Author Topic: DIY Electric fan conversion (Read 112178 times)

kowalski · « **on:** March 10, 2006, 02:49:49 PM »

Materials:
•   14 inch fan
•   (optional) adjustable temp switch, with its own thermostat
•   a couple of crimp connectors the wire to wire ones (they look kind of like >===<)
•   7 feet of + wire
•   5 feet of – wire
•   2 crimp connectors for attaching to ground and power block
•   2 female crimp connectors to attach to temp switch
•   a bag of zip ties
•   if your using a used fan, get a fan mounting kit
•   electrical tape
•   Shrink Tube (optional)
•   A couple feet of plastic tubing you put wires into to make it look tidy
• A fuse, and in line fuse connector. (should be provided in the fan kit)

Tools:
•   13 mm socket
•   10 mm open end wrench
•   Good set of crimping pliers (you will regret it if you don’t use good crimpers), and good strippers, or you can use your teeth.
•   Philips bit, and drill
•   Flat screw driver for hose clamp.
•   Pliers to pull out the tabs that hold in the radiator
•   If your using shrink tube, a heat gun
•   7/64 allen key
•   Cutters
•   Sharpie
•   Philips screw driver

Note:
•   PM me if you have any questions about the instructions.

Procedure:
1.   Remove air box (2 10 mm bolts, the hose clamp holding on the air boot, and the electrical connector.)
2.   Pull out the pins that hold the fan shroud in.
3.   Remove the 4 13mm bolts that hold the fan onto the fan clutch.
4.   Remove the fan and the fan shroud together.
5.   Place fan in desired location, and mark the 4 mounting points with a sharpie
6.   Remove the 2 13mm retaining bolts that hold the radiator in.
7.   Take your 7/64 Allen key, and VERY carefully bend the fins so that the plastic mounting screws are able to slide through the radiator. (you do this on the marks you made with the sharpie.) Make sure the allen key is able to slide all the way through the radiator, it is a good idea to have the radiator bent slightly forward so that you can see when the allen key has gone through the radiator. (a couple of fins will break, just don’t be aggressive and it wont leak after)
8.   Go grab a beer, as you have just completed the most complicated step.
9.   It is time to mount your fan, open your fan mounting kit, and pop the long plastic bolts through the holes your just made, and finger tighten the plastic washer type nut onto the other side. If it did not supply you with a washer type nut, you will want to have a plastic washer in between the radiator and the nut so you don’t cause a leak.
10.   Take your cutters, and trim off the end of the plastic bolts, leaving at least an 1/8th of an inch.
11.   Pat yourself on the back, your fan is mounted
12.   If you are going to mount your temp control unit where I did, which I suggest you do. Then you are going to need to do this before you put your radiator back in place.
13.   Take your mounting braket, and place it in the desired location. Mark the 2 spots with your sharpie.
14.   Take the drill and drill the 2 screws into the dotted spots, and then take them out.
15.   Mount your temp control unit onto the braket, and screw it in place with the screw driver
16.   Put the radiator back in place, and put the 2 13mm retaining screws, and cap back on.
17.   Remove the hose clamp on the upper left radiator hose.
18.   Remove the upper radiator hose on the left, and drop your thermostat in.
19.   Put the host back on, and tighten the hose clamp
20.   coil up your extra line electrical tape it up, and zip tie it to the mounting braket for the temp control unit
21.   Remove front grills, Kidney’s, and the headlight covers (the plastic covers in the engine bay that cover up the headlights) 2 philips scres on each grill, 3 metal tabs on the top of each grill. 2 metal tabs on top of the kindey’s and it should pull out.
22.   Run your positive wire from your power block, (battery for you cabbie owners) and then run it down the passenger side, up to the headlight, feed it towards where the grills would be. There is wires running just below the metal ridge, feel around for it and use their retaining clips to hold the wire in place. Run it along and feed it through on driver side of the light assembly. attach a fuse here with an inline fuse connector. then Connect to + post on your temp control unit. You can use your plastic tidy tube to hide the wire.
23.   Run your + wire from your fan down and zip tie it to a clip on your radiator, and make it run under the lower hose, and hide it as best you can. Bring it up and into the headlight assembly area and feed it up to your other post on the temp control unit.
24.   Follow the + wire off the fan up into the headlight assembly area, and run it down the drivers side back to the hood mount. Undo the 10mm bolt there, and put a connector on, and put the bolt back in. use your black plastic tidy tube, and put the wire in it.
25.   Tape up exposed connections, if you have shrink tube, then use that. Use a couple zip ties to make sure all the wires are secure.
26.   Put headlight covers back on, grills and kidney’s back on.
27.   If you lost any anti freeze, top it up
28.   Start car, test your fan, and set the temp for when it comes on.

bmwman91 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 14, 2006, 01:14:36 AM »

Good writeup. I demand pics though.

