MY1PATH Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 (edited) Some time ago I decided an E-fan was gonna be on my list of mods. I wanted something that would fill my whole radiator and not draw too much power while still moving lots of air. It was a toss up betwen a summit fan canibalized with my stock shroud or the Flex-A-Lite Black Magic but then I discovered the Black Magic XTREME180 on 4x4Review. After reading the article comparing it to the original I was sold! 16" blades(same as stock) 3300 CuFt per min and only 18amp draw! Fortuate was I that not only was Flex-A-Lite a local company (to me in WA)but one of their re-furbisning couterparts (for waranty repairs) was local too and I happend to get a "refurbished" one for $200 and no shipping charge. (normal new price was $350 @ that time) the thing came I couldn't tell it had ever been opened. Installation was simple; unbolt clutch-fan and shroud and replace Fan-clutch studs with short bolts so your water pump pulley sitll works. The included backets and hardware Make it possible for almost any installation w/ a little creativity. The included thermostat comes in a box with relays buit in. This is unlike other fan models where the thermo is not relayed and is prone to burning out under load. I placed the thermo-relay box next to the main-realay box for the engine. For my Ignition signal I spliced the "Main Relay" trigger (+) wire because it stays on for aprox 15 seconds after the engine shuts off. This allows the fan to run(if needed) for 15 sec after you turn the engine off. Once you have all the wires run; Power, A/C hookup, manual overide (whatever you choose)... It gives you allot of options but without making it complicated because the relays are all built in. The Themo sensor is installe thru the radiator near the inlet so it gets the hottest portion of the radiator. I wapped the exposed part of the sensor in tape on the inside and put a boot (included) on the ouside to shield it from wind. Lastly I set up the Thermo to keep my target temp, I read somwhere that 180F coolant temp is best for the VG. When the fan kicks on the thermo doesn't sut off untill its dropped about 20-25 degrees so mine kicks on @ about 188 and shuts off @ about 163. In the winter I let it run a little warmer cause I know the inlet outlet temps of the radiator are allot more differant than in the summer. It also only runs about 20 sec at a time in the winter to mainain whereas in the summer it takes a minute or 2. I used a Kitchen Themo next to the themo sensor to get my temp reading. And so after it has reached the 170-180 temp range my needle stays between 1/3 and just to the shy of 1/2 at all times. No more bogging down from the fan on hot days and it warms up quicker on cold days. I may be adding a circut so it turns on the Idle up solenoid when the fan turns on so that spike in power draw isn't as harsh(30-38A startup 18A continuous) EDIT:one more goodie I forgot to include; watch how the shop towel gets away from me when I'm trying to hold it in the draft lol. Edited February 28, 2011 by MY1PATH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 (edited) AWESOME! I've been looking into this fan for some time now, this is the icing on the cake. Thanks for posting this up! 2 badass threads in one night, you're on a roll man! I also like how your temperature gauge is painted. Edited June 17, 2009 by Kingman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indigent Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 A simple solution to the in-rush current draw is to add a capacitor. The ones that people install with their subwoofers would be good, but obviously one that huge isn't necessary. You can get 1Farad caps online for about $30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 I may be adding a circut so it turns on the Idle up solenoid when the fan turns on so that spike in power draw isn't as harsh(30-38A startup 18A continuous) The idle will pickup once the load hits the Alt. My 93 will kick-up about 100rpm when the e-fan kicks on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MY1PATH Posted June 19, 2009 Author Share Posted June 19, 2009 (edited) The idle will pickup once the load hits the Alt. My 93 will kick-up about 100rpm when the e-fan kicks on. Hmm, mine donesn't. The idle picks up when I use the blower, Rear Defroster and AC(I know the AC is a differant solenoid). But not when the fan kicks on. Is there a load sensing circut that I may have bypassed? I wired power directly to the battery. Edited June 19, 2009 by MY1PATH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 I wired power directly to the battery. Me too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MY1PATH Posted June 19, 2009 Author Share Posted June 19, 2009 The idle will pickup once the load hits the Alt. My 93 will kick-up about 100rpm when the e-fan kicks on. Hmm, mine donesn't. The idle picks up when I use the blower, Rear Defroster and AC(I know the AC is a differant solenoid). But not when the fan kicks on.Is there a load sensing circut that I may have bypassed? I wired power directly to the battery. Me too. Hmm. Maybe on the Pre-90 the blower and rear defroster(Heavy load Items) are wired to trigger the solenid when used and in the 90+ or late93+ have a load sening circut that automatically kicks up when needed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 Could be, when the fan first kicks on, the rpms dip and then after a moment it revs back up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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