Electric Fan for a Sprint

[tonybsa]

What size fan diameter in inches would people recommend.,I have a 10" at the moment,and Im thinking of going up to a 12",waht do people think?

[Jon Tilson]

Doesnt make a lot of odds...

I'd fit it engine side so it doesnt make a partial radiator blind, but its not that critical.

Also make sure its wired up to blow or suck the right way and not fight the natural airflow....also fit a proper controller.

Jonners

[sprint95m]

You need a slimline pull fan mounted on the engine side of the radiator.

The 300mm (12") fan will draw a lot more air through than the 250mm fan.
The clue here is the swept area (0.070 sq.m v 0.049).

I have a Revotec 280mm (11") slimline fan on my car. It is very very quiet and seems to work fine,
certainly it holds the temperature steady whilst sitting stationary in traffic.
It is probably worth fitting a warning light inside the car so you can see that the fan is activated?
I made up a steel frame to support the fan because the suggested use of cable ties through the radiator's core seems too crude to me.

I have an inline temperature sensor fitted into the top hose, size needed is for 32mm bore and please
remember to locate it with the sensor pointing down (so it is covered in coolant).



Ian.

[tonybsa]

Hi,thanks for reply,Ive already got a 10" fan fitted,its been on for 5 years,and in most instances it keeps the temp,under control.But on a hot day,Ive been having to switch the fan on(manual overide) below 40 mph to keep the temp from going above normal.Ive tried several things(12 vane to 6 vane w/p,82 degree stat etc)and although these have improved matters,Im still not happy.My instalation already has a warning light,and Ive fitted it on the engine side.
Like Ian,I felt the std fan mnts crap,not to put too fine a piont on it,and have made up some steel brkts that bolt onto the existing threaded holes in the rad.
The coolant is due for renewal this year,so I think Ill take your advice Ian and,change to the bigger fan as,the 12" fan Ive looked at flows almost 50% more than my 10 " one.
Also,coolant,would people advise tap water,or di ionised water?

[Jon Tilson]

repeated use of southern hard tap water does cause some lime scaling.

I'd go up north or go for deionised or the products of a dehumidifier or air con unit...

Jonners

[sprint95m]

Ive been having to switch the fan on(manual overide) below 40 mph to keep the temp from going above normal

You shouldn't have to that.

I wonder if the radiator is passed its best or is silted up?
What do the cooling fins look like? Are any missing?
When you go to replace the coolant I recommend removing the radiator and back-flushing it (connect a garden hose to the
bottom spout......).

For old fashioned (?) antifreeze you should really use distilled water.
Instead, I use Evans coolant, so no water.....
http://www.evanscoolants.co.uk/AutoCool.html
a worthwhile longterm investment, it takes several years to get your money back.






Ian.

[tonybsa]

The radiator was brand new from Robber bros,5 years ago,and Ive had it checked out by a rad specialist last year,who said it was probably about the best type of copper core you can get,and there was nothing wrong with it.
I am up North Jonners,so does that mean its ok to use the tap water?
Ive been using di ionized,but I read last year in Pc that tap water is a better coolant than de ionized,so Im wondering what peoples experiences have been and If using tap water,may cause some other problems.
I put a brand new head on the car when I restored it,and as a result,Im keen not to create any unnecasary problems.
My theory with switching the fan on below 40,is that on an original sprint the viscous van would be running constantly below 40,where as with only an electric fan your relying solely on the airflow from movement.It seems to work,and it prevents the temp going above normal when stationary,but Im not happy about it,hence the questions Im asking.

[Jon Tilson]

If your water is soft and you dont get limescale in your kettle like we do down south then it will be fine.

Jonners

[sprint95m]

My theory with switching the fan on below 40,is that on an original sprint the viscous van would be running constantly below 40,where as with only an electric fan your relying solely on the airflow from movement.It seems to work,and it prevents the temp going above normal when stationary,but Im not happy about it,hence the questions Im asking.

Perhaps, but I doubt that.

On my 1850 I don't have a belt driven fan anymore, removing it made no difference to the running temperature (albeit I fitted a Saab 9-3 radiator
at the same time).

The original type fans are not as efficient as electric fans largely because they lack an outer cowl
(there is an article in a past DM explaining this and the difference fitting a cowl does make).



If it was up to me, I would checking the operation of your temperature gauge, starting by trying another sensor......



Ian.

[tonybsa]

Been there done that,tryed 3 different gauges and 3 different sensors,its amazing the variation you can get on the std gauges.Thanks for the suggestion tho.Im pretty certian the problem is Ive fitted too small an electric fan,and Ill be rectifying this before it comes out of hibernation in April.

[sprint95m]

Please let us know how you get on.





Ian.

[tonybsa]

Apologies for the long wait for a reply.
I fitted a 12"fan,this improved matters.
I then tried di-ionised water/antifreeze mix-bad move,engine ran hotter,so I went back to tap water/antifreeze mix,and engine ran a bit cooler.
Finally,in March this year,I bit the bullet,binned the standard Sprint core,and replaced it with a smaller core,but with supergill finning on it.
Car is now running much better,I do not have to switch the fan on manually at all,and on a hot day the fan only comes on in stationary traffic,when set to come on at 90 degrees.
Hope this info is usefull.

[AlanH]

I then tried di-ionised water/antifreeze mix-bad move

Thats interesting, I started using de-ionised water when I changed my coolant (our tap water is quite hard). I have noticed this summer that my Herald is running a bit hotter. It may just be a coincidence so I will see what happens in the dolomite .

Anybody else had experience of this.