Electric fan conversion?

General E30 related discussions -
Please put technical questions in E30 Tech Help forum below

Moderator: martauto

Post Reply
User avatar
samuraibaz
E30 Zone Newbie
E30 Zone Newbie
Posts: 241
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2011 11:00 pm
Location: Kent

Tue Feb 05, 2013 6:01 pm

Any1 know the details for an electric fan conversion? cheers baz
magpie
Old Skooler
Old Skooler
Posts: 28035
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2008 11:00 pm
Location: Consett,Durham.

Tue Feb 05, 2013 7:20 pm

you need to get a Loom from Danthe and buy a pusher fan from ebay ,what engine are you running ?
Image
m52 b30 stroker 6-speed 318is Galvanizer
m42 touring
+ a yard full of scrap turds :)
User avatar
jonesy318
E30 Zone Newbie
E30 Zone Newbie
Posts: 212
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2009 11:00 pm
Location: Peterborough..

Tue Feb 05, 2013 7:24 pm

I want to do this just cause i dont like the viscous fan, only running an m42 conversion but wanna do it anyway, whats the loom from danthe like then??? :D
User avatar
redcar
E30 Zone Squatter
E30 Zone Squatter
Posts: 1610
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 11:00 pm
Location: Hertfordshire

Tue Feb 05, 2013 8:37 pm

A fan set up in pull is better.

There is a thread somewhere on how to do the loom properly from the fusebox.
User avatar
samuraibaz
E30 Zone Newbie
E30 Zone Newbie
Posts: 241
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2011 11:00 pm
Location: Kent

Tue Feb 05, 2013 10:21 pm

nice 1 magpie gonna fit to my 318is 1st but think i will make it the norm looks like i need to talk to danthe for a price???
User avatar
MartyP1977
E30 Zone Newbie
E30 Zone Newbie
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 11:00 pm

Mon May 13, 2013 12:10 am

I have E36 electric fan and switch from the rad that fits my 319is rad. I just don't have a clue how to connect it up and I am no good at reading wiring diagrams.

Help please
Grrrmachine
E30 Zone Wiki / Team Member
E30 Zone Wiki / Team Member
Posts: 8043
Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2008 11:00 pm
Location: Warsaw, Poland

Mon May 13, 2013 5:58 am

magpie
Old Skooler
Old Skooler
Posts: 28035
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2008 11:00 pm
Location: Consett,Durham.

Mon May 13, 2013 8:36 am

redcar wrote:A fan set up in pull is better.

There is a thread somewhere on how to do the loom properly from the fusebox.
erm no :mad:
Image
m52 b30 stroker 6-speed 318is Galvanizer
m42 touring
+ a yard full of scrap turds :)
User avatar
redcar
E30 Zone Squatter
E30 Zone Squatter
Posts: 1610
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 11:00 pm
Location: Hertfordshire

Mon May 13, 2013 8:56 am

magpie wrote:
redcar wrote:A fan set up in pull is better.

There is a thread somewhere on how to do the loom properly from the fusebox.
erm no :mad:
ideally, if there were space, the fan would be in the engine bay side of the radiator, set up in pull.
jimbom30cab
Tech 1 freak
Posts: 7634
Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:00 pm
Location: in the garage

Mon May 13, 2013 12:42 pm

I used a Danthe loom - very good quality, simple plug and play, just follow the instructions

i also used a thermostat switch from car builder solutions
broadie
E30 Zone Regular
E30 Zone Regular
Posts: 560
Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2013 11:00 pm
Location: East Devon

Mon May 13, 2013 5:50 pm

Is there any gains to be had on fuel consumption or power by geting rid of the viscous fan and fitting an eletric fan?
User avatar
Brianmoooore
E30 Zone Team Member
E30 Zone Team Member
Posts: 49357
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm

Mon May 13, 2013 7:18 pm

broadie wrote:Is there any gains to be had on fuel consumption or power by geting rid of the viscous fan and fitting an eletric fan?
None at all. All you do is increase the risk of overheating, since the electrical system is far less reliable than the simple viscous coupled fan.
If you have fitted an engine that occupies the space where the fan should be, then you have no choice, but other than that, just make sure the OE system is working as it should.
ross_jsy
Married to the E30 Zone
Married to the E30 Zone
Posts: 7307
Joined: Sun Jul 12, 2009 11:00 pm
Location: Jersey, C.I.

Mon May 13, 2013 7:22 pm

I think citing reliability as an issue is frankly ridiculous when so many manufacturers use an electric fan without problems. A quality fan will more than likely out live the car.

You will get a power increase but not a huge amount as the fan still draws power, albeit from the alternator.
User avatar
Brianmoooore
E30 Zone Team Member
E30 Zone Team Member
Posts: 49357
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm

Mon May 13, 2013 7:35 pm

You have a fan, thermoswitch, relay and fuse, plus several electrical joints, all of which can fail. You've obviously never owned anything French.
The alternator has to convert engine power to electricity, and then the electricity has to be turned back into rotational power by the fan motor. Both these processes are far from 100% efficient, so, for equal amounts of air moved, the viscous set up uses far less power/fuel than an electric fan.
ross_jsy
Married to the E30 Zone
Married to the E30 Zone
Posts: 7307
Joined: Sun Jul 12, 2009 11:00 pm
Location: Jersey, C.I.

Mon May 13, 2013 7:45 pm

I personally think that the drag caused by the fan when it's not in use cancels any benefit from the inefficiencies in the electrical system. No figures to back it up, it just seems like it would be the case.
User avatar
Brianmoooore
E30 Zone Team Member
E30 Zone Team Member
Posts: 49357
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm

Mon May 13, 2013 7:50 pm

Drag on the fan is negligible - you can hold it still with one finger. At speed, when there's a decent airflow through the rad., you could even argue that it's adding power to the engine.
Morat
E30 Zone Team Member
E30 Zone Team Member
Posts: 8943
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2006 11:00 pm
Location: The Peoples Republic of Yorkshire

Mon May 13, 2013 9:55 pm

Or a VW!
I was in my wife's old mk4 Golf diesel (non turbo) when the alternator belt started slipping. It ran fine on the battery until overheated in traffic. If it had had a viscous fan it would have kept on going just fine.
E30 Touring 0.35 cD - more slippery than prison soap :)

Image
Praise the Lard... and pass the dripping!
e30topless
E30 Zone Team Member
E30 Zone Team Member
Posts: 13598
Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2006 11:00 pm
Location: surrounded by scrap

Tue May 14, 2013 12:35 am

if your car is running a standard mill as yours is... your wasting time and money fitting an electric fan,

the viscous if in working order is well up to the job unless you have an underlying problem with overheating ?
Post Reply