Electric Fan -Suitable donor cars

Post by **johncannon** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 8:04 pm

I am considering fitting an electric fan to my Minor, but was hoping to obtain the necessary parts from a local scarp yard. Presumably most modern cars have fans so they donors should be plentiful. Any tips?

Also how do you go about wiring it in to only run when the engine is hot? Is it possible to obtain a complete working system which I can use?

Post by **moggyminor16** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 9:54 pm

have a look at the pug 205 as thay have all the kit in there ,
my rangerover was done before i got it and thay used the 405 to do it as it needs twin fans

Post by **Gareth** » Wed Feb 16, 2005 9:04 am

You could try an A-series Metro or Mini, if the fans are thin enough.

Post by **Cam** » Wed Feb 16, 2005 10:15 am

The Mini has a fixed fan until quite late (90s), so the early ones won't be of much use. Like Gareth says, the Metro fans are quite popular.

Post by **Gareth** » Wed Feb 16, 2005 10:45 am

Sorry, yeah. I didn't make that quite clear. I was thinking of Minis the same vintage as our Metro... d'oh

Post by **Stig** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 2:59 pm

Does a Metro fan really fit? As I remember they had a fairly deep chunk of motor on 'em and there aint much space between the rad and engine in a Minor. I guess if the fan motor can avoid the water pump pulley it might go, has anyone actually done it??? Do tell, 'cos I'd fancy an electric fan myself and it sounds much cheaper than a Kenlow...

Post by **Gareth** » Thu Feb 17, 2005 6:40 pm

I think Rob, the club's Technical Guru has a van running with a Metro fan, but I think he fitted a thinner radiator from a Metro at the same time to make sure there was sufficient clearance...

Post by **salty_monk** » Sat Feb 19, 2005 2:59 pm

A sierra fan would fit behind the rad, is very powerful & would work ok. I have one if you want it & you're close enough... You'll also probably want to get a T piece to go in the top hose with a thread in it so you can put a thermostatic switch in. It's a real pain switching it manually & in a minor there's no gauge.
Premier wiring do the T piece (1.25" dia) in Aluminum & the senders but it's a 22mm thread so plenty of choice from a factors. Tel: 0800 0742789.

Don't forget to put it through a relay when you wire it up!

Post by **johncannon** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 5:33 pm

Ok presumably If I can find a fan from a scrappy to fit (sierra or metro) then I need to get a temperature sensor. I was hoping to ge one to fit into the thermastat housing -I have a spare with a tapped thread which I assume is usually for a temerature sensor.

Is this something I can get off a metro? or do i need to look at another way of getting the sensor into the system

Post by **Onne** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 5:38 pm

Why not go to a carparts supplier with the thing and find one to suite the housing. They're not expensive, temperature sensors

Post by **Cam** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 5:50 pm

johncannon wrote:Ok presumably If I can find a fan from a scrappy to fit (sierra or metro) then I need to get a temperature sensor. I was hoping to ge one to fit into the thermastat housing -I have a spare with a tapped thread which I assume is usually for a temerature sensor.

Is this something I can get off a metro? or do i need to look at another way of getting the sensor into the system

Well, I know MK1 Fiestas have them tapped into the radiator. I suppose a lot more 'modern' cars do too. Maybe a hunt round the scrapyard is in order, but you might have to change your tapped housing to another thread to suit.......

Post by **JustinMinor1000** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 8:17 pm

johncannon wrote: Is this something I can get off a metro? or do i need to look at another way of getting the sensor into the system

Almost all landrovers that are used on a daily basis have had this conversion. The usual way of fitting a thermostat is to fit a universal thermostat. This type has a dial on it .. Kenlow sell them for about £40 a throw .. The RS price is about £15 (RS are not cheap) some people mount them on a bracket open to the air and other's (like me) put them in a box with the relay (my box has a clear perspex cover so I can see where it's set).

The sensor then feed's into the top hose on the raditor (this is where it's hotest)and the capilary feed simply feeds out (a little more sealant and a little less tension on the clip seals it perfectly). With this setup I would advise a relay connected directly to the starter solenoid (via a 30amp fuse of course) and then have a second ignition controled circuit. These fans can hit 70amps on startup and consume 15-20 amps when running ... you do NOT want that going through your ignition switch !

Post by **Stig** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 8:34 am

johncannon wrote:Is this something I can get off a metro? or do i need to look at another way of getting the sensor into the system

As I remember, the Metro sensor fits in the radiator. An alternative to the Kenlowe method is a sensor which fits between the vanes of the radiator (dry, so no chance of leaks). I've got this on my Sprite and I'm trying to remember where I got it from... as yes: www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk -it's the Tripac fan & 82C switch (that's the white plastic thingy with a brass prong on it in the middle of the pic).