Delete only one cooling fan - C5?
07-20-2011, 02:14 AM
#1
Heel & Toe
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Delete only one cooling fan - C5?
is it possible to remove the drivers side radiator cooling fan only? i've read that they are wired in series so i'm concerned that the other fan will not work if one is removed.
anyone have any tips? i'd really like to only run one fan for cruising the paddock etc. since the radiator cools better on the track with out any fans at all, plus it'll save weight too.
anyone have any tips? i'd really like to only run one fan for cruising the paddock etc. since the radiator cools better on the track with out any fans at all, plus it'll save weight too.
07-20-2011, 06:23 AM
#2
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When I put mine back in, the oem harness didn't work, so I ran a wire on a switch to the passenger side fan (it was the night before a race when I was doing this, of course) and it worked fine. Plan is to pull the whole thing and get a lighter, single fan.
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B20forlife (12-10-2017)
07-20-2011, 10:25 AM
#3
Melting Slicks
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On our ST2 car I removed the passangers side fan and secured the drivers side fan to the radiator and it's worked fine for 2 years. We have the radiator layed down and a heat extractor hood but even after the race waiting for the dyno the car will idle and keep temps under 230. Granted not ideal but it does save some weight and opens up the other side of the radiator.
07-20-2011, 12:00 PM
#4
Race Director
reach down and unplug one of them and see what happens. I would have assumed they are wired individually and ran individually (newer ones definitely are), but not sure about your car.
07-20-2011, 12:38 PM
#5
Le Mans Master
I found this link today and it seems to support the claim about them being wired in series.
http://www.c5help.com/cooling_fan.htm
I'd like to know if it would be possible to straight wire them like Jason did, but putting the switch to the high speed relay to avoid having to use a large guage wire. It would be nice to be able to flip the switch in the paddock and on the dyno and have the high speed fans come on.
http://www.c5help.com/cooling_fan.htm
I'd like to know if it would be possible to straight wire them like Jason did, but putting the switch to the high speed relay to avoid having to use a large guage wire. It would be nice to be able to flip the switch in the paddock and on the dyno and have the high speed fans come on.
07-20-2011, 01:27 PM
#6
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On our ST2 car I removed the passangers side fan and secured the drivers side fan to the radiator and it's worked fine for 2 years. We have the radiator layed down and a heat extractor hood but even after the race waiting for the dyno the car will idle and keep temps under 230. Granted not ideal but it does save some weight and opens up the other side of the radiator.
PM Sent.
07-20-2011, 01:40 PM
#7
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They switch between series and parallel. You could remove one and use some wires to feed the other fan no matter which way the relays switched. Here is the schematic:
For instance you could pull the right side fan and run a ground wire from G102 directly to the A side of the driver's side fan. Or pull the driver's side fan and run power directly to the B side of the passenger side fan.
Its pretty simple.
There is another solution you could try. The early C5 fan shrouds had blow out panels at the bottom of the shroud. These were flaps that allowed cooling air to blow around the fans if the pressure in front of the shroud increased above a certain point. When the car was standing still the fan would have enough suction to close the flap so all cooling air would go through the radiator. Don't know when they stopped making the shrouds that way. My 97 had the flaps and my 03Z did not.
Bill
For instance you could pull the right side fan and run a ground wire from G102 directly to the A side of the driver's side fan. Or pull the driver's side fan and run power directly to the B side of the passenger side fan.
Its pretty simple.
There is another solution you could try. The early C5 fan shrouds had blow out panels at the bottom of the shroud. These were flaps that allowed cooling air to blow around the fans if the pressure in front of the shroud increased above a certain point. When the car was standing still the fan would have enough suction to close the flap so all cooling air would go through the radiator. Don't know when they stopped making the shrouds that way. My 97 had the flaps and my 03Z did not.
Bill
Last edited by Bill Dearborn; 07-20-2011 at 06:31 PM.
07-21-2011, 08:13 PM
#8
I built a custom single (spal) fan setup using the factory wiring. I made a jumper that plugs into the right fan harness plug and I took out relay 2. It's all factory style plugs so no cutting, etc. and the stock system can always be plugged back in.
