For those with electric cooling fans, what controller are you using?

I was using the Spal that came with Dewitts radiator, got tired of having to reprogram it. Changed to another brand, cant remember the name off top of my head, and it is now turning the fans on too soon and wont adjust.

I just want a reliable controller I dont have to reprogram/adjust all the damn time.

 

I used the controller that came with my dual Flex-O-lite fan. It has the probe that pushes into the vanes of the rad. Works well and is adjustable.

Gary

 

IF you have a thermometer/controller you can get one at a parts house, OR another thing you can do, most range/stove/oven thermos are adjustable in their range, there is a set screw in there to do that, so you can just reset the range and then tack the screw with thread locker....paint....insert probe in radiator, and wire to the control relay.....relay hot side of coil to yellow wire off wiper motor, thermo switch to any solid ground off other coil end....

main fan power directly off alternator output stud, into relay contacts, and then to fans.....

you can roughly calibrate the on/off temps by water in a pot on the stove, with most any cooking thermo....

 

I got two controllers from Summit, have one for each fan. They are calibrated to come on at 160* and 195*, completely independent because each can be adjusted for temp. Very cheap at 40 bux a pop. ?They are made by Derale.

 

trywww.dccontrol.com/0820.htm this is what i use. it's perfect. a little more money ,but you won't buy another one.

 

DC control for me, works perfect

 

Don't buy the Derale. Mine fried itself in less than 45 minutes. It was sent back to them several weeks ago under warranty and I still don't have it back.
I would not ever buy their product again.

 

I have the DC Controls unit (FC35 I think), unistalled, for a reason. This unit also comes with its own caveat.

Many folks have experiened failure on this unit, which can happen far from home, due to trying to simplify their power connection to somewhere under the hood, like the starter terminal or the alternater BAT+ terminals. The guy who sells these will vehemently deny your claim if you dont make the power connection a certain way.

You must make your power connections right on a direct battery terminal connection. That is , run power lines to the rear compartment to make connections right on the battery terminals.

So I have one of these, sitting on the shelf, new, unused. Not sure what Im going to do with it.

The consensus with previous discussion has been to simplify your control with just a temp switch and a Bosch 75A relay and install a freewheeling diode. This is an OEM method and is considerably more robust that a PWM controller is in an automotve environment, IMHO.

My setup is a CS144 140Amp alternator, Lincoln MarkVIII fan, Mid America C4 Vette temp switch in thermostat housing w/ 200F on - 185F off, and 180F thermostat. This with a new 4 core big block radiator (didnt want to fight electrolysys issues with aluminum-car sits for extended periods untouched) keeps the car very cool in any traffic-ambient temp condition.

Really all this was just so I could install a VBP Spreader bar.

 

if i had just 1 dollar for every time i heard someone say their fan controller is playing up i would be driving around in a c6 by now. hence why i have been through 2 and will never buy another. both were unreliable - sometimes it would come on at 185 during one cycle ,then 200 the next, then sometimes didnt even come on at all.now i just have a manual switch on my dash i can turn it on and off whenever i want. its not a daily driver and has very good cooling so i hardly ever have to use it but i tell you when i do i sure smile knowing it will work.

 

I have used both the Spal controller and the DC wich is installed now. The spal failed , the temp probe fell apart on the DC! That was a hughe mess, I will go back to simple relay system with a fixed on off point .

 

Don't use a controller. Just a relay that is triggered by a sensor installed into the second hole in the thermostat housing. The sensor is the single pole type that grounds the relay to complete the circuit. Works like a charm without all the controller hassles and expense. Simple, clean, reliable and effective.

 

That's exactly why we gave up on them a long time ago. The only reason we ever tried them was they said you could eliminate the extra sensor switch and just use the gauge temp sender. That didn't actually work. Then they mandate a 20 degree offset minimum, which would make your programable settings 195-175 and that's exactly what our fixed relay/switch package is without all the ohms and bs



http://www.dewitts.com/pages/product...asp?ProdID=254

 

and I think it's fantastic. My temp doesn't vary more than 10°F, and the fan only runs as fast as it has to.
Not that I'm paranoid, or whatnot, but I also have a 70-amp relay that will kick on the fan at ~190°F if the controller quits working.

 

Thanks, thats what I was looking for. The Spal controller was a pos.

BTW, I ordered these for the duel fan, can you get them to me by tomorrow ???? LOL

 

IF anyone had any respect at all for the C4 designers, you maybe want to actually look at the C4 service manuals, like for my '87, and there in you will find out how to wire electric fans.....

I have to assume you can understand the wiring diagrams, and realize why certain thing are done certain ways.....

fans are essentially pulled off the alt, directly through a fuse/fuse link....NOT off the battery....

you will also note that even with aluminum heads and modern enough engineering, the use of ON/OFF relays is good for the purpose intended....

so if you want to fab up something that GM/Delco who been in business for decades, and second guess all the imports also, you maybe want to think twice....

complex is NOT always reliable or better...

BTDT, in other lives, too many times....

 

What you are seeing here is that they worked great for 1/2 the people and not for the other half. That's exactly what we had when we sold the Spal PWM, about half of the people were happy and the other half were not. In my business, you have to have 100% of the people happy and that's what the relay/switch does. Ok, maybe 99%, but that's something that I can live with.
The other advantage of the relay/switch package is that it is simple to set up and trouble shoot. If you did have a problem, you can simply remove the switch wire, attached it to ground and if the fans come on, you have a dead switch. If they don't come on you have a blown fuse or a bad relay. With the controller it's much more complicated. You have no idea if the problem is with the sender (analog ohms) or the controller. You start replacing stuff by trial and error.

 

Is another switch available? Something in the range of 200 on and 190 off?

Otherwise with a 180 thermostat, it would seem the fan would continuously run.

 

I'm actually working on a 205/185.

 

Much better, thanks.

 

Excellent Tom, good time to chime in. Just what I was looking for. Whats your opinion on the efficiency of a stock big block rad and the use of the Ford focus fans?

Rob