[Wayne Parrish]

Howdy ! Got a couple of questions for you guys ,and gals ! I have a 86 with a fresh alternator that I think I remember to be a 95 amp version. I am thinking of installing a Lincoln Mk two speed fan as the primary cooling and wondered if anyone has installed a similar fan with this size alternator ? Number two. Has anyone installed a second battery as added buffer for a electric fan ? I use my El everyday and don't care about quickest times to the next stoplight,only fuel savings and dependability. That said ,feedback would be welcome. Thks, WP

 

[greywolf]

I wouldn't bother with a second battery.
I swapped an LT1 engine, 4L60E trans, all the computer setup, and electric fan into my '84. And the standard size battery works just fine to feed all that.

 

[Wayne Parrish]

Thanks for the reply,BUT, what size alternator are you running ? Thks

 

[greywolf]

Had to go look that up because I never checked -- it just came with the engine as a package deal. That's why I started with your second question. It's 105 amp.

 

[Wayne Parrish]

Greywolf, Thanks for the trouble you went to. I will need to re-check my alt. also to make sure of its output. If its at least a 100 amps I think I'm home free. I am not running any high draw equip. on mine and have none to install in the future,except possibly the Mk fan. I need to check my battery also for its age and capacity . Thks again. WP

 

[ssr71]

I agree... skip the second battery. A 95 amp alternator is not going to have any problems keeping up with that kind of load. Properly adjusted fans also won't be running when you're moving at normal road speeds (30 mph+) as there's more air flow from driving than the fans can pull in anyway.

 

[Wayne Parrish]

Thanks ssr71. Now I need to find the best controller for my fan . I tried for a couple of weeks to get dccontrol to return e-mails and finally gave up ! What a bunch of poor customer service people !! WP

 

[ccc]

my 84 camaro has twin electrics and runs the factory 94 amp with no charge issues even at idle.the volt meter dips the instant the fans come on but bounces right back instantly

 

[Wayne Parrish]

Does anyone have any recomendations on a controller other than the dccontroller ? I have had absolutely,and I do mean ABSOLUTELY,no response from them and have e-mailed them at least 10 times. WP

 

[Jack_K]

I have the Ford 2-speed fan in my '80. I also have a stock alternator from AZ. Even when the fan goes on high speed (set for 210*) I have good voltage.

I made my own fan controller. I have 2 temperature sensor switches, one that switches at 180* and the other switches at 210*. One mounts in the driver's side head and the other in the passenger side head. Got 'em on eBay. I found a double relay on eBay. It has 2 relays connected together. Be sure at least one of the relays has all 5 contacts and not just 4. Some don't have contact #87a. They should have a normally open and a normally closed contact (Double-throw).

I mounted the parts shown in the attached drawing on a 3"x5" piece of aluminum I had. Mounted the whole thing to a lip on the bottom of the battery tray near the radiator. That way the wires from the battery and to the fan can be kept short. I used #10 wire that I got at Radio Shack (red and black wires). Of course, the wires from the temperature switches can be much smaller size. I used #18 or #20 wire size for those wires.

The relays are wired to insure you never have both the high speed and low speed of the fan on at the same time.

Jack

 

[Lindsay]

Flex-a-Lite Controller

I'm going with a Flex-a-Lite 31165 for my installation of a Mark VIII fan next weekend. It's a kit that's received good reviews with Lincoln fan installations. The DC guy does not reply (have emailed him with no reply), makes a good product from what I understand with few failures, but you're handcuffed because you never know when you're going to receive it. The Flex-a-Lite should handle the draw of the fan and it starts the fan at 50 percent power, then ramps up.
I have an Advanced Auto Powermaster 140 Amp alternator (CS130). It needs to be re-clocked. I'm also adding a (+) and (-) 4 gauge in and 8-10 gauge out terminal blocks for additional circuits and add redundancy to the engine and chassis grounds.
My choice to install the fan is a whole other story. I can report on the installation later, if anyone is interested.

 

[darbysan]

Here's a link to Gmachinz website. The link is for his MarkVIII relay/harness package, but it's worth digging around on his site for other stuff.

http://stores.therelaycenter.com/-strse-25/Electric-fan-dual-speed/Detail.bok

 

[Wayne Parrish]

Darbysan, Do you think the two speed relay setup works out as good or as quiet as the variable start type setups ? Is this what you are using ? I have a fairly stock later 305/Vortec headed engine and it gets only street use with economy in mind so this sounds as if it may be a good combo. . Thanks for the feedback, Wayne

 

[darbysan]

I had the variable kind on mine for a while ( SPAL) but it finally died. It worked OK when it was working, but the MarkVIII fans pull a lot of power, and I guess it just wasn't up to the task. The Flexalite module mentioned above looks like a good idea- just don't know about the power draw. The MarkViii can pull 70 amps on start-up. Gmachinz ( the guy with the website) has done a lot of work with the MarkVIII, so I trust his stuff.

Personally, for now, I am running a large draw solenoid ( like you would use for an audio amp), and run the fan on high whenever it is called for. I do this partly because my MarkViii I have installed is a single speed. I have a 2-speed replacement handy, but just haven't gotten around to installing it yet. When I do, I will probably follow the wiring diagram shown here:
http://www.montecarloss.com/community/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=672826#Post672826

 

[goodcruiser]

If your running single speed dual fans you can use the A/C relay from a mid 80's Camaro or firebird(get the bracket and the connector at the dismantlers) then wire the two small wire to a keyed power source.For the two heavy wires one goes to a fuse then to the possitive side of the battery and the other one goes to the fans(connected for the correct fan rotation) the other wire from the fan will be fan ground(s)take fan ground from each fan and connect it to a temp sensor(s)one that turns on at 180 degrees and the other to come on at a higher temp(let's say about 210).Doing it this way will control your fans just fine and i've been using this setup for a good number of years with no failures.
I have never used a Mark viii fan so I don't how good this system would work with them because I try to choose a fan setup that moves the most air with the lowest amp draw I can find,usually about 2600cfm and 30 amp or less draw.
On engines that will not accomodate more than one sensor I buy a variable speed controller,the one i'm using right now is one made by Flexalite and so far i've had no problems with it,but time will tell,i've only been using it for two years.
And by the way unless you've got a big audio system the stock charging system should be fine with one battery.

 

[Wayne Parrish]

I got a reply from my e-mail to Brian at DCControl and i'm waiting for a reply to another question I had. Maybe someone here can answer one of my questions. It appears that with the DCControl you use the high speed fan side only and it simply varies the speed of that one winding. Or ,if i wanted to use both speed windings I would need to go the relay route ? thks

 

[Wayne Parrish]

Brian just answered my question and yes the high speed side of the fan is the only one used for the variable speed controllers. I will be ordering one right away.Thanks for everyones feedback !