HOW-TO: 97-03 Electric fan conversion

Discussion in 'Tech Info' started by Pity7700, May 28, 2012.

  1. Pity7700

    Pity7700 oh umm...uhh?

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    Items needed:

    -Electric fan. the fan i got is out of a 2000 Ford Windstar with the 3.8L V6. it is a dual fan set up with a high and low speed fan. i beleive the 95 taurus has the same fan. i paid $22 for it at a self pull yard.

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    -Fan controller. I used a Derale probe style controller. it can handle two fan with a continuous draw of 25 amps. all wiring needed is included in kit as well as ring terminals and butt connectors.
    Amazon.com: Derale 16759 Adjustable Fan Controller: Automotive

    -Fan puller tool. your local parts store should rent out the tool.
    -hack saw


    The purpose of converting to an electric fan is to take some load off of the engine by removing the belt driven radiator fan. this will have a slight increase in gas mileage, minimal power increase and a longer water pump life. i think it also give a cleaner look because the factory radiator shroud is no longer needed. i have read that combined these two fans are rated at 4000 CFMs. i dont know how accurate or true this statement is but i have had no problems with overheating.

    -----NOTE---- Before starting the install make sure the fan works. get some test leads and run it to a battery. check to make sure both fans run.


    1. first thing youll need to do is get the factory radiator fan uninstalled. rent a fan puller kit from your local auto store. to remove the fan you need to put the proper fork around the nuts on the water pump. take the other fork and put it on the big nut on the fan shaft. sorry for the lack of pictures but this part is pretty easy to figure out. i found it easier to use a pair of channel locks insted around the shaft. i was able to get more leverage.

    im this picure you can see the nuts on the water pump to the left this is where you put the bigger fork in the kit, the other goes on the big nut infront of the water pump.

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    set the fan and the shroud aside.

    2. once the fan and shroud are taken out test fit the electric fan to the radiator. the factory bolts for the original fan shroud will work on the left side (drivers side) of the truck. the right side you can either zip tie it tightly or make a small bracket for it. which every you prefer. i zip tied it. when test fitting the fan you will notice that there are a couple tabs on the fan shroud that will need to be trimmed. take a hack saw and cut them off.

    drivers side
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    passenger
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    3. once you have the fan test fitted and cut to size its time to start the wiring. i would reccomend taking the fan out to wire the motors up. i wired it while it was installed and found it difficult.

    The fan controller comes with complete instructions on wiring.

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    first thing you gotta do is figure out where youre going to mount your control module. i mounted mine right to the fan shroud with the screws included in the kit. i took a drill bit and drilled a hole big enough to get the tip of the screw in, you dont want to drill it too big. drill it just big enough for the tip and then screw it in letting the screw make the hole bigger. this will allow you to get a tight fit. be carefull not to tighten it too much causing the screw to become loose and spin.

    i think this location is perfect. remember when choosing a locatioin to choose one in reach so you can adjust the temperature setting screw on the module.
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    when you find your locatioin mount it and start wiring the controller. in the kit they give you a harness that plugs into the module. the harness consists of a yellow wire, green wire, red fused wire and a black wire as well as a black wire with a female plug on it for the thermo probe. The fan you will want to hook up to this controller is fan on the right. this is the low speed fan. the fan on the left is the high speed fan. (keep reading on options for hooking the highspeed fan up)

    The RED fused wire needs to be connected to the BLACK (-) lead on the fan. ((if you want to hook both fans up to this controller hook this wire to the black lead on both fans. i did not do this. i didnt want both fans coming on at one time and i am unsure about the amperage draw for these fans together. the controller can only handle two fans of 25 amp continuous draw)

    The YELLOW (+) wire had to be connected to a switched ignition wire. this is any wire that shows power when the key is turned, no power during start and power while the truck is running. i tied mine inot one of my ignition wires for my remote starter. what this wire does is turns the module on. If you hook this wire to a wire that has 12V constantly the fans will run after the truck is turned off causing the battery to die. under the dash there should be a DARK BLUE/LIGHT GREEN wire that you can tie this YELLOW wire into. Always test your wire before splicing. this wire should show power when key is on and power when truck is running.

