oil cooler fan t'stat and switch installation

[86 911 Targa]

Originally Posted by don911

I have the opposite problem. My fan will not shut off. I've disconnected the wire until I can change the thormoswitch.

I have a new one from pelican and actually tried to change it once but didn't think I could get enough movement in the oil line to change it.

You were able to change it without disconnecting the oil lines?

I had to disconnect the oil lines at the cooler, and remove the cooler for access.

Prior to removing the existing T-Stat, when the cooler is out of the car,
seal up the cooler lines, and clean the front area well, removing the road dirt.

Also, replace the cooler side seals.

And, don't forget the Anti-Seize on the fittings.

Check your Bentley- Pages 170-12, 170-16.

Good Luck,

Gerry

[rusnak]

place a plastic garbage bag over the wheel rotor and caliper to protect from dripping oil.

[Wil Ferch]

Following up on my previous post in here where I list finding a nice amber-lit switch, here it is installed incuding proper label.--->

[Hendog]

Originally Posted by Por_sha911

So shouldn't the fan have come on when I grounded the power side (in essense the same as running a ground thru the wiper switch)?

No, not necessarily. If your meter is set to measure voltage it will not run current through. If you set your meter to measure current A/ma (might have to plug your leads into different ports on your meter), then yes it will run current through and, as you say, in essence will be the same as running a ground through the wiper switch. Make sure you select the A range and not the ma range.

[ianc]

Nice looking switch Wil.

Por_Sha911: approach the problem in this fashion:

1) Make sure the fan actually works. First supply power and ground to it via means of jumper wires if necessary and make sure the motor still turns. If not, buy a new fan. If yes, then move on to the wiring.

2) The wiring is actually composed of two circuits. The fan has its own power and ground connections, and there is a relay which must be actuated to complete the main fan circuit. I don't have my Bentley anymore (because, sadly, I don't have my 911 any more), but my recollection is that the fan always has power, and the ground is completed by the relay, which is grounded by the t'stat in the cooler. If there are no physical breaks or corroded connectors in these circuits, then the difficulty is either in the relay or the thermostat, so you can continue to troubleshoot by either bypassing these components, or checking them for function.

HTH,

ianc

[dshepp806]

Looks just like my install,...down to the yellowcolor selection, too!!!!!!

Doyle

[Wil Ferch]

Doyle:

Great ! .... choice was amber, green or red.

Red says "danger" or "warning...so didn't want that. Green says "Go...or "OK"...and it really isn't OK if you got the darn thing "On" !

So...amber it was...to tell me it was simply activated.

Fan works in concert with my modified front-facing opening/turn signal mod , posting number #59 ---> http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/108692-brake-oil-cooling-ducts-via-turn-signal-lites.html

[Por_sha911]

Thanks Hendog (and Ian). Now that I've figured out how to wire it up, I need to find those white connectors. Anyone have a pair of male and female they would sell?
Question: what gauge wire do I need to run. Also, I assume that I won't need to fuse the line since the power is fused and has a relay. Yes?

[ianc]

Joe,

I really don't have any info about the white connector. My friend runs a VW shop and after some considerable rooting around, I uncovered one of those in one of his used spares boxes. No idea what it came from I'm afraid.

I forget what gauge wire I used; maybe someone else can chime in with a recommendation. And yes, the line is already fused, so you should be set.

ianc

[polizei]

This is a terrific thread - thanks to all who have taken the time to document what they've done! I'm going through an engine rebuild presently, and my engine builder recommended flushing the oil lines because he found metal material in the crankcase oil. I decided to take up some of the recommendations listed in this thread.

I have one quick question before going into it. The BMW thermostat doesn't indicate which of its connectors is positive (12v) and which is ground. Does it matter? I'm an electrical ignoramus. Here's a picture of the t-stat:



Going into this project, my temps were running consistently between 210-230 around town. I live in Pennsylvania, and that's just too hot. Like other folks, I've never heard my fan come, so I decided to covert to the BMW Thermostat for the fan.

As I side note, I also replaced my external oil cooler thermostat after Tony (boyt911sc) helped me determine that mine was not opening fully, and therefore not cooling fully. Before installing the "new" thermostat, I cleared the hard oil lines of the remaining oil with compressed air, and then I poured mineral spirits into the lines to clean them out. I bought several feet of clear plastic hose from Lowes to make the process easier since the hard lines were still installed. I let it sit overnight and then cleared the lines again with compressed air. Some 1" ID and 1.25" ID hose worked for me.

