E30 Zone

Hello,

Just a quick Q - anyone had any experience fitting a Kenlowe/any other electric radiator fan on an 316/318i in place of the slightly crap viscous clutch item?

I think Kenlowe do kits, but they probably won't be cheap and I was wondering if there's any scrapyard solutions anyone knows of and if it's worth doing

Cheers anyway...

not sure about the fans but are you trying to cover up an overheating problem?just take a look around the scrappies,theres going to be something you can use.

Nah, the cooling system is fine, never gets anywhere near overheating except in heavy traffic - the viscous clutch on mine is shagged which explains that - and I've believed the stuff about gaining a bit of power from using a non engine driven fan (you need all you get with a 316i ). ECP say about £70 for a new one, so I may as well have a go at an homemade electric fan system.

My main thoughts are about size and if there's a hose mounted thermostat from another car that'll be okay for the M40. I was hoping someone else had struggled with all this so I don't have to, but scrapyard hit/miss bodging it is then

I used a Mitsubushi Galant 24v fan on mine,easy straight forward fit!
E34 air con fan is a popular option(if you can find one).
Also heard of RS turbo fans being used too!
Cant help with the inline fan sensor though,not yet done it on mine,just on a temp switch at the moment

Hope this helps

I fitted the leccy fan from a Peugeot Partner van. It cost me 1p from e-bay (or was it 14p? I forget now) and took an afternoon to fit infront of the rad using a couple of strips of steel.

No idea about getting yours to turn on though as I was able to let my ECU take care of that.

jon316 wrote: I was hoping someone else had struggled with all this so I don't have to, but scrapyard hit/miss bodging it is then

someone will have no doubt and will probably be along soon to tell all

You can get things that go in the top hose with a thermostat in them I think, have a look on Merlin's catalogue or something

Turbo-Brown wrote:You can get things that go in the top hose with a thermostat in them I think, have a look on Merlin's catalogue or something

You can indeed.... Click me for overpriced Demon Tweeks stuff

I have seen them for around $20 (and I do mean pounds), but I cant remember where

Right, I'll have a look down the scrappy for a fan and see if I can get an adjustable hose thermostat out of anything at the same time. Cheers for the Demon Tweeks link - I'm down the road from them but I'll think I'll keep it as a last resort..

Thanks again, I'll let you know how I get on. Hopefully the head won't warp too much when it fails

hi mate, i'm from the chester area glad to see someone local! will have to meet up.

about the fan though, try clwyd breakers in ruabon

If your viscous coupling is dud, replace it with one from a scrappy. They are not 100% reliable, but are far more reliable than any electric one.
Any power gains you might percieve from fitting an electric one will be entirely in your head! Where do you think the power comes from to run an electric one?
If you get a second hand one, don't store it flat, or it will cease to work.