engine and drivetrain Ireland Electric Fan Kit. Reviews?

[Colin]

folks....the cooling system is a closed loop. it MAKES NO DIFFERENCE whether the elec fan switch is in the input or output of the radiator. AS LONG AS THE SWITCH HAS THE CORRECT "ON" POINT FOR THE LOCATION IT IS IN!!!!!!

if the switch is too high and it is on the bottom of the rad, it will never come on. if top low and is in the input of the rad, it will never trun off.

Agreed.

Where do Ireland say to put the switch? They know the temp range and therefore where it was intended to go.

[pilotnbr1]

The instructions with the kit do not say where the fan thermostat should be placed...

My opinion the first indication that the fan should come on is when the radiator can no longer output coolant at sufficiently low enough temperature. That trigger should be on the radiator output where it can be measured first. That of course is with a properly calibrated and fitted fan thermostat and all other things being equal.

I would also have a minor concern of air pockets in the top hose to the radiator.. I know at the bottom hose the fan thermostat is always submerged in nothing but coolant.

[M3M3]

again, the system is a closed loop. it won't all of the sudden get too hot at the rad output, it will be too hot everywhere. there is no location that is a "first indicator" that is any different than anywhere else.

most switches either have a part number you can trace or have the switching temp stamped on them. a/ have your seen this? b/ have you called IE to ask where the one they supply is supposed to go?

[pilotnbr1]

I'll give IE a call.

After extended driving when the engine gets heat soaked it is becoming apparent that the fan can not bring the temperature down. At best the fan is coming on when it should at about half way on the temp gauge and then slows the rise of the temperature. After extended hard driving or stop and go if it was just left to idle the temperature would rise and go into the red. The only effective way right now for me to bring the temp back down is to be moving over about 35 mph for several minutes.

I hope with the bigger fan at least when it kicks on it will not only arrest the temp rise but be able to bring it down, like when the car is cruising..

[M3M3]

please post updates and what IE tells you. it is great to have the solutions up for future searchers....and..you have us all curious now...want to see it fixed!

:-)

[Kidasters]

your car is doing what my car used to do, before I got a new radiator. Are you sure this is a 3 row?

If it is - there is no way this should happen. My guess is that the problem is not so much with your fan, but more with junk in your cooling system.

[Grover]

Having just read this thread for the first time, a couple of thoughts come to mind:

1. I don't believe you've confirmed an answer to AceAndrew's question regarding the direction of the fan. Are you 100% sure it is blowing air, vs. sucking air?

2. I think a cheap infrared thermometer may be a worthwhile investment as it will take the "my car only reaches 4 o'clock" variability out of the equation; you'll be able to scan the hoses at the top and bottom of the radiator and have a very accurate sense for what the true temps are and how big of an issue you are really dealing with.

Best of luck.

[pilotnbr1]

I am positive that the fan turns on and blows the correct direction. Despite the debate on fan thermostat position the fan does seem to come on at the correct temp as well.

I have confirmed its a 3 core, I have counted the rows looking in the radiator cap when the coolant is drained.

I want to try a flush and the bigger fan before I spring for an ir thermometer.

[OriginalOwner]

+1 Kidasters and wegweiser: junk in the cooling system and multiple block flushes.

I'm pretty much convinced you've got blockage somewhere in the system. You've got a 38-yr-old engine, has it ever been apart ?? Ever had the head off ?? How much block sealer product has been dumped into it over the past 38 years ?? How much sludge buildup ??

My Story: I have never had the engine out of my car. Head removed only twice. I've dumped in lots of Bar's Leak over the years. Two years ago with a cold engine, I drained out some of the coolant. On top of the coolant tubes I could see a thick & gooey substance. What scared me: it hadn't been there 2 weeks earlier. I immediately pulled the radiator, turned it over, and backflushed using the garden hose at full pressure. Quite a bit of that goo flushed out.

What I Surmised: The engine had been running "hot" at the time. That goo was obviously in the block. My thinking was that the goo had collected at the coolant outlet from the head and was restricting flow, thus the higher temps. Then suddenly it un-stuck and was washed through and into the radiator. I was simply lucky to see it before it would have probably continued to move through the cooling system, or just act as a massive plug in the radiator.

-- Where did the goo come from ?? After 38 years, who knows. How much is left in the radiator ?? Even with a mirror I couldn't see out to the furthest edges of the radiator.

-- The good news is that the engine has now run "much" cooler since then.

So I'm in agreement with wegweiser: flush, flush, and flush again. And then do it again.

And I'll suggest a screen as described here, this works quite well for me ..... this thread has much more discussion on the topic of "cooling system" .....

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/component/option,com_forum/Itemid,57/page,viewtopic/t,361336/highlight,radiator+screen/

Cheers,

Carl

[M3M3]

I want to try a flush and the bigger fan before I spring for an ir thermometer.

LOL! an IR thermometer is like $20........way cheaper than either of the other things listed. everyone should have one anyway. useful for all kinds of things.

[allbim]

Like someone mentioned before, did you make sure the fan runs in the right direction?

[pilotnbr1]

I want to try a flush and the bigger fan before I spring for an ir thermometer.

LOL! an IR thermometer is like $20........way cheaper than either of the other things listed. everyone should have one anyway. useful for all kinds of things.

The wife has me on notice to stop spending so much money on the car ... Put 5k into it in the last 6 months. I can sell the 12 inch fan to offset the cost of the 14 inch-- both only $33 from IE

[pilotnbr1]

UPDATE for anyone following this thread. I took the old 12 inch fan out and installed the 14 inch fan. It was a tight fit and had to be placed off center by about an inch. I also flushed the block and replaced the coolant with a 25/75 mixture of antifreeze and water. I have only had a chance to run the car in the driveway but it now holds temp well. The temp gets slightly over half and the fan kicks on bringing it back down to about half. Before it could not recover and bring the temp down, I had to be moving over 30 mph to get it to cool.

Here are a couple pictures showing the size difference from the 12 to the 14 inch fan.

[Kidasters]

50/50 is a better mix ratio. 25 antifreeze and 75 water will still be kind of corrosive at temp.

Good that it is better though. I still say your cooling system is suspect. Weather in Houston isn't much hotter than Georgia (I'd say it's the same), but I never get hot anymore with the silicon garage 3 row radiator. Even had to get the 80 degree thermostat, because car wasn't warming up enough!

[Loweredclass49]

I have breifly read through this post and dont think that I have seen one response about an actual temp. This would be my first priority and a good point of reference. if you know that actual temps you are working with i would say that you can do a better job of diagnosing and controlling the issue.

Also i highly recommend that with the thousands of dollars you all spend on fancy parts for these fine machines invest slightly in good tools to make the most of these cool mods.

...... Buy a Vaccum coolant filler/ tester........

This simple yet slightly expensive ($100) tool will suck the air out of the cooling system a drained cooling system that is. then you insert the hose in a bucket of your coolant cocktail choice and sucks the coolant in the system leaving you with no bubbles. you can actually put the cap on and drive away. although i still recommend letting warm up and purge out any overfull fillings. NO BUBBLES!!!!!!!!!!! you do need shop air to operate it though so make sure your air compressor is kicked on and relax man. no bubbles. also it can tell you if there is a leak. you suck it down to 25hg and let it sit for 10 minutes. if it holds your golden if not break out the pressure tester and find your leak.

Just my humble .02

Eric