Taurus/Sable/Lincoln Fan Update
07-18-2006, 08:46 AM
#1
Taurus/Sable/Lincoln Fan Update
(Editor's note: I was not able to do this each day as there was a lack of internet communications until my arrival in SoCal so excuse the long post 
)
Some here may remember my questions on the install of my fan mod on my 95 Gen 2 with a 3.0 V6 manual 5 speed. I mentioned in my questions about the install, I was going to be leaving for my trip to SoCal so I was under a bit of a time crunch. So here as promised is the trip so far and the overall perfomance of my Gen 2 with the Taurus Fan Mod
Well we made it and the fan worked gr8 .... until I got to Grapevine California. For those of you who read this forum, if you don't know where or what Grapevine is, at the southern most end of the central valley on Interstate 5 is one of the most hellish grades for man or vehicle and can be the absolute killer of engines from over heating.
There were well over a dozen assorted vehicles scattered along I-5 up the grade ranging from 18 wheelers to small cars, old, new, it didn't really seem to matter, and I sadly to say, was part of that gathering at the various locations going up the grade to Tejon Pass.
I need to set the stage, The day before I left for Califonia I made a stop at my local Toyota dealer to have a gurgling noise I was hearing form under the hood in the vicinity of the air box. My mechanic listened intently and summoned another tech to hear the noise. My mechanic dutifully using a stethascope tried to pin point the culprit but wasn't exacatlys ure what was making the noise. His associate knew instantly the issue and told me with a rather carefree response and a smile "all 4runners make that noise and it is nothing to worry about". I then asked if they had a laser temp sensor and they broke it out and checked the temp of the runner at the radiator and the outlet of the engine, With no fan running it was a solid steady 180 degrees. They both were somewhat interested in my fan mod and when I turned on the A/C, the fan jumped into action. As they watched their temp sensorm withoin a matter of about 30 seconds the temp started to drop and went as low as 168 degrees and this was just at idle! I was feeling pretty confident that my fan mod should prove to a resounding sucess.
I left Bremerton WA the following Saturday morning (15 July) at 6:30am and with my Runner loaded with gear and my two sons headed south on I-5. I set my cruise control for 65 and kept a wary eye on my temp gauge. This was the first long distance trip I was going to take with my 4Runner since purchase and also immediately after the electric fan mod. Temperature was in the 70's heading into Oregon. First place to get gas was just before the WA/OR border in Vancouver. Gas milage was 23.2 mpg!
This is going to be GR8 at this rate. I had been getting 17-18 before the mod and first time really driving at freeway speed for any extended time so I had been hoping for 20 and would have been very happy with that. Needless to say I think the fan mod did in fact help.
Later that day as I neared the Siskiyou Mountains at the southern end of Oregon the outside air temp started to go up significantly. We stopped for gas in Grant's Pass and the local temperature was 93 degrees. The Runner's temp had remained stable during the accent just to the left of the thermo bulb on the gauge, so this was a good thing. At this point the fan didn't seem to be running much but the temp was such that it had not been required. I had tried to set the temp for about 185 degrees and all indications were that it was doing just like it was supposed to be doing.
After leaving and getting back on the Interstate, I learned about the anemic power of the 3.0 L V6. We began to climb up around 4,000 feet and the grade was such that I had to downshift to 4th and maintained around 50 mph up most of the grade till we reached the summit. The coolant temp did inch to mid temp but I would feel a minor thump and the temp would slip back down. Life is good!
We dropped down into the norther end of the central valley and headed for Redding, CA where I normally will stop to get gas as it has proven to be the cheapest gas in the normal range of my vehicles. We filled up and it was definitely warmer in Redding but then its always warmer in Redding! Outside air temp, 105 degrees (40c), MPG at this point had slipped to 22 ( I hate it when that happens).
We only drove about another 20-30 miles to the city of Red Bluff as this was the predetermined meeting point where I would hook up with my two daughters and my grand kids. We checked into the EconoLodge and that in itself is another story.
Needless to say I will not be staying there on the return trip, althought the pool was nice at about 10pm.