Is the electric fan noisy at all, in comparison to the stocker? Did you see it possible to reinstall the shroud after? The shroud helps the fan work more efficiently on the radiator.

kowalski · « **Reply #2 on:** March 14, 2006, 02:41:46 AM »

Quote from: bmwman91

Good writeup. I demand pics though.

Is the electric fan noisy at all, in comparison to the stocker? Did you see it possible to reinstall the shroud after? The shroud helps the fan work more efficiently on the radiator.

it has a built in shroud on the fan, but i supposed you could put the shroud on if you wanted too. the fan does more then enough tho... ill attach some pics for you guys here.

edit: again sorry, forgot i don't have any pics on this computer, they're all on my ipod...

http://spaces.msn.com/318isftw/Photos/PersonalSpace.aspx?owner=1 you can get a look at it on there to get the general idea.

edit again: as to the noise, you can hear the fan if your outside the car standing by the hood, you can't hear it in the cab tho, or if the windows are down. the cooling is awsome, i'v been running it for a few months now and i have yet to see a problem arise, also with the temp adjustment switch i can set the fan to come on whenever i want.

tim_s · « **Reply #3 on:** March 14, 2006, 05:03:19 PM »

this can be done much more effectively and tidily by doing it through the fusebox etc.
surprised you're not using a relay and are switching the +ve too... and why've you left the viscous coupling on the car?
hth
tim

kowalski · « **Reply #4 on:** March 14, 2006, 06:30:28 PM »

Quote from: tim_s

this can be done much more effectively and tidily by doing it through the fusebox etc.
surprised you're not using a relay and are switching the +ve too... and why've you left the viscous coupling on the car?
hth
tim

i havn't had time to take it off, or the motivation latley. school is stressful right now... i supposed you could use an inline relay for the switch but its not neccisary as the switch itself is a relay, and is built to handle the power. its fairly tidey, the only thing you can see this way is the little temp unit, other then that everything is hidden.

nickmpower · « **Reply #5 on:** March 14, 2006, 07:34:54 PM »

the shroud is unessary because the electric fan will be a very short distance from the rad, as apposed to the stock one that is like half a foot away

KidneyBoy · « **Reply #6 on:** March 22, 2006, 09:42:38 PM »

What brand adjustable temp switch did you use? and where did you get it?

kowalski · « **Reply #7 on:** March 23, 2006, 08:27:33 PM »

i got it at lordco, i forget the brand tho... i might be able to find out tomorrow, and i could probably get the P/N?

bmwman91 · « **Reply #8 on:** March 24, 2006, 12:38:15 PM »

Sweet. I smell a weekend project brewing over here.

Was there any noticeable increase in throttle response (well, I guess you'd be after a DECREASE in throttle response time :p )?

Vladi · « **Reply #9 on:** April 04, 2006, 02:48:37 AM »

I've taken out my viscous coupling and i'm currently running only on the A/C electric fan which does the job very well. I plan to install a separate electric fan close to summer.

kowalski · « **Reply #10 on:** April 04, 2006, 04:04:22 AM »

Quote from: bmwman91

Sweet. I smell a weekend project brewing over here.

Was there any noticeable increase in throttle response (well, I guess you'd be after a DECREASE in throttle response time :p )?

hahaha:D yeah there was a pretty noticable difference actualy, well worth it in my opinion.

christophbmw · « **Reply #11 on:** April 04, 2006, 07:39:13 PM »

What kind of draw (or load) does it put on the radiator? Have you tested it yet? Im just curious because i was thinking about doing an electric fan but the stock, motor powered one is so simple, and i bought the car for simplicity. I dont want to add another thing that can break. But if its REALLY noticable I'll give it a try.

asubimmer · « **Reply #12 on:** April 04, 2006, 07:59:57 PM »

well I was planning on using my stock acc fan. rewiring it to a switch so I can turn it on whenever. its quiet, anyone know if it will be able to flow enough?

naika · « **Reply #13 on:** November 24, 2009, 04:00:38 PM »

bringing this back from the dead

Anybody has pics of an install through the fuse box?
I have my electric fan, and want to see where I can install the temp switch and all the wiring to make it work without problems.
Thanks

visionracingdevelopments · « **Reply #14 on:** December 16, 2009, 07:18:17 AM »

I wired mine from a spare fuse slot in the box, took one wire to the O/S, fitted a small relay and fuse holder and wired it all through that. I used a 2 stage OE BMW thermo switch which screwed into the rad (not all rads have the boss ion the side). Neet snough and you can't see it with the headlight covers fitted.