electric fan temp question

[jaidedeye]

i installed my permacool electric fan made for mustangs today.....i started the car...let it warm up and drove it around a bit....i have the knob on the thermostat turned all the way to the left wich should be 180 degrees...i put the heat sensor in between the cooling fins through the radiator...the fan kicks on automatically and runs for maybe a minute and then shuts off when sitting at idle..it will turn on again after a couple mins.....my stock temp guage reads the white line above the 130 mark....and even when driving and idleing it wont go above that...

is the fan working the way it should by turning onn and off like that?

 

[jaidedeye]

bump

 

[ka0tyk]

first off i wouldnt trust the stock gauge at ALL...

next where in the radiator do you have the heat sensor? near the input hose or near the engine return hose? theres going to be 2 totaly different temperature areas... you want the water going into the motor to be cool and consistant...

 

[Michael Yount]

ka0tyk is right - you're gonna have to get an accurate temp gauge (that actually tells you the temperature) before you can do any analysis about what the fan is doing. It ought to be set to cycle slightly ABOVE your t'stat temp. But in any event it shouldn't come on when the car is that cool. Sounds like something is amiss.

Assuming you have a 180 t'stat, and you set the fan to keep the car at 190F. When you start the car cold, the fan shouldn't come on at all until the t'stat opens, fills the radiator with warm coolant for the first time, and that coolant reaches 190F -- which as you know can take several minutes of driving. And trying to test it while idling from a cold start -- well that can take a LONG time. You'll likely have to drive off, and as the temp gauge approaches 180F, pull over test for the t'stat opening by feeling the upper radiator hose (it will get MUCH warmer) and then see if your fan cycles on shortly thereafter.

But it all starts with a REAL gauge-you'll just be guessing with the factory unit.

 

[jaidedeye]

i drove it for quite a while and the fan didnt come on until the car was warmed up. im not saying that the fan comes on when the car is cold.....it turns on when it needs too. i guess its just really sensitive ....and i have never had an e-fan before...there are no numbers on the adjustment dial so its kinda like trial and error finding 190 degrees ......also i removed my a/c condensor off the front of my radiator and i think with that out of the way the radiator is getting alot more air and plus its a fms heavy duty....

 

[jaidedeye]

btw....my autometer water temp guage is on its way.......

 

[Legendary]

Your fan will cycle on and off as it heats up and cools down. Mines do it all the time. If I'm on the freeway w/good traffic my fan never comes on. The forced air itself is good enough to keep things cool.