Early up and packing the runner. I can stay again how wonderful it is to have boys when you travel, not that girls are a bother, they just require a bit more "preparation". With a target time of 7am we rolled out by 7:30 and the sun was already well on its way into the clear California sky and along with it a noted increase in local temperature.
My oldest daughter was driving a Ford Expedition, the rather large family SUV with the alos quite large 5.4L V8. She and yougest daughter (both of them in their mid 20's) wanted to know if I could maybe go about 70 to help get through the valley quicker. I told them I did have concerns but I wuld do my best. I must note that Iknew what would happen to my MPG and with the heat I was expecting, I really didn't want to push my Runner quite that hard. I did let them lead most of the way and she was good about not leaving me to far behind. I did push the 70 speed limit but I was not really comfortable doing it.
Got gas in Santa Nella and the reported MPG at this stop came in at 21.1 running the a/c @70 mph. The temp had been increasing in the Valley and so was my engine temp. It was still holding just below mid point but had found a slightly higher hold point. I decided to let my kids know that Dad would only be going 65 from this point until I got the the Grapevine and the long steep grade at which point I told them I would be shifting into 4th and crawling up the grade.
The sun was now fully beating down and a stop near the base of the grade was in order. Bathroom break, drink break and just a chance to stretch the legs was really a good idea. Temp was now 110 degrees (42c) and it was just after 1pm. Back on the road, I had the pass in front of me so I prepared to crawl up the mountains. As expected I had to downshift to 4th and was in the near lane dodging slow moving trucks ( I mean SLOW! Like the kind of slow you could outwalk) so trying to dodge the slow moivng trucks with the fast moving insanes who don't want to move to the left .... dont' get me started on courtesy on the road way I began the climp. I wasn't too far up the grade after shifting that I noted an increase in my engine temp. I was now rapidly approaching the mid point on the gauge and the thermo bulb was now covered. It began to inch past the mid point and I told my son to call his sister and tell them I was starting to overheat and would be pulling off at the first turnout. There it was, the first water turnout and there there were at least 6 other vehicles including one tractor trailer. My temp was now just below the redline , the hottest I had seen it to date.
I left the truck running and popped the hood. The fan was blowing to beat the band. I was still running the A/C ast this point but I also wanted the fan to remain on even though it should be with the temp as high as it was, I wasn't sure if the controller had been affected by the heat. I filled a large cup with water and lightly sprinkled the front of the radiator with water. the top of the radiator would literally flash the water after after about 2-3 seconds to steam but as I kept sprinkling the radiator fins, the temp gauge started to inch back down. :fireman: Once back to "normal" just below the thermo bulb, we started out again. I made it about another 3 miles and had to pull over again. Same precedure and off we went. Near the top of the summit, my daughters ahd pulled off at Fort Tejon, Exit 1, and I pulled in as my temp had once again reached just below the red line. Performed our now standard procedure and she again cooled right down. The worst was over but still we had about 5 more hours on the road and the expected LA traffic, even if it was Sunday afternoon.
Surprizingly the traffic was only marred at one point just into NW Losa Angeles which we found lut later was due to an accident, otherwise it was surprizingly light traffic, 65 all the way south. One last stop for fuel before we pushed on the Oceanside/Calsbad, our final destination. Buena Park, home of Knott's Berry Farm, 20.2 MPG with the mountain grade, over heat, a/c and 65 mph. Overall MPG for the trip, 21.9 mpg
Overall I was very happy with the perfomance of the fan.
I will need to check a few things before I make the trip back as the grade will not be as steep going north out of Los Angeles, but then the stretch leaving California into Oregon will be another test and I am hoping for cooler air temps as I am sure the air being pulled into the radiator is a factor as well. I may also look into putting another relay in to allow the high fan speed to operate. More to follow when I start the trip home! 
) Some here may remember my questions on the install of my fan mod on my 95 Gen 2 with a 3.0 V6 manual 5 speed. I mentioned in my questions about the install, I was going to be leaving for my trip to SoCal so I was under a bit of a time crunch. So here as promised is the trip so far and the overall perfomance of my Gen 2 with the Taurus Fan ModWell we made it and the fan worked gr8 .... until I got to Grapevine California. For those of you who read this forum, if you don't know where or what Grapevine is, at the southern most end of the central valley on Interstate 5 is one of the most hellish grades for man or vehicle and can be the absolute killer of engines from over heating.
