I "fixed" my overheating problem by installing a Derale electric fan and SPAL thermostatic relay kit. This fan lasted about 3 days before seizing up, burning the fuse, and leaving me stranded in San Francisco today. I smelled something burning (the fan) then looked at the temperature gauge which was spiked at a number that I don't even want to think about- it ended up puking out coolant shortly after. The Derale instructions recommend a 30 amp fuse to run the fan which I initially installed. The fuse actually blew the moment the fans kicked in when I first installed everything, so I used one of the 40 amp fuses that came with the SPAL kit. This should have been red flag #1.
In defense of Derale, the fan did in fact solve my overheating at idle issue, it would kick on at 195* and shut off at 185*. However, it's only effective when it's not seized! When I got home, the fan was stuck, but I put a little pressure on the blades which freed them up and allowed the fan to spin again. Bench testing it showed that it would turn on, but I don't trust it.
I've ordered a SPAL fan to replace it. At least the weather was nice out today. I was actually running (literally running) around San Francisco looking for a store that carried fuses. I ended up finding a few people parked with some classic Impalas, one of them had a spare 40 amp fuse and graciously gave it to me. Alas, the fuse wasn't the issue. Lesson learned: keep spare blade fuses in the car! (I keep the glass kind, but didn't have any blade fuses).
Alright, that is the same fan I have. Like I said earlier, it's loud, but I guess that's a small price to pay. I've also got mine mounted on a shroud, so that takes up another 1/2" or so. Honestly though, I think the shroud probably isn't necessary, andI think it hurts my cooling ability a little while driving at highway speed. I do remember reading somewhere while I was choosing my setup that SPAL measures CFM while sucking through a radiator, and at 12v. Other companies were using tricks like testing CFM with nothing in front of the fan, and at 14.5v to be able to claim such absurd numbers. I also remember reading one article that essentially called out those companies, explaining that it is impossible to move that much air with a 12v motor, and only draw x amount of current. The math is actually pretty simple in that it takes a certain amount of power to move a given amount of air.
Oh, and a little off subject, but if you're still looking for a small body high amp alt., do a little research in the car stereo world. We used to run 2nd alts. with big systems just to try to combat voltage drop. It's been so long now that I don't remember what we used, but a small body was always a concern for us.
I really hope you have better luck than I do. Going through the reviews, it looks like I'm not the only one with issues, evidently Derale has some serious QC issues.
The fan I pulled off is locked SOLID! Unbelievable.
I installed a FIXED mechanical fan on the car today, all seems well so far with no overheating issues (or torched fans). I might end up ditching the idea of an electric fan entirely on this car.
The attached picture is my flex a lite 118 fan. It’s about a1/2 inch thicker than your derale fan.
I don’t have enough hours in it to determine reliability but so far so good.
I just sent an email to Derale with videos of the fan smoking/locked up- I'm curious to see what they're going to do from here. I'm rather upset that I've now used 2 of my free AAA tows because of these horrendous fans.
Hagerty for the win! I hope you get it sorted. When does your new fan arrive? And are there any VMF members local to you that might be able to donate a little space in their driveway to work on it? If you were near me, you'd be more than welcome to come over and wrench.
Jgrote, I genuinely appreciate the offer! I would have gladly taken you up on it if I was closer. The campus parking lot was fine for the fan swap, I didn't attract too much attention LOL.
I actually ordered the mechanical fan and the SPAL during the tow truck drive back to campus :lol:.
The fans came in two days later- I ended up installing a 6 blade 18" fixed mechanical Derale fan (ironically). Using a 1.5" spacer, there's around 3/4" of space between the radiator and closest part of the fan. So far it seems okay, but I don't like how it's running 100% of the time. Evidently it needs to in order to stay cool at idle. Temperature still seems to begin creeping up at idle as it reached 205* after about 30 minutes of straight idling in about 65* weather. Well within my comfort limit, but in an ideal world it would hover around 195* all the time. I'm curious how it will fair in hotter weather and longer idle times.
It's stone cold once moving, like 170* which seems too low IMO.
Derale told me that Summit will issue me a refund for the fried electric fan, but they wanted information on my wiring setup along with pictures for their own notes. We'll see what they say.
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