Saturday's FI Solutions

[chikinhed]

Looks good. How does it sound?

I took it for a drive last night and listened for the fan because some one had commented that the euro fans are 'fricken loud' but I could just hear it at lower rpm. It was cool enough last night that I did not test the cooling capacity of the system. Track days and hot weather are coming and I'm fairly confident that the temps will be under control now.

[Matutino]

what were ur cruising temps before the fan upgrade?

[chikinhed]

what were ur cruising temps before the fan upgrade?

My cruising temps were / are at 190*F /88*C. My temps while driving were only a problem on the track and if I sat still for any length of time in traffic. On the track last year I couldn't do more than nine or ten laps before having to back off. Sitting in traffic my temps would go up to 200*F, not bad but showing that the electric fan was not adequate. I've done traffic with the euro fan and it stays at the thermostat temp of 190*F. I expect that my temps at the track will be under control now because I have put in a way thicker core rad, sealed it everywhere, installed an oil cooler, installed a new fan shroud with out any unnecessary holes along with the euro fan and new fan clutch. I've basically given it the double middle finger to any over heating that it could think of doing....... I hope.

I may have been able to find an electric fan with enough flow to work but then I would need to make a custom fan shroud and get a euro expansion tank and do the plumbing for that or make myself a custom expansion tank and so on. At this point I just want it to work so I can beat on the car for the summer.

[Matutino]

My cruising temps were / are at 190*F /88*C. My temps while driving were only a problem on the track and if I sat still for any length of time in traffic. On the track last year I couldn't do more than nine or ten laps before having to back off. Sitting in traffic my temps would go up to 200*F, not bad but showing that the electric fan was not adequate. I've done traffic with the euro fan and it stays at the thermostat temp of 190*F. I expect that my temps at the track will be under control now because I have put in a way thicker core rad, sealed it everywhere, installed an oil cooler, installed a new fan shroud with out any unnecessary holes along with the euro fan and new fan clutch. I've basically given it the double middle finger to any over heating that it could think of doing....... I hope.

I may have been able to find an electric fan with enough flow to work but then I would need to make a custom fan shroud and get a euro expansion tank and do the plumbing for that or make myself a custom expansion tank and so on. At this point I just want it to work so I can beat on the car for the summer.

Nice, your temp seems to be under control before, now should be even better.
Im now starting to drive my car, the temp gauge I installed shows 210F and almost 220F with A/C on seating in traffic.... dont know about cruising as I havent done any yet.
I went outside and noticed that the fan clutch isnt pulling enough air, Im hopping that replacing it would make a big difference.
I also noticed that the aux. electric fan does not work until reaching 215F or so...
Here is when the fun begings

[pbonsalb]

There is a heavier duty fan clutch made by ACM. I have one and tested it back to back against a new stock clutch and the ACM one pulls more air sooner.

The aux fan is triggered by a fan switch with a relatively high temp. You can adapt a 318i switch that is colder, though the harness connector on our cars does not fit perfectly.

[Colby Colbs]

Any link to the ACM unit?

[E30Alpina]

P/n on fan and fan clutch please

[acastillo]

There is a heavier duty fan clutch made by ACM. I have one and tested it back to back against a new stock clutch and the ACM one pulls more air sooner.

The aux fan is triggered by a fan switch with a relatively high temp. You can adapt a 318i switch that is colder, though the harness connector on our cars does not fit perfectly.

+1 to the ACM branded fan clutch and 318 switch. You can take it a step further and ground the high fan trigger wire at the 318 switch, run a wire thru the firewall, and to a switch in the cabin so that you can manually run it on high long before the switch activates.

This summer, I just have the high fan wire grounded so that its on high when the car is started. I've been experimenting to get my AC to blow cold sitting in traffic, but once the car has been sitting in the heat and restarted, the aux fan itself is not enough to cool the heat soaked condensor, even on high. My next step will be to move the 16" spal closer to the condensor, possibly shroud it, and throw on one of these diesel fans which hopefully will move more air than the US fan.

PN on the ACM clutch is the same, its just the brand that matters. I believe I bought mine from Pelican 3yrs ago, but when I looked last week I didn't see it there. I know AA sells it, but at a much higher price.

Im now starting to drive my car, the temp gauge I installed shows 210F and almost 220F with A/C on seating in traffic.... dont know about cruising as I havent done any yet.

Does your AC blow cold sitting in traffic? Like 4x degree cold?

[pbonsalb]

I bought mine from Pelican also, in 2010. I did not see the ACM brand listed at Pelican last time I checked. I would search the usual parts dealers to see if you can find one selling it.

I also connected the aux fan triggers to each other so that when the low ground circuit is completed at the sender, the high is also grounded. The sender wires are grounds that turn on the relays for high and low on the fan.

I do not use an in-car controller presently, but have a Dakota Digital programmable controller that runs off a head mounted sender I will be using when I fit my fully shrouded electric primary fan.

[acastillo]

I also connected the aux fan triggers to each other so that when the low ground circuit is completed at the sender, the high is also grounded. The sender wires are grounds that turn on the relays for high and low on the fan.

