Durango_Boy

That would be awesome.

Is it a variable speed controller?

chevymans 77

Yes

It is off untile 160° than it starts the fan, ramps it to high (to get the fan turning) than it slows to low and ramps up from low to high starting at 160 (low) and topping out at 190° (high). I am runing a 180° T-stat. The advantage is that the electrical system will not see a large amp spike at start-up.

Neal

BerniesVette

If you use a relay between the controller and the fan there will never be a big amp load on the controller. Just from the alt to the fan.
Bernie

chevymans 77

If you use a relay your fan will be 1 speed and not variable. If I am thinking about this right.

Neal

Bullshark

You are Unless they are trying to do a accelerated life test on the relay

Bullshark

sharkman76

The computer for the fuel injection will turn my fan off and on. The chip maker set them for I belive 165 - 190.

chevymans 77

I can not find the limit on the amps, the instruction booklet give a list of fuse sizes to use with different size fans, the largest is 30 amps. Photo looked it over and said it would should handle 40 with the safety factor built into the unit.

Neal

ESU

Whats the difference in price between the spal pwm and the dc controller? I think the dc model everyone is using is a hundred bucks or so, what does the PWM cost?
ESU

PhotoVette1

I've seen them for as low as $59. However, Tom DeWitt mentioned a month ago or so that PWM's had a high failure rate in C3's (though a high failure rate to Tom might be that just one unit failed ). From my own research, I suspect the problem is that C3ers don't hook the fan controller directly to the battery--how can we?! DC Controls sells a capacitor ($10) that allows hooking up the power at the starter--which is the best place in a C3 to hook up a large load.

ESU

I remember Tom's post about the spal failures, one of the reasons I was leaning away from that route. Photovette, I saw you diagram but does your fan work on 1 speed, two, or is it variable. What temps does it come on at etc?
ESU

PhotoVette1

I have ordered the DC Controls variable speed controller--they be kinda slow shipping as they make'em one by one. I also have a relay that bypasses the controller in the controller fails.

The car is coming together slowly--I've spent about $2000 in parts overhauling it--so I'm doing it right this time.

Bullshark

Exactly.......I have implied it before, but I will state it outright. IMHO, I think a variable speed fan controller is a waist of money. Why?, Because the cooling system in our cars, has a relatively slow time constant. That means that we don't need to control the water temp down to the knat's azz degree to respond in time to keep it from spiking.....as it creeps up, we have plenty of time to bang on the fan(s) to bring it back down and visa versa. Don't forget, we have the ambient air flow when moving as the primary heat extactor which also slows the temp change. On my RamJet, which has FI and a ECU, it monitors the engine temp at the intake in a place that gives a good accurate average indication of the engine temp. It wants to maintain the Engine temp measured at that point to 205 deg +/- a few degrees for max performance. The 195 deg. thermostate has the job to get the temp up to that proper operating level. If I had an ECU that was worth a chit, (instead of my RamJet MEFI) it too would provide a fan output control that bang/bang controlled the fan to lower the water temp and maintain that desired engine temp from the hot side. In my case, I would use that ECU output to control one of the Dual Spals and control the other fan with a combined input of a second 210 degree temp sensor in the thermostate housing or the A/C on. I would play with the on/off setting in the ECU of the primary fan but I am thinking it would be around 205 deg on and 195 off???? In essence a two speed fan in the cooling system when needed.
Use the money you would spend for a fan controller and apply it to FI. Much better investment. If you don't want to spend that kind of money, set up a simple system using temp sensors that will do the same.
Feedback desired Positive or negative

Bullshark

chevymans 77

Photo have you checked your PM's lately?

Bull I used it to dampen the amp spike when the fan starts. The other features are usefull to but I don't have to have them.

Neal

I'm Batman

Photo, what was the link for their site again? I seem to have lost it.

Durango_Boy

This it?
http://www.dccontrol.com/

chevymans 77

Just a little info I have come across and thought yall may want to know. I have checked with a few of the e-bay sellers on the part#'s of the fans they are selling. About half of the fans are Thunderbird fans these fans look the same but the motors are different. I am still trying to find out the difference in the motors. I think the Mark VIII fans are stronger, I have not verified this but I am working on it.

Durango_Boy

Good work. I've heard that T-bird fan is what they have in the Taurus's too.

BerniesVette

The amp spike is only for a milisecond so it shouldn't hurt anything if you have a good relay and circuit breaker.
Bernie

Bullshark

Bernie
Also, if you have a good power distribution / grounding system (wiring), the spike is not going to be anywhere that will hurt anything. True for the dual Spals, I would have to do some measuring for that big honken Ford fan. I run the dual spal fans bang bang in the presense of sensitive ECU electronics with no ill effects.

Also, after reading the data on the dc controller web site, it would have you believe the following:

1) bang bang control of an electrical fan causes wide variation in engine temp as the fan switches on and off.

Not true in my case. only a degree or two at the ECU control point as the fan switches on and off. Those of you that have a the Holley Comander 950 with fan control can run the data acqusition mode and store the temp data over time to verify this for yourselves.

2) Bang bang operation of the fan is noisy and is just not appealing.

Believe me, you don't hear my fans with that 502 RamJet rumbling thru sidepipes.

Bullshark

PhotoVette1

Sorry about that; I kept forgetting to write back with the part#. The number on my fan is: F7LH 8146 AA