Since metal was found in the crankcase oil, I decided to have my oil cooler sent to Pacific Oil Coolers for their ultrasonic cleaning. I read that many other Pelicans have had good luck with Pacific, so I gave them a try. They were easy to work with and turned my cooler around promptly. The price was $125 + shipping, and the cooler looks brand new. I think they may have painted it to... it looks that good:





As others suggested, I replaced the seal around the stone guard with some McMaster-Carr 12335A25 seal (McMaster-Carr). I bought 5 feet and have more than 1 foot left over. It does a nice job of sealing the sides of the cooler, but it does not seal the top fully. That being said, it seals much than what was previously on there! Any suggestions on plugging the top?

Lastly, I replaced the short flexible hoses connecting to the cooler. I ended up taking a dremel to one of the old short guys, as it was tough to get off. Here are some before and after pics. Thank you guys for your help!

[ianc]

Great job!

ianc

[dshepp806]

This is a great thread,..and a very good mod to do. I'm so damned AWARE of my temps that I'll hit that mod'd switch (old rear window wiper) should I see her at 220 (which isn't often at all). Back when the wife would occassionally drive her (the early days), I always told her to activate that switch before she went anywhere (as a precaution),..really glad to see that rear wiper out of the way!

BEST!

Doyle

[ganun]

We just installed a new fan switch on the top of the oil cooler today that should turn the fan on at 215F rather than the crazy 245F.
Custom switch from Nason with the correct metric threads and reach,
(p/n TT-E10A-215R-QC translates to :type TT, 3/4"reach, M14x1.5, SPST NO, 215F, rising, 1/4" spade.)
About 60 bucks. Transfer the ground spade to the switch and put a spade on the other wire.
Took about an hr to install, could be less but we were doing other things.
Also a tip, replace the lower rubber cooler mounts with the annoying double studs with stud on one side only and threaded hole on the other. Then one can just remove the two lower bolts and SLIDE the bottom of the cooler back and out painlessly. Cake to remove the cooler.

Small winter project, next is a trans oil change and pads.



Rubber neoprene bumper with threaded hole.



Switch, with 215F rather than 245F fan activation.




Ready for install

[whiz05403]

Do all 87 and above 911s have a cooler fan? Never heard one on my 87.

[Algernon]

Great idea! I wish I had changed out the two lower stud mounts - so much easier than fighting with the double studs!!!
Also when I did this, I used the "OXS" light (that comes on only every 30,000 miles) to indicate when the fan is on, and a spare (unobtrusive) hole in the dash for the manual over-ride switch. The idea that if possible any mod. should be reversible, is good, and I left the original OXS light inside the dash.

[ganun]

Yes all 87 up have fans. Prob all Carreras.
The rubber mounts I got from Amazon, which bought out Small Parts years ago but I still have their catalog.

[86 911 Targa]

Originally Posted by ganun

We just installed a new fan switch on the top of the oil cooler today that should turn the fan on at 215F rather than the crazy 245F.
Custom switch from Nason with the correct metric threads and reach,
(p/n TT-E10A-215R-QC translates to :type TT, 3/4"reach, M14x1.5, SPST NO, 215F, rising, 1/4" spade.)
About 60 bucks. Transfer the ground spade to the switch and put a spade on the other wire.
Took about an hr to install, could be less but we were doing other things.
Also a tip, replace the lower rubber cooler mounts with the annoying double studs with stud on one side only and threaded hole on the other. Then one can just remove the two lower bolts and SLIDE the bottom of the cooler back and out painlessly. Cake to remove the cooler.

Small winter project, next is a trans oil change and pads.



Rubber neoprene bumper with threaded hole.



Switch, with 215F rather than 245F fan activation.




Ready for install

+1 on the NASSON switch which I posted many years ago.

Gerry

[86 911 Targa]

Originally Posted by ganun

Yes all 87 up have fans. Prob all Carreras.
The rubber mounts I got from Amazon, which bought out Small Parts years ago but I still have their catalog.

After many customer excessive oil temperature concerns, Porsche added the fan to the late production 1986 3.2 Carrera and subsequent models.

The fan was standard equipment on all Turbo Carrera models.

Gerry

[zippy_gg]

Originally Posted by whiz05403

Do all 87 and above 911s have a cooler fan? Never heard one on my 87.

My 86 cab didn't come with a fan...
I totally expected to find one upon disassembly...
Oh well, it will be a pleasure car (I guess they all are!) for weekend rides and canyon carving near home or up PCH and I don't expect to be much in traffic with it.

[86 911 Targa]

^^^^^
Try this.

It worked for me.

It turns on the cooler fan @210f./off @195f.

Best,

Gerry