mws Posted October 11, 2005 Share Posted October 11, 2005 We're driving to Portland for the weekend. If eliminating the mechanical fan saves us even 1 mpg on the freeway, that will be over $10 more beer money! So I will be diving into the electric fan swap tonight. I just so happen to have a BMW 528 electric fan sitting on the shelf. It is a pusher style, so I will need to make brackets to hang it behind the radiator as a puller. We leave tomorrow. I am pretty sure I can get all the fab work and wiring done tonight.... but if I don't, we'd have to drive with no fan. Since temps will be in the lower 80's or less and the drive will be almost entirely freeway miles with no in town traffic, I believe it will be no problem to go without a fan. Can anyone confirm or deny my thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted October 11, 2005 Share Posted October 11, 2005 roll the dice and go for it. I would take a 2-liter bottle and fill it with water just in case you run her over and need to throw some fluid back in the rad. Main problem would be stop and go traffic or if you get stuck in a jam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted October 11, 2005 Share Posted October 11, 2005 As long as you keep her rolling, I'm guessing 30 mph+, you will be fine. Stopping will be trouble as even sitting at a long light you will watch the temp rise. Pay attention and use your brain, you should be fine. Enjoy your trip ! B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted October 11, 2005 Share Posted October 11, 2005 shouldn't really be any problem.. i have ran one of my cars for years without the electical fan working.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transworldmoto Posted October 11, 2005 Share Posted October 11, 2005 this is dumb but dude i've ran my pathy w/o the fan for like a month since i had to wait on wiring the new electrical fan up, and i only overheated twice: once on the pismo dunes, and once in a traffic jam, so i wouldn't worry. good luck an have fun bro! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted October 12, 2005 Author Share Posted October 12, 2005 Thanks, all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pickles Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 ...i only overheated twice: once on the pismo dunes... Man, I'm not even going there. But yeah, like they've said, I bet you should be good. Make sure you're topped on coolant and watch that gauge. And get it done right ASAP! I found out the hard way I had a coolant leak when I stopped at a light and saw the gauge rise, but I had been driving quite a while on the highway and was probably half low on coolant but no problems. Still, you don't wanna blow anything up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted October 12, 2005 Author Share Posted October 12, 2005 Got the fan in... but no wiring or shroud yet. Just threw a bundle of wire and some terminals in. If she starts getting hot, I'll just pull over and wire something up! This fan is a 3 speed! Perfect.... med speed for normal cooling, high speed for serious cooling, and low speed will be used as "after run" cooling - have it kick on and off for a few minutes after shut down to cool down the engine bay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 If nothing else just run it to a switch, quick and easy wirring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pickles Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 If nothing else just run it to a switch, quick and easy wirring. Good point, why not do a quick on/off switch for now till you can do it right. That wouldn't take much effort at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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