Thank you for this. Embarrassingly, I've had a good number of years working with 12v electronics, but because it's been so long, I'm rusty and didn't consider this option and just twisted the ground and high trigger at the switch. I've read that some have messed with the high/low wires directly at the fan, and found that when the trigger switches from low to high during high temps, the fan is not supplied 12v at all right when it's needed most. By jumping the low and high triggers before the relay, this is eliminated. And now I won't have to hear the loud Spal fan during morning cold starts and no A/C, when it's not needed. Again, thanks.

[Matutino]

;24588227
Does your AC blow cold sitting in traffic? Like 4x degree cold?

It blows cold, no issues so far BUT, reaching almost 220F seating in traffic is not what i like.

Thank you for this. Embarrassingly, I've had a good number of years working with 12v electronics, but because it's been so long, I'm rusty and didn't consider this option and just twisted the ground and high trigger at the switch. I've read that some have messed with the high/low wires directly at the fan, and found that when the trigger switches from low to high during high temps, the fan is not supplied 12v at all right when it's needed most. By jumping the low and high triggers before the relay, this is eliminated. And now I won't have to hear the loud Spal fan during morning cold starts and no A/C, when it's not needed. Again, thanks.

Please, explain how to do this wiring so I can do it to my stock AUX fan.

[acastillo]

It blows cold, no issues so far BUT, reaching almost 220F seating in traffic is not what i like.

ahhh, I know why... stock AUX fan. The Spal I have is unshrouded and sits 2" away from the condensor. And BTW, I too would not be comfortable at all with 220 temps.

Please, explain how to do this wiring so I can do it to my stock AUX fan.

it's very simple. Following pbonsalb's advice, go to the sensor on the top passenger side of the radiator and, for liability reasons, verify the 3 wires with a VOM. One will be ground (likely brown) and the other 2 will be high and low triggers that close the relays when ground is applied to them. You will simply strip say 1/4" of insulator off of each trigger wire, preferably with a tool I've pictured below or similar, and then twist the 2 wires together. The brown wire is left alone. Insulate as you see fit (solider, heatshrink, tape, etc).



Your Aux fan will now be on high even when triggered for low speed operation. Caution though...I vaguely recall reading FDK threads a long while back that even swapping out a 318 switch will cause the OEM aux fan to fail prematurely. I don't know if there's truth to this, but this would not only engage the fan early, but on high as well.

[MTrace]

I vaguely recall reading FDK threads a long while back that even swapping out a 318 switch will cause the OEM aux fan to fail prematurely. I don't know if there's truth to this, but this would not only engage the fan early, but on high as well.

Be cautious, My aux fan lasted about 6 months after doing this.

[chikinhed]

I couldn't find an ACM fan clutch so I bought an OEM one.

[lucky hare]

I have always wondered about the diesel fans intended rpm range.
Could a 7k redline hurt the fan?

[E30Alpina]

is the diesel clutch any thinner than a e36 one?

[pbonsalb]

Same clutch.

[Colby Colbs]

My electric fan is having issues as well. If I jump the switch with a paper clip it turns right on. All the wiring is good and its getting power. This is with the 318 switch... Gotta figure that out.

[chikinhed]

I've been driving for a while now with just the euro diesel fan as my aux fan failed. The temps have been fine unless I sit idling in a line up then the temps go up as high as 210*F. If I bring the rpm up to 1500 then the temps drop back down to 190*F fairly quickly. Once I replace the aux fan I should have totally stable temps. I'm replacing the 16" Spal pusher with two 11" Spal pullers mounted to the back side of my intercooler. I'll take some pics once I'm into that project.

I'm changing out the GT35R for a GTX35R and I noticed the Ireland Engineering engine mount on that side is loosing to the heat of the turbo & manifold. Ireland Engineering warned me that the mount should have some kind of heat shield but I took my chances and guess what, they were right.







I replaced the mount and made a proper heat shield for it this time.



Before installing the new turbo I thought I would taper the outlet of the compressor housing. The transition that was there was very abrupt.

[cragg56]

You should open it all up like this

[Colby Colbs]

^^^ you'd be there foreve and a day by hand and still not get it THAT good.

Nice work Chikinhed!

[cragg56]

^^^ you'd be there foreve and a day by hand and still not get it THAT good.

Nice work Chikinhed!

I know. I was just givin him some s$%t

[chikinhed]

Thanks. I'm trying to improve stuff as I go but I have a whole bunch of mods and parts being changed all to be done this week.

I finally got to work on the intercooler fan shroud. The depth of the shroud is about 3/4" installed and with the fans installed is about 3" total. The final fit on the car is tomorrows project.

[NY98M3]

^^^This man right here is a true fabricator!^^^

I always look forward to your post to see what your up to.

Did you change out the entire turbo or just the CHRA?

[chikinhed]

I changed out the whole turbo. I thought about using the same turbine housing so that I wouldn't have to modify the down pipe but I did it anyway. The down pipe needed a different v-band flange and about 11/32" removed for it to work. The Miller Diversion's torch with controls on it are great for tacking things up under the car especially when you're laying on your back under the car.