There were well over a dozen assorted vehicles scattered along I-5 up the grade ranging from 18 wheelers to small cars, old, new, it didn't really seem to matter, and I sadly to say, was part of that gathering at the various locations going up the grade to Tejon Pass.I need to set the stage, The day before I left for Califonia I made a stop at my local Toyota dealer to have a gurgling noise I was hearing form under the hood in the vicinity of the air box. My mechanic listened intently and summoned another tech to hear the noise. My mechanic dutifully using a stethascope tried to pin point the culprit but wasn't exacatlys ure what was making the noise. His associate knew instantly the issue and told me with a rather carefree response and a smile "all 4runners make that noise and it is nothing to worry about". I then asked if they had a laser temp sensor and they broke it out and checked the temp of the runner at the radiator and the outlet of the engine, With no fan running it was a solid steady 180 degrees. They both were somewhat interested in my fan mod and when I turned on the A/C, the fan jumped into action. As they watched their temp sensorm withoin a matter of about 30 seconds the temp started to drop and went as low as 168 degrees and this was just at idle! I was feeling pretty confident that my fan mod should prove to a resounding sucess.
I left Bremerton WA the following Saturday morning (15 July) at 6:30am and with my Runner loaded with gear and my two sons headed south on I-5. I set my cruise control for 65 and kept a wary eye on my temp gauge. This was the first long distance trip I was going to take with my 4Runner since purchase and also immediately after the electric fan mod. Temperature was in the 70's heading into Oregon. First place to get gas was just before the WA/OR border in Vancouver. Gas milage was 23.2 mpg!
This is going to be GR8 at this rate. I had been getting 17-18 before the mod and first time really driving at freeway speed for any extended time so I had been hoping for 20 and would have been very happy with that. Needless to say I think the fan mod did in fact help.Later that day as I neared the Siskiyou Mountains at the southern end of Oregon the outside air temp started to go up significantly. We stopped for gas in Grant's Pass and the local temperature was 93 degrees. The Runner's temp had remained stable during the accent just to the left of the thermo bulb on the gauge, so this was a good thing. At this point the fan didn't seem to be running much but the temp was such that it had not been required. I had tried to set the temp for about 185 degrees and all indications were that it was doing just like it was supposed to be doing.
After leaving and getting back on the Interstate, I learned about the anemic power of the 3.0 L V6. We began to climb up around 4,000 feet and the grade was such that I had to downshift to 4th and maintained around 50 mph up most of the grade till we reached the summit. The coolant temp did inch to mid temp but I would feel a minor thump and the temp would slip back down. Life is good!
We dropped down into the norther end of the central valley and headed for Redding, CA where I normally will stop to get gas as it has proven to be the cheapest gas in the normal range of my vehicles. We filled up and it was definitely warmer in Redding but then its always warmer in Redding! Outside air temp, 105 degrees (40c), MPG at this point had slipped to 22 ( I hate it when that happens).
We only drove about another 20-30 miles to the city of Red Bluff as this was the predetermined meeting point where I would hook up with my two daughters and my grand kids. We checked into the EconoLodge and that in itself is another story.
Needless to say I will not be staying there on the return trip, althought the pool was nice at about 10pm.Early up and packing the runner. I can stay again how wonderful it is to have boys when you travel, not that girls are a bother, they just require a bit more "preparation". With a target time of 7am we rolled out by 7:30 and the sun was already well on its way into the clear California sky and along with it a noted increase in local temperature.
My oldest daughter was driving a Ford Expedition, the rather large family SUV with the alos quite large 5.4L V8. She and yougest daughter (both of them in their mid 20's) wanted to know if I could maybe go about 70 to help get through the valley quicker. I told them I did have concerns but I wuld do my best. I must note that Iknew what would happen to my MPG and with the heat I was expecting, I really didn't want to push my Runner quite that hard. I did let them lead most of the way and she was good about not leaving me to far behind. I did push the 70 speed limit but I was not really comfortable doing it.
