mercury villager electric fan swap
#41
Contributing Member
Yeah, I found a bunch of 40amp relays with diodes on ebay once so most of the relays I used on my truck have diodes. It adds some protection for very little additional cost, so go for it. Seems to me they are very important when something is controlled by say the ECU where a feedback voltage spike could take out the ECU.
#42
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Wiring wise for the load side wiring 12AWG stranded will work but it is only rated for 20A (at 120V [more than what you are going to get out of the batt. IK]) 10AWG stranded is rated for 30A and will run much more efficiently with less resistance. This is why all (or most) of the headlamp wiring upgrade kits use 10AWG to get the full rated output from the headlights.
The switch circuit load is very light maybe 1-2A at best so 18AWG is ok but 16AWG is much easier to work with and being a little heavier can handle vibration and temperature variations better.
edit: if you check the second link in Goat's post above you will see that switching the ground side of the relay is much more efficient then switching the + side and will also only need to have 1 extra wire going through the firewall rather than two. You only need to do this if you are running a switch in the cab to shut down the fan for water fording and so on.
The switch circuit load is very light maybe 1-2A at best so 18AWG is ok but 16AWG is much easier to work with and being a little heavier can handle vibration and temperature variations better.
edit: if you check the second link in Goat's post above you will see that switching the ground side of the relay is much more efficient then switching the + side and will also only need to have 1 extra wire going through the firewall rather than two. You only need to do this if you are running a switch in the cab to shut down the fan for water fording and so on.
Last edited by aviator; 01-04-2010 at 08:11 AM.
#44
Contributing Member
From this chart, it shows 12 awg is good for this purpose. It's all about the length.
http://www.offroaders.com/tech/12-vo...gauge-amps.htm
http://www.offroaders.com/tech/12-vo...gauge-amps.htm
#45
Registered User
I got around to making this mod happen today. I found out that the brand new villager fan fits inside of the stock Toyota radiator shroud, with some slight modification with the sawz-all. I basically cut all the flanges off the new fan, leaving it with a rectangular shape that fits very well inside the stock shroud. I just used 4 bolts with spacers to sink it closer to the radiator, so that the electric motor would not contact the fan pully or the radiator. I could have a bit better, but ended up with about 1/2" clearance. It works.
For lack of time today, I just wired it up directly to the battery instead of having it power off with the ignition. I have a new water temp gauge that I have added two indicator lights onto for high & low fan so I know exactly what's going on. That will happen on another day.
So far though, it has tamed the noisy beast A LOT! It's only now a matter of finding where to adjust the radiator temperature switch for the best cooling, and least electric fan usage.
Thanks to all who contributed to this thread!
For lack of time today, I just wired it up directly to the battery instead of having it power off with the ignition. I have a new water temp gauge that I have added two indicator lights onto for high & low fan so I know exactly what's going on. That will happen on another day.
So far though, it has tamed the noisy beast A LOT! It's only now a matter of finding where to adjust the radiator temperature switch for the best cooling, and least electric fan usage.
Thanks to all who contributed to this thread!
#46
Registered User
Can someone measure the mercury villager fan, how tall and how wide it is, i have a lincoln mark 8 fan and if its close to the mercury villager fan then i will use it for my fan swap.
#50
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I don't know how thick a Taurus fan is. The Villager fan/shroud is about 3" thick, I believe.
I'm going to start on this as soon as I get my controller situation figured out, and when the weather gets a little nicer. Maybe in a week, or two I'll start. I'll do a write up when I'm done.
I'm going to start on this as soon as I get my controller situation figured out, and when the weather gets a little nicer. Maybe in a week, or two I'll start. I'll do a write up when I'm done.
#51
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few simple rules to follow making the efan swap
1.use good relays
2.good cables
3.use a manual thermo switch
4.be secure of having a 16 to 17 inch dual speed fan most of them come from big engines
5.make a manual on off circuit just in case you are deep diving or hill climb a must with auto tranny
6.mantain clean the engine and the cooling system,this is the most important part a dirty cooling system will not work well.
7.check your battery make sure is in good cond and apropiated for your vehicle
8.most of 4runners and pickups with clutch fan came with 70 to 80 amps alternator,so a heavy sound system and efan will draw to much amps hurting the alt.