    The GREEN wire is optional. this wire allows you to either hook up a switch so you can turn the fans on regardless of the temp or you can hook the wire up to the A/C to have the fan come on when you turn the A/C on. since this is a dual fan system i dont see a point in hooking this fan up to the A/C since its going to run most of the time anyways and you have another fan you can hook up to come on when the A/C is turned on.

    The BLACK wire needs to be wired to a good ground with provided ring terminal.

    i grounded all my wires to the hold down for the jack tool
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    The kit also includes a loose RED wire. this RED wire needs to be hooked to the positive lead on the fan(s) and to the + battery post.

    Plug the thermo probe into the harness and insert the probe into the radiator. it may take a little force to get it through the fins. push it all the way through so its sticking about 1/4" out the other side of the radiator.

    once everything is wired make sure all the wires are secure and away from moving parts. it wouldnt hurt to get a couple clips and screw them into the shroud to hold the wires in place. i just took the other screw included in the kit and screwed it in to the shroud and zip tied all the wires together and around this screw.
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    tried to hide the wires the best i could. might go back over it when i have more time.
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    if everything is secure turn the truck on and allow it to heat up till the fans come on. if you have an EDGE or a temp gauge have someone watch the gauge and tell you what temp its showing. on the module there is a small black rubber plug. take the plug off. under the plug is a small screw. this screw controls the temp for the fan to come on. let the truck run till the fan comes on. when it comes on look at the temp and note it. turn the truck off and let it cool down a bit. if you want to have the fan come on at a lower temp than it did turn the truck on and turn the nut slowly COUNTER CLOCKWISE until the fan comes on. turn CLOCKWISE for a higher temp. if you have a temp gauge or Programmer have someone watch the temp on the gauge/Programmer and turn the screw SLOWLY till it comes on at desired temp.

    OPTIONS FOR HIGHSPEED FAN WIRING

    you can do the highspeed fan a few different ways. you can hook it up to this controller like i stated above OR you can do it one of two ways.

    1. buy another Derale controller and hook this one up the same way you did the other one except when installing the probe have it set at a higher temp so and you can hook it up to come on when the A/C is turned on or to an AUX switch.

    2. Hook the fan up to an AUX switch with a heavy duty relay and good wiring so you can turn the fan on freely when you want. (how i did it)

    Hope this write up helps yalls. please let me know if i left anything out or if you hvae any questions. im going to try and get an amp reading tomorrow and a few more pics of a couple things.
     
    Last edited: Jun 3, 2012
  2. ak_cowboy

    ak_cowboy Penguin Hunter

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    Awesome write-up :peace:
     
  3. Pity7700

    Pity7700 oh umm...uhh?

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    so far i have noticed an increase in gas mileage. possibly 1 -2 mpg. not huge but still an increase.

    my edge reading the other day.

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    i think i deleted the other pic i took of it hitting 15.7 AMPG that night. not sure if this increase may have a little to do with the fact that ive also been running 93 octane.
     
  4. str8t six

    str8t six never enough

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    great how-to chris!! :peace:
     
  5. HammerDown

    HammerDown Pin It To Win It

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    nice write up :peace:
     
  6. Pity7700

    Pity7700 oh umm...uhh?

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    thanks guys. i gotta snap a few more pictures of a couple things and maybe run an amp draw on the fans. this heat today is fricken nuts...i might decide to swim around in the pool all day instead of playing with the truck. its like 92 and very humid. im sure youve got similar weather josh lol.
     
    Last edited: May 28, 2012
  7. str8t six

    str8t six never enough

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    actually its 67 up here and sunny :)
     
  8. str8t six

    str8t six never enough

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    hey chris, where did you ground your fans? did you ground them separately or together in one spot? What size wire did you use to do it.
     
    Last edited: Jun 2, 2012
  9. Pity7700

    Pity7700 oh umm...uhh?

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    knew i forgot something! i grounded both wires using 10 gauge wire to the hold-down for the tire jack tool. i still gotta get a few more picutes of some stuff. ill see if i can get them tomorrow
     
  10. str8t six

    str8t six never enough

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    ok, im in the middle of my fan install and now its on hold because i dont have enough wire :flame:
     

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