Relay 3 simply is a ground toggle that switches the factory fans from series to parallel. The factory fans always run as a pair. What happens is that in series there is double the resistance so the fans run slower. Once the ground switches (relay 3)and each fan has it's own relay full power (relay 2 energizes) is given to both and they spin faster. My setup is only one fan so I get full power as soon as the computer triggers relay 1. The only thing left for me to really complete everything is to program out the trigger temp for relay 2 and three (or at least raise it high enough so it never triggers). Even without that programming there will never be an issue running my single fan so it's not necessary, but I'd rather have it that way. I also plan on raising my relay one trigger temp to over 200 so the fan only turns on in standing traffic (my setup has excellent airflow through the core).
Relay 3 simply is a ground toggle that switches the factory fans from series to parallel. The factory fans always run as a pair. What happens is that in series there is double the resistance so the fans run slower. Once the ground switches (relay 3)and each fan has it's own relay full power (relay 2 energizes) is given to both and they spin faster. My setup is only one fan so I get full power as soon as the computer triggers relay 1. The only thing left for me to really complete everything is to program out the trigger temp for relay 2 and three (or at least raise it high enough so it never triggers). Even without that programming there will never be an issue running my single fan so it's not necessary, but I'd rather have it that way. I also plan on raising my relay one trigger temp to over 200 so the fan only turns on in standing traffic (my setup has excellent airflow through the core).
07-22-2011, 04:17 PM
#9
I built a custom single (spal) fan setup using the factory wiring. I made a jumper that plugs into the right fan harness plug and I took out relay 2. It's all factory style plugs so no cutting, etc. and the stock system can always be plugged back in.
Relay 3 simply is a ground toggle that switches the factory fans from series to parallel. The factory fans always run as a pair. What happens is that in series there is double the resistance so the fans run slower. Once the ground switches (relay 3)and each fan has it's own relay full power (relay 2 energizes) is given to both and they spin faster. My setup is only one fan so I get full power as soon as the computer triggers relay 1. The only thing left for me to really complete everything is to program out the trigger temp for relay 2 and three (or at least raise it high enough so it never triggers). Even without that programming there will never be an issue running my single fan so it's not necessary, but I'd rather have it that way. I also plan on raising my relay one trigger temp to over 200 so the fan only turns on in standing traffic (my setup has excellent airflow through the core).
Relay 3 simply is a ground toggle that switches the factory fans from series to parallel. The factory fans always run as a pair. What happens is that in series there is double the resistance so the fans run slower. Once the ground switches (relay 3)and each fan has it's own relay full power (relay 2 energizes) is given to both and they spin faster. My setup is only one fan so I get full power as soon as the computer triggers relay 1. The only thing left for me to really complete everything is to program out the trigger temp for relay 2 and three (or at least raise it high enough so it never triggers). Even without that programming there will never be an issue running my single fan so it's not necessary, but I'd rather have it that way. I also plan on raising my relay one trigger temp to over 200 so the fan only turns on in standing traffic (my setup has excellent airflow through the core).
+1 SPAL fans are more efficient & lighter than OEM plus they're not as deep as OEM.
07-22-2011, 05:29 PM
#10
I originally was not sure if it (single 16" curved) would be enough with the thick core I am using as well as the condensor stacked, but the thing pulls a ton of air and I can actually feel the vacuum at the intake under the bumper. Nice thing is with the single I left a lot of open area for air to flow through the core with no restriction. I've got photos posted in other threads of my setup. If I get a chance I'll post some of the completed setup as I have it installed.
The original reason I went with the single spal was simply because the factory fans take up a lot of space and are pretty sloppily mounted. They work well, but it's just something that bothered me. The extra room is pretty nice though.
The original reason I went with the single spal was simply because the factory fans take up a lot of space and are pretty sloppily mounted. They work well, but it's just something that bothered me. The extra room is pretty nice though.
07-22-2011, 06:42 PM
#11
Le Mans Master
07-25-2011, 07:27 AM
#12
Here you go. As you can see the fan is pretty slim and on the driver's side there is a whole lot of core unrestricted. The factory plastic cover is just there to make thing appear stock. I have vibration mounts top and bottom holding the radiator with some custom brackets I welded on the tanks.
