G.T

I've just noticed that the radiator fan turns off soon as the car is turned off and regardless how hot the engine is!

i find that rather strange, as i'd expect the fans to stay on for a certain amount of time if the coolant temperature is above a certain level.. but apparently that's not the case on the mustangs.

apart from a Turbo timer.. does anyone know of a good solution to keep the fans on for a set amount of time, or till the coolant temperature hits a certain threshold (say 160F) or if the battery voltage drops?

i'd love to have something like that!

281GT

Something like that would be easy to design a circuit that uses a temp sensor, couple of relays and a 555 timer IC. This is a very good idea. I think I will put my electronics background to work and see what I can come up with.

metroplex

Ford hasn't done that on any of the e-fans used for the past 10 years, so I don't expect a different system for the S197.

theedge67

That would be useless without an electric water pump. If the engine is not running, the coolant is not circulating. The only thing that is being cooled by the fan at that point is what is in the radiator, not in the engine.

G.T

Steve.. that's a very valid point.. sadly :\

but with the lack of proper vents in the average hood, and the very tightly sealed cowl screen.. i'd think even the fan alone would make a bit of a difference!
i've seriously parked my car in the shade at times for 4-5 hours, and came back to find to find it still warm and ready to go :\

theedge67

A few years ago me and my father had a 75 mustang drag car, and it had electric water pump and fans on seperate switches, so I could control them independently. That was nice, ultimate control of temp, especially since it didn't have a thermostat to regulate itself.

I found that if I left the pump and fan on with the hood closed, it could take 15-20 minutes to cool the engine to a reasonable temp. With the hood removed, it would only take about 5. So I think the biggest problem is lack of venting. As long as you don't have any overheating problems, I wouldn't worry too much about it. All you will do is drain your battery. (remember the fans pull about 300watts on high).

theedge67

A little off topic, but does anyone know what speed the fan is going when the a/c is on? The car has a 2 speed fan, but I think I've only ever heard it on one speed...not sure if that is the high or low speed.

G.T

i actually had to set my highspeed fan trigger temp to 180F.. and for the first time i heard it
you can't miss it.. it's pretty loud.

i believe the stock calibration has that somewhere over 210F

06GT4RAD

This is correct and having it run is pointless not to mention it could very well run the battery down fast if left on to long. These fans pull a large amount of current when running.

Richard

theedge67

yes, 214F low speed, 225F high speed.

metroplex

The bulk of the air flow used for serious cooling comes from moving around. I recall that if the air dam on the C5 and C6 vette is damaged, the engine can overheat.

don_w

I know it's not what the original poster wanted, but I do have my fan wired up to a switch where I can turn the it on without the engine running. And with the key in the on position, the electric water pump also runs, so I can cool the car down dramatically in about 5 minutes. Awesome set-up for the track!!

theedge67

Yes Don that is an awesome track setup!

metroplex

You can use an electric intercooler pump for a supercharger and rig it so you can manually circulate the coolant for the heat exchanger and intercooler as well as turn on the electric fan so you can cool down the supercharger cooling system while you wait in the staging lanes.

SixtySix

Yeah, but when it's 120 in the shade, what do you expect

don_w

Yep, mine does that too... both intercooler fluid and radiator coolant circulate while the fan is running (with the engine off).

Sharky

+1... I was thinking the same thing.

metroplex

Stock 07 GT is 216F low speed (208F off), 228F high speed (224F off).