Got gas in Santa Nella and the reported MPG at this stop came in at 21.1 running the a/c @70 mph. The temp had been increasing in the Valley and so was my engine temp. It was still holding just below mid point but had found a slightly higher hold point. I decided to let my kids know that Dad would only be going 65 from this point until I got the the Grapevine and the long steep grade at which point I told them I would be shifting into 4th and crawling up the grade.
The sun was now fully beating down and a stop near the base of the grade was in order. Bathroom break, drink break and just a chance to stretch the legs was really a good idea. Temp was now 110 degrees (42c) and it was just after 1pm. Back on the road, I had the pass in front of me so I prepared to crawl up the mountains. As expected I had to downshift to 4th and was in the near lane dodging slow moving trucks ( I mean SLOW! Like the kind of slow you could outwalk) so trying to dodge the slow moivng trucks with the fast moving insanes who don't want to move to the left .... dont' get me started on courtesy on the road way I began the climp. I wasn't too far up the grade after shifting that I noted an increase in my engine temp. I was now rapidly approaching the mid point on the gauge and the thermo bulb was now covered. It began to inch past the mid point and I told my son to call his sister and tell them I was starting to overheat and would be pulling off at the first turnout. There it was, the first water turnout and there there were at least 6 other vehicles including one tractor trailer. My temp was now just below the redline
, the hottest I had seen it to date. I left the truck running and popped the hood. The fan was blowing to beat the band. I was still running the A/C ast this point but I also wanted the fan to remain on even though it should be with the temp as high as it was, I wasn't sure if the controller had been affected by the heat. I filled a large cup with water and lightly sprinkled the front of the radiator with water. the top of the radiator would literally flash the water after after about 2-3 seconds to steam but as I kept sprinkling the radiator fins, the temp gauge started to inch back down. :fireman: Once back to "normal" just below the thermo bulb, we started out again. I made it about another 3 miles and had to pull over again. Same precedure and off we went. Near the top of the summit, my daughters ahd pulled off at Fort Tejon, Exit 1, and I pulled in as my temp had once again reached just below the red line. Performed our now standard procedure and she again cooled right down. The worst was over but still we had about 5 more hours on the road and the expected LA traffic, even if it was Sunday afternoon.
Surprizingly the traffic was only marred at one point just into NW Losa Angeles which we found lut later was due to an accident, otherwise it was surprizingly light traffic, 65 all the way south. One last stop for fuel before we pushed on the Oceanside/Calsbad, our final destination. Buena Park, home of Knott's Berry Farm, 20.2 MPG with the mountain grade, over heat, a/c and 65 mph. Overall MPG for the trip, 21.9 mpg
Overall I was very happy with the perfomance of the fan.
I will need to check a few things before I make the trip back as the grade will not be as steep going north out of Los Angeles, but then the stretch leaving California into Oregon will be another test and I am hoping for cooler air temps as I am sure the air being pulled into the radiator is a factor as well. I may also look into putting another relay in to allow the high fan speed to operate. More to follow when I start the trip home!
07-18-2006, 08:55 AM
#2
Contributing Member
Sounds pretty good, glad it was able to work for you.
You were only using low speed, not high? Obviously, this would explain the overheating.
I drive up a 2500ft hill between Santa Fe and Los Alamos (avg 4-5% grade, max about 15% in some spots), no overheating problems here. BUT, this is with a variable controller controlling the high speed circuit.
You were only using low speed, not high? Obviously, this would explain the overheating.
I drive up a 2500ft hill between Santa Fe and Los Alamos (avg 4-5% grade, max about 15% in some spots), no overheating problems here. BUT, this is with a variable controller controlling the high speed circuit.
Last edited by mastacox; 07-18-2006 at 09:40 AM.
07-18-2006, 11:49 AM
#4
Contributing Member
Originally Posted by NC-B17A
Dale have you ever cleaned out your radiator inside & the fins to make sure that there isn't crap inbetween the condensor & the rad?
Originally Posted by Ritzy4Runner
I may also look into putting another relay in to allow the high fan speed to operate. More to follow when I start the trip home!
Last edited by mastacox; 07-18-2006 at 11:50 AM.
07-18-2006, 01:43 PM
#5
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I don't know if you did or didn't, but another that will help more then you know, when your heating up a little specially climbing some good passes, shut your A/C off... A/C adds alot of heat to the system, couple that with slow moving air, and heavy foot to keep up with traffic and it'll overheat.
