Where is it located in a/my 89 camaro 5.0? and what does it do??? I want my fans to turn on at a lower temperature,

 

The fan temperature switch is located on the passenger side of the engine, between the #6 and #8 cylinders. Because of its location near the exhaust manifolds, expect the connector to crumble in your hands when you remove it. Be prepared to cut and solder in a new connector at the same time.

The stock fan switch comes on around 225*-230*. You can get a new stock one for an '86-'87 Buick Grand National that comes on around 205*. Or you can get an aftermarket one that comes on around 185*.

I would also recommend a lower temp thermostat as well, when you install the new fan switch. The stock thermostat is 195*, and if you install a lower temp fan switch, the fan will be running all the time.

 

Thanks for very helpful info man. What about a 160* thermostat?

 

Too cold, stick with a 180

Unfortunatly the local supplier of the 180 fan switch can no longer get them.

So the best bet is the GN one.

 

I have a Hypertech 4028 (on at 200* off at 185*) fan switch and a 180* t-stat and once the car warms up the fan does not go off. Don and Kevin know a lot more than I do but I'm pretty sure the switch in the cylinder head only activate one of the cooling fans.

On the other hand,... the temp hasn't gone up to 220* since I installed them. It got close once, but I was charging some serious hills and it was over 100* that day.

P.S. In hindsight I would have taken the grand national switch. If I'm not mistaken its about 1/3 the price of the hypertech. You should be able to get it at any parts store. FYI: If the counter guy at the parts store can't find the switch in the computer tell him to look under air conditioning. I have no idea why air conditoning, but it took almost 45 min at CSK for the counter guy to figure it out. Maybe it will save you some time.

 

thanks guys for your advice, i drained the coolant so far and looking into that gn switch...

 

Have you considered the Derale fan controllers? They enable manually setting the temperatures to a wide range, providing cooler temps for hot weather and dialing in hotter temps for passing smog.

http://www.derale.com/basic/default.aspx

Does anyone have hands-on experience with these?

 

That sounds like a good idea if it works.

Am I missing something, can't find prices or where to buy on their site

 

You can go to Summit racing or Jegs to get one. As for smog, Just disconnect the relay to the main fan while the car is being smog.

 

So my car is equipped with dual fans, as many other fbodys, i noticed only one fan comes on at around 230* as mentioned by mikespeed. what gives?

 

Making the engine run even hotter than normal to reduce emissions is a tactic that makes a lot of sense to me. I've been considering bypassing the OEM fan sensors and relays on both my TPI with two fans, and my TBI with one fan, by using the external Derale temperature sensor and a separate wiring harness directly to the battery. This would enable regulating when the fans turn on and off independently from the computer, while still allowing the computer to change fuel-air ratios according to the engine temp. Personally, I've never liked the way the dual fans work or even the fans themselves, as they're not well designed. Any thoughts on this?

 

Which fan? Driver's side or passenger side?

 

drivers side comes on, passengers side stays off. is that normal? or do they turn on at different temps?

 

Well, heres what you need to do.

Get the front end of the car off the ground slide under and find the fan switch in the cylinder head on the passenger side.

Take the plug off of the switch; with a paperclip ground the wire to the block. (Make sure the engine is off, but have the key in the on position.) If nothing happens the fan may be bad.

If the fan comes on, the switch is bad.