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What fan setups have you tried? What worked? What didn't?


BlueCuda
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I have a friend of mine who has made me a real nice shroud for my Electric fan on my Barracuda.  I run a single 18" 4000CFM fan on it.  We started to discuss about going to a single electric fan and custom shroud on my Conquest.  So when I get done with some stuff with my other car I am going to move onto doing a new setup on my Conquest.  

Has anyone used a large shrouded single fan and what were your results?  I have seen several dual fan setups but can't recall seeing a large single.  A large single clears up some wiring and in the end likely draws less power for the CFM but I haven't done the research on that yet.  

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Not for my Starion, but on my wrx I replaced factory twin fans with a single large fan.  The single large fan seized and it overheated.

I would recommend keeping twin fans if for nothing else, for the redundancy.

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I am using the stock set up, have  since 1989, replaced the small fan motor once. The easy way to accomplish  max cooling with the stock set up is to replace the number 2 thermosensor with a number 1 (MB007639),that way all three  cooling fans come on at the same time. Works for me, and I do have a lot of engine modifications.

Bill

Edited by Caliber308
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5 hours ago, BlueCuda said:

When using two fans I wonder if the CFM calculates the same?  Or will they try to rob air from each other and reduce the overall CFM vs just adding the CFM of two fans together?  

I think the main point of multiple fans isn't necessarily the combined CFM, but instead maximizing the surface area of the radiator that's getting airflow when they are running, when compared to a single fan.

With that being said, I hear early Starquests came with single viscous clutch fans that reportedly cooled better than the later dual electric ones.

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There was an 87 Conquest in Austin Texas I came across when I was shopping for another Conquest in spring 2021. It had been sitting for a few years but looked in great condition and was running and driving.  The only thing that really kept me from flying out and driving home was that someone had put a mechanical fan on it.  It's funny I was prepared to put new tires on it and change all the fluids but I wasn't prepared to deal with a fan that was likely more reliable than the stock setup lol.  I still think I made a good call to stay home.  

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I run a clutch fan and shroud on my 87  along with electric front fan, ran same setup with my 87 shetland.  Shetland had an aluminum radiator and working A/C.  setup was great  and reduced the load on the stock alternator

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21 hours ago, Caliber308 said:

I am using the stock set up, have  since 1989, replaced the small fan motor once. The easy way to accomplish  max cooling with the stock set up is to replace the number 2 thermosensor with a number 1 (MB007639),that way all three  cooling fans come on at the same time. Works for me, and I do have a lot of engine modifications.

Bill

i did this to increase the redundancy factor

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2 hours ago, tux said:

i did this to increase the redundancy factor

So, what is that response all about ?  Maybe the next thing we can talk about is installing a 160 degree thermostat in place of the 180. The secondary fan Thermosensor no. 2 turns on at  199 degrees and off at 216 degrees. The primary fan Thermosensor no.1 turns on at 172 degrees and off at 189 degrees.....To me, that is the difference between cooking stuff or making things cooler with another no. 1 Thermosensor. So far on Starquestclub I have not seen figures on the difference between a three fan stock set up and a clutch fan set up as far as the actual benefits of the Clutch fan. Perhaps the Clutch fan members could provide the membership with this information.

Bill

Edited by Caliber308
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3 hours ago, Caliber308 said:

So, what is that response all about ?  

The response is about i did the same as you and put two primary fan sensors in to ensure that if not both fans, at least one fan comes on when it is supposed to.

 

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Nice. Run the same setup on the CQ and you'll be good. If you make a shroud just add a few open areas for vent flaps that can allow air to pass at higher speeds. 

Another thing to consider is making ducting in the front of the radiator to help channel the air into the radiator and intercooler. I saw a big drop in temps with my Miata just adding ducting. I'm also running a triple pass aluminum radiator and single fan with a coolant reroute so it passes all the way through the head instead of cylinders 3 and 4 having stagnant coolant flow)

 

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5 hours ago, Turbo Cary said:

Nice. Run the same setup on the CQ and you'll be good. If you make a shroud just add a few open areas for vent flaps that can allow air to pass at higher speeds. 

Another thing to consider is making ducting in the front of the radiator to help channel the air into the radiator and intercooler. I saw a big drop in temps with my Miata just adding ducting. I'm also running a triple pass aluminum radiator and single fan with a coolant reroute so it passes all the way through the head instead of cylinders 3 and 4 having stagnant coolant flow)

 

Can you explain what you have done for this coolant reroute in a thread if you haven't already

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On 8/25/2022 at 3:24 PM, tux said:

Can you explain what you have done for this coolant reroute in a thread if you haven't already

The reroute is something I did on the Miata. I didn't do it on the CQ. It's kinda like what you have to do with a 4G63 swap. 

A CQ is SOHC and the flow I assume is naturally from the bottom front to the top rear and back to the front out of the top of the intake (where the thermostat is)

On a Miata they took a FWD engine and put it in a RWD car. So that means they blocked off the rear where the thermostat would normally be and instead put it at the front. You block off the front thermostat housing port with a plate, then install the thermostat at the rear of the head with a proper water neck to run the radiator hose, coolant temperature sensor, and heater core feed.

If the reroute isn't done and you run a turbo then cylinders 3 and 4 begin to heat soak. That can lead to premature head gasket failure or detonation. 

It sucks on the Starions that coolant has to pass through the intake manifold. From a TBI perspective it makes sense since you want the manifold warm to help atomize the fuel/prevent puddling. On the MPI manifolds the port is more separate from the intake which isn't so bad. 

Edited by Turbo Cary
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