07-18-2006, 02:04 PM
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Ya know as I was reading this the first thought I had was that he needed a switch to kick the fan into high gear when the temp was rising isn't the ford fan a two speed fan? Low for regular cooling and high for AC cooling?
07-18-2006, 02:30 PM
#7
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this is the switch that i ordered last week for my tauras fan.... should arrive any day now. http://www.4x4mods.com/Product/Jeep/...rswitch40.html
i'll wire the low to the controller and then have the high as an override, so that i can put it on high when going up long hills or off roading.
i'll wire the low to the controller and then have the high as an override, so that i can put it on high when going up long hills or off roading.
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07-18-2006, 03:04 PM
#8
Registered User
I'd strongly recommend checking your cooling system before heading back home. These damn 3.slows don't need to go all the way to the red to blow the head gasket. I have had (and continue to have) more over heating issues than I care to mention and twice my head gasket has blown when the temp never rose above the redline. Make sure you're not losing fluid anywhere before hitting the road home.
Ed
Ed
07-18-2006, 04:00 PM
#9
I think you'd be better served wiring the HIGH using a variable speed controller like the one bamachem used (can you really afford to be cheap on cooling? ) and then hooking up the LOW as a backup all w/ the option to turn the whole thing off if need be (as mt. goat) did.
My dcc controller should arrive soon as I got my 2 speed fan sitting in the shop now.
There are a LOT of things you can be cheap on, but the cooling system of your vehicle shouldn't be one of them cause if it fails...your engine is DEAD.
My dcc controller should arrive soon as I got my 2 speed fan sitting in the shop now.
There are a LOT of things you can be cheap on, but the cooling system of your vehicle shouldn't be one of them cause if it fails...your engine is DEAD.
07-18-2006, 07:28 PM
#10
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mastacox From what I read, he didn't have a relay for Hi speed on the fan, so of course it overheated because it didn't have enough air flow.
I would really have to think there is another problem in the cooling system
I had a good bit of crap in front of my radiator blocking flow
Last edited by NC-B17A; 07-18-2006 at 07:30 PM.
07-19-2006, 05:14 AM
#12
Contributing Member
Wow, that was some torture test! Up steep climbs in 110 deg heat w/AC running, fully loaded with family on a long trip.
So you only wired it to run on low speed huh. I think I would have been tempted to switch the wiring around to make it run on high speed before proceeding any farther, as delicate as the 3.0 HGs are.
Did you ever get the shroud fitting good to the radiator? Last I remember you had a 2 inch gap at the bottom or something like that.
Thanks for the update and I'm sure you'll let us know what happens with the high speed setting.
BTW did you ever have any over-heating problems with the stock mechanical fan before you took it off?
So you only wired it to run on low speed huh. I think I would have been tempted to switch the wiring around to make it run on high speed before proceeding any farther, as delicate as the 3.0 HGs are.
Did you ever get the shroud fitting good to the radiator? Last I remember you had a 2 inch gap at the bottom or something like that.
Thanks for the update and I'm sure you'll let us know what happens with the high speed setting.
BTW did you ever have any over-heating problems with the stock mechanical fan before you took it off?
Last edited by mt_goat; 07-19-2006 at 05:49 AM.
07-19-2006, 08:15 AM
#13
Really gr8 to get such a response to my posting. I will try to address the questions and such and will continue to update all as the trip progresses. I plan on returning to Seattle near the 1st of August.I only had the slow speed hooked up as I had (have) concerns about the high speed setting as to wether my electical system would handle the current draw. I wired it to slow only based on the install of others I had read about here doing my search on the fan install. I gathered from those that I had read about the only speed I would likely ever need was the slow setting. I'm sure if I drove the same stretch in a cooler time of year I would not have quite the issue I am having now. So there is room for thought on this install. I'm sure it would be better to have the varible speed controller but considering where I am at and the time needed to aquire the controller I don't think it is an option right now.
Radiator cleaning: I will look into that but I had the radiator out when I did the install and it was pretty clean. I blew out some bugs but that was really about the extent of any visiable blockage.
