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I purchased a DeWitts Radiator/SPAL Fan duo in January 2015 just as an upgrade, but procrastinated tackling that project. I searched the internet for even one video of someone who performed this swap that had a A4 - must have watched 50 videos, but never found one fitted with the transmission cooler lines? I was concerned about losing transmission fluid when I disconnected those lines, but never found a video on that.
So, in 2019 I had a 14 day hospital stay that really took the fire out of me (did not see that one coming), but when I got out of the hospital, I noticed a few spots of coolant on the garage flor when I got home (when it rains it pours!). I was really in no shape to tackle that job at that point so I drove the car every day leaving spots everywhere and refilling whenever the surge tank would go down. Only used about 1-1/2 gallons through the leak in four years, but never missed a day without leaving drops on the floor. So, I have to give credit to that weak-looking stock radiator - it got me through a tough time.
Now that I have the old radiator out I can see the crack toward the top driver's side (pics below):
Well, I finally got up the nerve to tackle the replacement by myself. Working alone and without a lift, the whole job took me about 12 hours, but I really took my time cleaning things along the way , etc. Turns out that disconnecting the Transmission lines only spilled maybe 1/2 ounce of fluid from the bottom line only. I had one of the early 2001's, so my fittings were the non-O-Ring - metal-on-metal flared connections (fortunately ordered the right configuration from DeWitts back in 2015).
Added all new hoses and surge tank as well while I was at it. The only snag I ran into so far was after the initial startup, I noticed the lower transmission connection on the radiator was dripping a few drops of fluid. I loosened that flare nut, wiggled the line some more and retightened - that "seems" to have fixed the problem, but I will keep an eye on it.
One thing that had me scratching my head was how to unplug the stock wiring harness plugs to the fans. I was doing that from underneath the car and they were right up against the sway bar. I finally got a pick in there to pull up on the small tab (on the male plug) to get them loose, but I am sure there is some trick besides using a pick to detach these things?
All-in-all very happy with the upgrade. Been testing everything out for a couple days and no explosions yet! Only thing I need to change is my high speed fan kicks on at about 196-degrees F (my old fans were probably doing the same thing), but that high speed SPAL fan is REALLY LOUD! In fact I am pretty sure I could shut off the engine and that fan would pull me down the highway! Looking up the stock fan set-points, mine were obvious out of spec - this "might" be a carry over from a Chuck COW mail-in tune I had done years ago?
Congrats. I did the same mod to my 2004 A4 last winter.
In also installed their aluminum SPAL fan kit and immediately noticed they were a lot louder than the OEM fan kit. I had to zip tie the wiring harness to the sway bar as the Dewitt’s kit did not have the harness clips like the OEM fan kit.
I have also noticed that the Dewitt’s SPAL kit seems looser than the OEM fan/radiator kit. I know the fan kit simply drops into the L-shaped grooves of the radiator, but my fan kit has dislodged twice since install. Most likely as a result of me driving over a speed bump or other road irregularity. I called Dewitt’s and they told me to self tap some screws into the upper fan kit tabs to prevent this from happening again. I have a A&A Supercharger kit on order and plan to have it installed early next year so will perhaps add the screws at that time.
Curious if you’ve noticed the same thing with your SPAL kit.
Congrats. I did the same mod to my 2004 A4 last winter.
In also installed their aluminum SPAL fan kit and immediately noticed they were a lot louder than the OEM fan kit. I had to zip tie the wiring harness to the sway bar as the Dewitt’s kit did not have the harness clips like the OEM fan kit.
I have also noticed that the Dewitt’s SPAL kit seems looser than the OEM fan/radiator kit. I know the fan kit simply drops into the L-shaped grooves of the radiator, but my fan kit has dislodged twice since install. Most likely as a result of me driving over a speed bump or other road irregularity. I called Dewitt’s and they told me to self tap some screws into the upper fan kit tabs to prevent this from happening again. I have a A&A Supercharger kit on order and plan to have it installed early next year so will perhaps add the screws at that time.
Curious if you’ve noticed the same thing with your SPAL kit.
Yes, same thing here.
Had to zip tie the fan harness to the sway bar.
Fan tabs are loose as well. I noticed the top-driver's side had popped out when installing the shroud. I also called DeWitts Friday and they gave me the same advice of installing screws. He said it was a good idea if the car were tracked, but a race track would b heaven compared to the 3rd world railroad track streets we have here! I may just gorilla tape the top tabs at least temporarily.
Fan tabs are loose as well. I noticed the top-driver's side had popped out when installing the shroud. I also called DeWitts Friday and they gave me the same advice of installing screws. He said it was a good idea if the car were tracked, but a race track would b heaven compared to the 3rd world railroad track streets we have here! I may just gorilla tape the top tabs at least temporarily.
I was also thinking about getting some 3M foam tape, similar to weather stripping and wedging that in between the fan kit tabs and the radiator bracket.
I agree about the SPAL loudness. I've got one too and it roars
Curious, at what point do your fans "roar"? Do they roar even at low speed?
From what I have read BOTH fans run at the same time and RPM (whether low or high). I also see these settings as "stock": "The low speed cooling fan is commanded on when the coolant temperature reaches 226°F. It is turned off if the coolant temperature lowers to 219°F. The high speed cooling fan is commanded on when the coolant temperature reaches 235°F. It is turned off if the coolant temperature lowers to 226°F. When the A/C is on and the coolant temperature reaches 185°F, the low speed cooling fan will be turned on at vehicle speeds less than 56 kPh (35 mph)."
All I know is my fans start "roaring" loud at 194-degrees F, but is that at low or high speed? All I can figure is maybe my fan set points were lowered considerably with a Chuck Cow mail-in tune a few years ago (since mine are obviously kicking on early)?
I also had the CoW tune back in 2012. I actually met Chuck in Orlando and he tuned the car in the hotel parking lot. As part of the tune, I later installed a low temp stat Chuck gave me which I replaced last year with a new low-temp stats when I swapped out my radiator, fans, overflow tank, and water pump. As mentioned, I will be adding an A&A Supercharger early next year (kit ordered) and will need a retune as I'm also upgrading to 3.42 rear gears. I will check with my tuner at that time what changes will be made to accommodate the new SPAL fans and whether or not the low-temp stat stays or a new regular stat is installed. As we know, the LS1 is designed to run pretty hot.
DeWitts Package INSTALLED!
