it was like $35.
After I mounted the fan in the back of the shroud I got to work on all the wiring. The space around the fan has been sealed as well as I can with foam tape to make the fan move as much air as possible. The pieces of tin riveted at the bottom help to stiffen and hold the fan to the stock shroud.
The fan mounting (note the offset mounting this helps with water pump clearance):
After all this is done you will have a lot of wiring to do. The 2 speed fans had 3 wires coming out of them. In my case I rewired the fan by seperating factory connection and putting in new wires to eliminate the need to splice.
Depending on the controller you purchase will depend on how you will proceed. Wire the fan according to the manufacturer of your controller.
For those using the Hayden controller. It does not have enough capacity to run the fan out right. You will need to put in a relay operated by the controller to allow enough juice to get to the fan. This is the website that I used to design my own wiring harness. At this site, he does a very good job of explaining the need for a diode when using an electric fan.
Mark VIII fan wiring
Here are the pictures of the final install:
LED to let me know if the fan is running
The rat's nest of wiring (still working to make this look much more professional):
The fan clearance (it is a little farther than it looks there is 1/4" to 3/8" between the two in a straight line; however the nub on the back of the fan is completely about the threaded snout of the water pump.):
My Fuse block providing power to the fan:
How I tapped power for the fuse block:
So far after adjusting the controller the fan works great. I need to hook up my Xcal and do some temperature checking to see that the fan is kicking on after the thermostat opens.
Feel free to ask questions about the wiring as it was the most difficult part.
If you have any open fuse ports you can tap them for power with a spade connector (check for voltage first).