High speed hookup:
I still have not been able to get any real info on the current draw of the high speed setting. Conversely if it is high what about the demand on the alternator? What option is there for replacement? Has anyone done an alternator swap from another Toyota? What one would do the trick? High speed manual switch: This could be an option but then there are more quesitons, such as (again) the current draw and how to overcome that issue(see previous questions) how does this work with the slow speed hooked up to the controller and how would you set it up? What components do I need to do this add-on mod?
Shroud fit:
Well I was a bit concerned about the fit as well when I first installed this thing. I had tried to put some foam along the edge, but I just couldn';t seem to get it to stick or fit well and there was the issue with the bottom cutout in the shroud and not covering the lower 2 inches of the radiator so after attempting to use foam, I just left it off and it seemed to be pulling all the air it needed, may have to revisit that again.Side note: I know I drove my Runner pretty hard on this trip. In fact when I did arrive at my brother's it was very pleasant temp wise but the Runner was still plenty hot. After I shut down the fan wanted to keep running so I pulled the fuse on the controller to shut it down. After about 2 hours the top of the radiator had cooled enought that I could put my hand on top fo it but when I check the engine temp, it was actually about mid way between COLD and normal ops temp so I plugged the fuse back in ... the fan kicked back on again. I was worried maybe I had fried my controller so I left it out till the next morning. Plugged the fuse back in and heard a click, but no fan turned on. It may have just been some residual heat inducing the sensor with a higher temp.
So far it has been in low-mid 80s here at my brother's along the coast in Carlsbad. The engine temp has been right where its supposed to be, just to the left of the thermo bulb.
More to follow and THANKS guys, I can use all the help I can get! 
07-19-2006, 08:19 AM
#14
Contributing Member
The following is what I found with my fan from a 3.8 litre taurus.
low speed draw 30 Amps briefly on start then 10-11 Amps.
high speed draw 60 Amps briefly on start then 28 Amps.
low speed draw 30 Amps briefly on start then 10-11 Amps.
high speed draw 60 Amps briefly on start then 28 Amps.
07-19-2006, 09:01 AM
#15
Contributing Member
Originally Posted by Ritzy4Runner
High speed manual switch: This could be an option but then there are more quesitons, such as (again) the current draw and how to overcome that issue(see previous questions) how does this work with the slow speed hooked up to the controller and how would you set it up? What components do I need to do this add-on mod?
Originally Posted by Ritzy4Runner
Shroud fit:
Well I was a bit concerned about the fit as well when I first installed this thing. I had tried to put some foam along the edge, but I just couldn';t seem to get it to stick or fit well and there was the issue with the bottom cutout in the shroud and not covering the lower 2 inches of the radiator so after attempting to use foam, I just left it off and it seemed to be pulling all the air it needed, may have to revisit that again.Last edited by mt_goat; 07-19-2006 at 09:03 AM.
07-19-2006, 09:25 AM
#16
Contributing Member
Originally Posted by mt_goat
Yeah a tight fitting shroud is a must for all torture testing. That alone could make a big difference IMHO.
Now, I have to figure out how I'm going to make a Lincoln Mark VIII fan work on a supercharged 3rd gen... I might even need a more powerful fan than the Mark VIII...
07-19-2006, 10:11 AM
#17
Contributing Member
[QUOTE=mastacox]Everyone with a Taurus fan has a two inch gap because that is the size of the fan's shroud. [QUOTE]
Here is one that doesn't: http://community.webshots.com/photo/...42310107PIDTBU
Here is one that doesn't: http://community.webshots.com/photo/...42310107PIDTBU
07-19-2006, 10:42 AM
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Originally Posted by Marc
The following is what I found with my fan from a 3.8 litre taurus.
low speed draw 30 Amps briefly on start then 10-11 Amps.
high speed draw 60 Amps briefly on start then 28 Amps.
low speed draw 30 Amps briefly on start then 10-11 Amps.
high speed draw 60 Amps briefly on start then 28 Amps.
07-20-2006, 06:39 AM
#20
Contributing Member
Originally Posted by NC-B17A
Marc where did you find that info I have not been able to find anything other then hear say about the amperage draw of the fan.
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...urus+fan+power
The rating in WATTS is a more useful comparison IMO...
