Electric Fan Setup

rjm65 · 11:03 PM

Some have had great luck in refilling their fan clutches with silicone, I wasn't one of them. It would work ok for a short time then it would leak out. There are quite a few writeups already on doing this conversion so I'll just touch base on a few details that will make the swap easier for the next guy.

This picture below is a generic shot I found on the internet of the Contour/Mystique/Cougar fan setup, as MPDano can attest, I'm pretty lazy when it comes to taking pictures. The areas noted by the red arrows need to be trimmed off. You want to end up with a nice rectangle with no protrusions. Dont' worry about the part of the left fan upper shroud, that'll clear everything no problem.

You'll notice an opening at the bottom left. My fan setup had some kind of resistor bolted in that area. I removed the insides out of it and stuck it back in place to cover up the hole. In retrospect you're better off making a small metal block-off plate for this area, it will free up a bit more space between the shroud and the lower radiator hose. Space is not really an issue, but doing this will give you even more clearance.

All the write-ups I found just had the fans sitting on the bottom shelf of the radiator. On my 79 there were 2 tabs with speednuts on them that the stock lower shroud bolted to. I removed the speednuts, lowered the fans into position, marked where they lined up, then used a Dremel to cut a small slot for each. The electric fan shroud now slides down onto the tabs and this secures the lower section.

Here's a pic of the fans installed. Sleeving has the temp sensor that's inserted between the fins in the upper right side. I used a standard electric fan mounting kit, used one nylon mounting rod on each upper corner of the shroud. There are already pre-made holes on the shroud in these locations. I will eventually be making some kind of bracket to secure the fans to the stock upper shroud.

And speaking of upper shroud, here's a picture of it with the lower half trimmed off. It bolts right up in the stock position and allows me to retain full use of the air tubes.

I installed the relay/thermostat adjustment in the left front fenderwell, the same area the headlight retracts into. The yellow arrow shows the sleeving that holds all the wiring where it runs forward, then it runs through the fenderwell (forward of the radiator). I figured this would keep the relay/fan controller out of the hot engine compartment. If I ever need to readjust, I can just remove the splash guard and reach in there with a small screw driver to adjust the pot on the controller.

I tapped into 12+ switched from the now disconnected aux fan temp switch at the bottom left side of the radiator.

The fan controller and mounting kit are TorqFlo #733647 and #900210 respectively, picked them up from the auto parts store located in my Zone.

The controller has power leads for 2 fans. It also has a hookup so the fans run when the AC is on. I left the AC feature unhooked. I don't want the fans running when I'm at highway speed with the AC on, seems like a waste. And I figure if I'm in city traffic and I have the AC on, then the fans will be on anyways.

The fans each requires their own special weather pack connector, the seller included them with the sale for me, made hookup a lot easier. Total cost was $35 for the fan controller, $5 for the mounting kit, and $50 for the fans from Ebay (including shipping). The fan assembly comes from 99-02 Ford Contour, Mercury Mystic and Cougar vehicles.

Really happy with the results so far. If any issues crop up I'll update this post.

MPDano · MPDano's Garage

This is a great write up Raymond. I was about to ask about the year for the Ford/Merc models but you covered that in the end. Can you add this to this "Fixes" Topic?

**MOST Common 928 Issues AND Fixes**

robucop · robucop's Garage

Hi Raymond,

Thanks for the comprehensive writeup.

rjm65 · 10-03-2011, 10:34 AM

Added to the Fixes topic.

immo · 07-27-2019, 12:17 PM

Any reason to disconnect the aux fan temp switch? Where is the optimal location to retrieve battery constant (not switched) from?

Trying to replicate this on my 85..

Danglerb · 07-27-2019, 04:11 PM

I left the Aux fan and switch so something blows some air if the main fan isn't working. Jump post seems the place for constant high current power.

immo · 07-28-2019, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danglerb

I left the Aux fan and switch so something blows some air if the main fan isn't working. Jump post seems the place for constant high current power.

I assume you implemented the exact same setup.. if so, how's it been so far? what have you done in regards to the fan clutch drive pulley? and.. which wire of the aux fan temp switch is switched 12v?

Thank you!

red 928 · 07-29-2019, 12:49 PM

Saved and archived. Thanks!!!!!

immo · 07-29-2019, 03:37 PM

I have completed the installation but ran into a problem... The switched 12v from the sender at the bottom left corner of the radiator is not working for me.. looking at the diagram, if the torque converter oil temperature switch / freon temperature regulator or the cooling water thermoswitch are closed - the circuit is pulled to ground (to activate the aux cooling fan). So, what's the closest location to gain a switched 12v for the new fan controller?

Danglerb · 07-30-2019, 08:15 PM

As I recall, nothing under the hood is a reliable switched power source.

immo · 08-04-2019, 05:26 PM

what's the current draw you're having with these fans? what gauge wires are you using? my setup keeps blowing the 30A input to the controller... I ordered 10awg silicone wires and this controller hopefully that will be the remedy....

Danglerb · 08-05-2019, 11:59 AM

Start current is about 3x to 4x run current, so what can really help is some kind of soft start to get the fan moving even fairly slowly, or a always running low speed.

Danglerb · 08-05-2019, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by immo

what's the current draw you're having with these fans? what gauge wires are you using? my setup keeps blowing the 30A input to the controller... I ordered 10awg silicone wires and this controller hopefully that will be the remedy....

2.5 star average review doesn't sound too promising.

SMTCapeCod · 08-07-2019, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danglerb

As I recall, nothing under the hood is a reliable switched power source.

What about (+) terminal on ignition coil?

Danglerb · 08-15-2019, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMTCapeCod

What about (+) terminal on ignition coil?

I suppose you could try the installer trick of checking random wires with a meter until you find a switched hot lead, but I think power to the coil goes through a ballast resistor when the engine is running to drop the voltage.

At some point running a new wire may seem the easy path.