9.if you still want to have both the efan and a heavy sound system get a gel battery and a camry 3vz -fe alternator it produces 120 to 130 amps the only problem is that you need to modify "bored out" the 3vz alt damper to fit the camry alt shaft.plugs are the same.
following this rules will minimize headaches and the swap will last probably more tahn your truck sooooo happy mudding!!!!!! pals
1.use good relays
2.good cables
3.use a manual thermo switch
4.be secure of having a 16 to 17 inch dual speed fan most of them come from big engines
5.make a manual on off circuit just in case you are deep diving or hill climb a must with auto tranny
6.mantain clean the engine and the cooling system,this is the most important part a dirty cooling system will not work well.
7.check your battery make sure is in good cond and apropiated for your vehicle
8.most of 4runners and pickups with clutch fan came with 70 to 80 amps alternator,so a heavy sound system and efan will draw to much amps hurting the alt.
9.if you still want to have both the efan and a heavy sound system get a gel battery and a camry 3vz -fe alternator it produces 120 to 130 amps the only problem is that you need to modify "bored out" the 3vz alt damper to fit the camry alt shaft.plugs are the same.
following this rules will minimize headaches and the swap will last probably more tahn your truck sooooo happy mudding!!!!!! pals
#52
I just called and ordered a used one (90 day warranty), they didn't have any new ones. $30 for the fan and $20 for shipping. Heh, can't wait to get it here and install it. My fan clutch sucks and is squeaking a brand new belt! POS.
#53
Registered User
Regarding buying a fan:
We have a chain of salvagers called "Pull-A-Part". They show inventory on line. I went there one day, and looked at almost 20 Villagers and Quests in 93-95 and they ALL were missing the radiator and fan.
So....
You can have their system notify you when a certain vehicle comes in.... I received a call from their computer this morning, the robot said Villagers and Quests had arrived. I headed straight to the yard at lunch and harvested 3 fans. You need a 10mm socket or wrench, a wire cutter, and or/ a serrated knife (be careful), and a phillips screwdriver. Remove the upper radiator hose. There is a 10mm nut on each of the top corners to remove. Then cut the wires going to the connectors, creating a pigtail, so you can splice to them. Finally, there are three places down below where wires are zip-tied to the shroud, and you have to cut them off. You might have to drop to the ground and get them from underneath the car. Pull the fan up and out. Its tight, requires a little finesse, but its not difficult.
$13 each! Worth the effort.
We have a chain of salvagers called "Pull-A-Part". They show inventory on line. I went there one day, and looked at almost 20 Villagers and Quests in 93-95 and they ALL were missing the radiator and fan.
So....
You can have their system notify you when a certain vehicle comes in.... I received a call from their computer this morning, the robot said Villagers and Quests had arrived. I headed straight to the yard at lunch and harvested 3 fans. You need a 10mm socket or wrench, a wire cutter, and or/ a serrated knife (be careful), and a phillips screwdriver. Remove the upper radiator hose. There is a 10mm nut on each of the top corners to remove. Then cut the wires going to the connectors, creating a pigtail, so you can splice to them. Finally, there are three places down below where wires are zip-tied to the shroud, and you have to cut them off. You might have to drop to the ground and get them from underneath the car. Pull the fan up and out. Its tight, requires a little finesse, but its not difficult.
$13 each! Worth the effort.
Last edited by misterzee; 01-21-2010 at 01:45 PM.
#54
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I'm still waiting for a break in the weather to start on mine. So far, it looks like I should be building an arc rather than swapping a fan. Whenever this rain stops, I'll try to get started.
#56
Registered User
From what ive read, some of the electric fans can draw 100 amps or more on start up and then drop down to around 30 amps or so when there running. I just bought a 160 amp toyota alternator for my 86 4Runner to replace the stock 60 amp alternator, and i also plan on doing an electric fan swap, so the new alternator should help out alot in powering the new electric fan.
#58
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Keep in mind that the fan will only draw that much power for a very short amount of time. Your starter motor draws more than that, and it operates without the alternator running. Your battery should compensate for the initial draw, and the stock alternator will be able to handle the rest. You need to have wiring, and fuses/relays that can handle the initial draw, though.
Last edited by stormin94; 01-26-2010 at 12:57 PM.
#60
Registered User
The company is pro starter and alternator
619-888-7202
pro.starter.alternators@gmail.com
there located in san diego