3.4 TBI cooling fan

[stimey]

I have a 87 S15 with a 3.4, I am wanting to upgrade it to an E fan. I want to start out the right way and was wanting suggestions on what direction a person should go. Will a 16" fan work? Does it need a shroud? Is it better to buy an after market fan? or is there a certain vehicle in the salvage yard that will work for this change from mechanical fan to Electric?

[86FieroSEv6]

You could use the big single fan setup from an F-body. Alternatively, there are some nice self contained units that have shroud and electrics with variable speed control built in.

[stimey]

Sorry if this sounds stupid but I keep hearing the different letters such as F body. Does this signify year produced? If I went to a salvage how would I know I am looking at an F Body?

[86FieroSEv6]

F-body = Camaro/Firebird . . . I believe it is the 82-92 models that use the big single fan setup.

[stimey]

Cool I know right where some are, any suggestions on what sensor to use? Is this going to affect my computer? I know I need to hook power to ignition side, as well as i need a relay correct?

[86FieroSEv6]

Absolutely use a power relay. For relay signal you can use a coolant fan switch temp. sensor from the same F-body. Some people opt for using an ECM with internal fan relay control which allows for some programmability of the turn on and turn off schedule. Using the stand alone setup with the GM temp. switch will see the fan turn on around 217f. Pin 30 of the relay should come from fused bat.+, do not hook it up to your ignition power or you could have feedback issues. Relay pin 87 goes to the fan. Pin 85 will be your key on power feed and pin 86 goes to your control (either the temp switch or the computer's coolant fan control circuit). Sometimes GM uses a fixed ground and switches power on and off to relay pin 85. On my hotrods I usually set up a three position switch for pin 86 that allows me to have it on automatic or manual full on in case I need to cool down between runs with the engine shut off or if I get into some heavy traffic and want better cooling. If you can't find a decent schematic, I can draw up my two fave circuits for ya'.

[stimey]

That's good, that will keep me at 190 Hopefully with a 190 stat. This don't sound like a big chore, I just want to get it correct.

[neo71665]

I ran a 16 inch hayden fan with a hayden adjustable controller in mine just fine. I think most of the problems come from guys just zip tieing the fan inside the stock shroud and expecting that to work.

My old setup with a shroud I built. Shroud was an old boat seat I had laying around bent to shape with simple hand tools on a bench top.








I'm building a new setup but it will use 2 11 inch fans from a dodge intrepid (chrysler concord) and a custom aluminum shroud.

[robertisaar]

ghetto shroud looks damn good IMO...

[stimey]

Thats a nice set up, I agree you have to have a proper shroud to channel the air efficiently. I have looked at several of the Taurus fan set ups, as well as the dual camaro set ups. The most I hear is the Taurus pulls a lot of amps and the camaro pulls less. I am looking at using the Imperial FAN CONTROL ADJUSTABLE - 226204, someone please stop me if this isn't the way to go, but I like the fact that it is all set up in one package. I have no problem with soldering my own items together per the several different schematics that I have seen. I just don't know why I would do that when I can use this kit for under 40 bucks. One more question I have a Honda Civic my daughter blew up, it has dual 12" fans on it. Can a person use these fans with the controller kit that I mentioned? Shrouding is no issue, I have access to all the sheet metal tools I need. Just wondering if these two fans might be adequate.

[86FieroSEv6]

It's all about the CFM, man. The basic point is getting the right amount of air through the largest amount of core. Personally, I think anything that can keep a Corvette or Trans-Am or Z-28 cool should more than fill the bill for your setup. Just remember, two fans=two motors=two electrical loads.

[stimey]

Does that mean two controllers also? or will the one controller work for both fans if hooked up as one?

[86FieroSEv6]

You can use the controller to signal the individual fan motor power relays. In that way you are managing both fans with one controller.

[stimey]

OK I see this controller does not come with the relays?

[WrathOfSocrus]

http://www.haydenauto.com/upload/HaydenAuto/Documents/Cat_Hayden/2007-hayden-electric-fans.pdf

That link shows information on the fans sold by advance auto. It has fan CFM information and a chart of suggested cooling fans for certain engine/vehicle applications.

Last year I had just replaced the water pump on my friend's truck and when we started it up I noticed the fan (mechanical clutch type) didn't move at all. The bearings were loose and the clutch wasn't functioning. With the high cost of a replacement clutch we decided to go all the way with 2 electric fans. The chart calls for 2 14" fans. We went with a 14" and a 16". Since they cover the majority of the surface of the radiator I didn't think it was necessary to make a shroud. One of the Fuses blew and the smaller fan was keeping the truck fairly cool except for when sitting at a light after long highway runs. Eventually we found one of the hose clamps wasn't staying tight and would mist on the fuse ultimately ruining it (so much for the 'waterproof' fuse holder). Once the clamp and fuse were replaced it had zero issues through a hot Florida summer.

This was on an S-10 with a 4.3L. A 60 degree motor shouldn't be dumping out nearly as much heat and that chart shows a single 14" fan with a free flow rate of 1250CFM being sufficient primary cooling. On a single fan setup a shroud of some sort would probably help out a lot to keep the engine cool at high load/low speed driving. two smaller fans with equal or greater cooling would likely work perfectly without a shroud.

They also have sensors to help turn the fans on and off at preset or adjustable temperatures. However I just rigged up a wire to the ignition power and over to the two relays running the fans. Even though they draw nearly 30 amps the truck hasn't had any power issues with a two year old battery and the original 180K mile alternator. I might upgrade it later but for now it's a cheap fix and it works. The engine revs a bit more freely and has slightly increased fuel economy.