well, i was told i burned out my last fan from running it to much, car still runs hot, so i just drive around with the ac on (rather then the wire grounded if it makes a difference) to keep the fan on, my question is, is there a certain time period that i should turn it off at so i dont burn this one out? or can i just let it run constantly for like 5 hours, if not, how long should i keep it off to let it cool?

 

I think you should figure out why you need to run the fan constantly. You're just band aiding the problem by running the fan more, using the A/C to get the fan to run also reduces the efficiency of the system. You shouldn't even need the fan on the highway.

 

i dont "need" it, but i have a problem with my car runing 240* (DAMN YOU GM!) so unitl i can get a lower temp fan switch i run it constantly

 

1) are you certain it's running 240? Using the stock, inaccurate, guage?

2) why isn't the fan controlled by the stock style temp switch (should turn it on around 220ish-well below 240)?

3) running with the a/c on increases the load on the engine and decreases the cooling efficiency of the radiator (heat dissipation from the condenser coils in front)

If turning the fan on at highway speeds lowers your temps, I'd look at the air dam, which should deflect an equivalent amount of air through the radiator without running the fan.

 

To answer the first question, running the fan more will obviously shorten it's life, but not a significant amount. It should be able to handle running for hours on end, it's designed for that. There would be an issue though if the fan motor couldn't properly cool itself, that would hurt it's longevity... The problem probably has to do with operating temps and not operating time.

 

no i had it hooked up to something at my step fathers work, fan kicked on at 238* which i was told where an LO3s should kick on

2.) ive been told that they kick on stock at 238

3.) doh, i took the air damn off cause it kept scraping, is it really that important?

 

YES its obscenely important, its responsible for a good chunk of the air your rad sees.

Who cares if it scrapes, its supposed to scrape, thats why itll bend almost flat backwards without breaking

 

Yeah, without the air dam your radiator won't see any airflow at cruising speeds and that's why your fan has to run all the time.

You can get a lower temp switch. The LO3 is set higher than the LG4 I have. Do a search and you should come up with some stock replacement options that are lower than the one you have.

 

I have both my fans wired to turn on with the ignition switch for 1 1/2 years now, and everything works perfectly. My car hasn't overheated once even on the hottest days of 100+ temps. The thermostat keeps it at about 210° all the time.
My car seems happy at this temp.

 

Engine's happy, your electrical system probably isn't. Unless you've got a start delay wired into one of your fans you're cold starting both at the same time, probably at the same moment you hit the starter. I hope you're at least allowing a few seconds with key on to allow the fans to spin up to running amps before keying the starter.

 

It's been fine for a 1 1/2 years.

 

sorry getting a little off topic

but what if your fans are wired to come on automatically when the motors running not when the keys on. Shop that did my 355 did that so the motor would be nice n cool for the break in period, they saw temps once or twice that they werent happy with so they wired both permanently on.

Should i be looking at converting my secondary fan back?

 

I've been running the dual electric fans directly for 10 years now. No problems. Keeps the engine nice and cool.

But I don't run the car for extended periods of time.

 

When your fans are running they are applying a load to the engine through the alternator. Electricity isn't free, of course, the alternator converts mechanical energy to run the fans (and other accessories). At around ~740 watts=1 HP and 12-15 amps at ~14 volts plus efficiency loss, you're not talking a huge amount but why load the engine more than you need to? I'd convert back to stock style fan control with maybe a lower temp fan switch.

With the fans wired to come on at start I'd be concerned with the drag caused by the start load of the fans (probably double the running amps-worse with age/wear) and the possible coincidental cranking of the starter motor. The possible resulting voltage drop will increase current draw which is always bad for motors AND wiring, especially older stuff like ours.

 

Electric fans are designed to be run continuously. Turn on your AC and guess what? Your electric fan comes on... who would have thought?

Nothing bad will happen by running your fans all the time. I run duals continuously with great results.

 

my fans bin on a switch for 4 years i turn it on when i turn the car on been fine...just if i leave it on for a while the switch gets hot and breaks..its a 50 amp 2 and still does it idk what it is but o well

 

Yes, but remember that early models engaged the fan whenever the A/C was on. Later models used a pressure switch to turn on the fan whenever the pressure indicated that the condenser coils needed the airflow.

Your fan switch and/or wiring is getting overloaded. Too much current thru too small wire or device. I take it you're not running the fans through the stock relay on the firewall? 50 amp wire for that run would be, what, #6? I don't have my NEC with me...

Oh, and your switch getting hot and breaking could, in some circles, be described as 'bad'.

 

#6?.. so your saying i need a bigger gauge wire...the car was like that when i got it

 

I'm quite confident that this is the biggest problem, the air dam is required to scoop air up to the radiator, without it you're lucky that the car doesn't overheat.

 

Best bet I've come up with for fan control is to hook the switch up to the wire on the high temp fan switch in the passenger side head. This will turn on both fans with a short delay from one fan to the next. I put an adjustable fan switch on mine so I can set them where I want the turn on temp.

 

Actually my memory was based on building applications with conductors in conduit. Looks like #10 will work in a free air application, depending on the load of your fans. You really should be running it through the fan relay on the firewall though. If yours is missing, they're easy to find in JYs. A new one is around $13 but you'll need the pigtail.

Oh, and to clear things up I'm not saying it's a problem (other than the simultaneous start up) to run the fans continuously, I just don't think it's necessary to apply that continuous load on the system.

 

He's saying if you run it through the relay and let the relay handle the heavy current the switch shouldn't get hot.

 

where is the relay located

 

On my IROC it's located on the radiator support on the battery side.

 

thank man i no exactly what your talking about..how would i wire this up