00Runner

I've got my Flex 210 fans installed and working, but I want to wire it so that the fans shut off when the car is turned off. Where should I tie in the wire for the ignition switched power source? Do I have to take the wire into the cab for that? How do I find an appropriate power source? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Churnd

Run the wire going from the relay to the ignition to your ignition fuse, located in the fuse box in the cab.

pfdaxe

You could "T" into the fuse block but I would leave it as is. I have mine t-stat controled so the fans shut down when they have cooled the engine to the optimal temp. Even in mid-summer here in Phoenix, the fans only run for about 30 seconds or so after shutting the engine off so there really isn't any chance for battery drain.

00Runner

pfdaxe,

As it is, mine runs for a lot more than 30 seconds. Since the car is off the water pump is no longer circulating the water through the radiator. With the thermometer in the the lower radiator hose I basically have to wait until that water cools below the shutoff temp of the fan on its own. I'm not sure exactly how long this takes, but I've heard it run for at least 5 minutes before (and after that I was out of earshot.)

00Runner

Chris,

Thanks, I'll check that later tonight. Is it easy to identify which wire is comming out of the ignition fuse?

HaveBlue

Or you could buy a $3 2-pole switch and splice it into the ground wire.

midiwall

wow... Are you sure you have the fan thermostat set right? It sounds like it's way too low. Mine run for at max 30 seconds, and that's even after running trails all day.

The thermo controller on the FLX is VERY touchy - just a hair one way or the other and you'll be too hot or too cold. What did you use to measure the temp while setting it?

rimpainter.com

Maybe you have the thermo knob too far to the "-" side.

Like Paul, I live in Phoenix and my fans only run for about 30 seconds after shutdown. But hey, its only 102 here today.

00Runner

To set the controller I let the truck warm up until the needle of the temperature guage was where it normally is at opperating temp. Then I turned the nob on the controller until the fans came on. Then I turned the nob backwards until the fans just shut off. The problem with this is that it set the controller based on the engine temp. I really want the controller to be based on the water temp after it has passed through the radiator.

I backed the nob off some more and now it shuts off within 2 minutes after turning the ignition off. I guess I can keep going, but I definately don't want to run too hot.

rimpainter.com

I have my knob at the "norm" setting. Right smack in the middle.

00Runner

I guess I'm just timid about the engine getting too hot. How do you know that you've got the thermostat set precisely? Just because the engine is not overheating doesn't mean it's not getting too hot before the fans come on. I definately don't want to shorten the life of my engine since I'm going to have this truck forever.

midiwall

This could be a misnomer in the sense of other folks trying to match a physical knob position.

I've had the controller box torn open (I sunk it in the mud) and the thermostat is anything but positionally accurate. It's a simple fluid based mechanical unit that I'm sure will vary at least 10 degrees or more between units. Add to that how touchy it is to set, and I dun't tink using a visual indicator is a good idea.


Brad - I would suggest finding a buddy or a shop with an OBD-II reader that can read the engine temp. The gauge on the dash is REALLY bad for trying to figure out where normal temp is. My fan cycles through about 8 degrees of engine temp, and the accuracy of the dash gauge just isn't good enough to see that fluxuation.

An alternative would be to buy your own reader - they can be handy to have in general. There are units that hook up to a Windows machine for as low as $90.

If you're at a point where the fan's cycling for 2 minutes or so, then you're getting closer to the zone - but you could be a lot tighter if you wanted to.

Heat wise, the engine's pretty forgiving in general... I wouldn't want to run it at 230* for too long, but I'd bet you're cycling on/off in the 190* range and a two minute run would probably push you below 180.

rimpainter.com

Mark-

I was just giving him something to compare to - Phoenix temperatures. My 4Runner has never broken 1/2 on the temp guage. In fact, it usually resides about 3/8 no matter what. I agree, that thermo controller box is pretty cheap. So far so good for me. I run redline watter wetter too. That might help a little.

midiwall

Hi Christian;

I know, and I apologize for coming off wrong. I basically didn't want to spin Brad downt he path of setting his controller at the midway point and calling it good.


Thanks dood.

00Runner

So it sounds like I can safely back off the adjustment until I have the fan running close to 30 sec. after shutting the car off. At least it is a very easy adjustment to make. I'll just keep tweaking it until it gets there.

Thanks for all your help guys!

midiwall

That's an interesting way to set the thermo, but I guess in theory it'll work.