CELEBRATING 20 YEARS!

Subject – Electric Fan Install FAQ

Disclaimer - This write up assumes that the reader is capable of wiring relays along with using a soldering iron and other basic tasks. The owner, administration, staff, membership nor anyone else affiliated with www.montecarloss.com assume no legal liability implied or otherwise for the content in this guide. Use at your own risk! Furthermore, there is no affiliation with the products and companies mentioned in the links below. There are other products available, but those were simply the most convenient links to site at the time of composition.

A popular modification that is done to the 4th generation Monte Carlo SS is to install electric fans. Aftermarket electric fans can benefit your ride in many ways. They free up horsepower that is robbed by the stock clutch fan system, move more air, allowing for better cooling of the motor, and finally free up that space in front of the motor for that sick twin turbo system. This write-up will cover basic install questions that are commonly asked.



This is the most common topic of discussion, and the most important. Nothing is free, and like the clutch fan runs off the engine, an electric fan runs off the alternator. The trick install would be to run a thermostat activated switch that turns the fans on and off at specific temperatures, like factory installs do. This can be accomplished with one of these kits:
Flex-a-lite VSC
Painless Fan Thermo Kit
Perma-Cool Fan Thermo Kit

Using these kits as per the instructions will net you fans that run automatically, no input needed from the driver. Another option is to use a thread in switch. An original fan switch from a 87 GN (with adapter) will thread into the intake manifold on carb'd cars, and turns on at 205*. You can do this and install a manual override switch. This provides for a clean install. The last method is to go for the budget install, namely a toggle switch operated fan. This is a perfectly fine setup, but the use of relays is suggested. Electric fans demand a lot of current, and running a hot line through the cabin to a toggle switch and then out to the fans is not advisable. Also, make sure your hot lead that goes through the switch to power your relay is switched power in run. Not doing this will cause the fans to run when the car is off and switch in the on position. This will drain your battery quickly.



Often if you buy an aftermarket fan, it has its own mounting brackets. If not, there are many options you have. Take these for example:
Perma-Cool Mounting Kits
You could use all three of those kits to mount your fans in some fashion. It is the author’s personal preference to use the nylon tie straps. To use them, you drill 4 small holes in the fan’s shroud, and put the nylon straps through them and the radiator, and secure the straps on the other side. Easy, simple and cheap. The only remaining thing to do is support the radiator from the top, as the stock Monte Carlo SS fan shroud will not work without modification. Your first option is to get a top radiator support from a 307 Olds or Regal. Should be very cheap from a junkyard. This will bolt in without modification, and you are done. Try this:
Upper Radiator support

Your second option is to modify your stock upper shroud by cutting to fit. This will not provide quite enough support from the top, so it will be a very good idea to run some sort of metal supports from top to bottom, adding rigidity. This was done in my installation of the Ramcharger fans on my 88 SS.
Lazy\'s Hack Job
SSPARKY\'s install of dual TPI setup



This is probably the most popular electric fan setup on our cars, because it is fairly easy to install, and very cheap. They can be found here as PN 674001 or 674003, for the optional harness:
Ramcharger Fans

Upon receiving the fans, if you cut off the “ears” on either side (2 per side) that stick out, the fans fit perfectly between the tanks on a Monte Carlo SS stock radiator. Then, you only need to mount them. I would suggest the nylon straps as outlined above. Wire as above, and you should be good to go.

As a side note, the alternator should be upgraded to a higher amp rating. this is not necessary, but strongly recommended.

I have opened this topic for corrections or additions. Please post them, but no questions. Limit questions to other topics, as they will be promptly deleted here. Thank you.

Mike

Mike,
I have some very good info to add, if you have a way to host some pics for me. I have a few different wiring diagrams showing how to wire up electric fans, depending on what temp switch you use, and they also show how to wire a manual override switch to turn the fans on any time you want regardless of the temp switches.

I also have pics of my F-body TPI dual fan install. It uses the stock F-body brackets, and I have instructions on how to modify them to fit the G-body, but it turned out different than SSparky's install.

I used 2 adjustable temperature switches, one for each fan. The ones I used are made by Hayden/Imperial, which have a part number of 226203, and run about $16 each. I also used 2 30amp standard automotive relays (about $5 each). The reason I did this was because I didn't trust the temp switches to carry enough current for the fans, so I use the temp switches to turn on the relays.

Once the weather improves, and I get some free time, I am working on wiring up small lights or LED's to install in the dash so I know when either fan is running. I also need to take some better pics of the completed setup. So far, my setup has worked great. I still ocassionally tweak the fan setpoints, but it cools just fine. I run a 180 degree thermostat, stock radiator, with the TPI dual fan setup, and last summer my temp gage never went above 190 degrees.

Anyone who wants this info, before we can get it hosted, can E-mail me at mjurbanc@msn.com . I work 2 jobs so it might take a day to send it out, but I will get it to you. Have a good one.

Matt

I also have a good idea. When I wired mine up, I wanted to be able to leave the switch on, and be able to turn the car off and have the fans turn off. When I hooked the fans to the IGN side of the fuse block, after I shut the car off, the engine would continue running until the fans spun down, and if I hooked it up to the battery, there was the risk of forgetting to turn the switch off.

To solve this, I used a relay. In the cabin, The IGN side from the fuse block is on a manual override switch which goes into the engine bay and is hooked up to one side of the relay. The other side of the relay is hooked up to the battery, and finally the fans. When the switch is on, and the key is turned to on, the relay switches power from the battery to the fans. When the car is turned off, the relay disconnects the battery from the fan, and my engine and fans shut right off.

I can provide a diagram if anybody is interested. My email is ryan.mcguire@plastic-concepts.com

Hope this helps,

Ryan

I just received my Ramcharger fan this week. I don't know if they have changed suppliers or what but after cutting off the mounting tabs I still have to remove alot of material (about 3/16" each side) from the sides of the fan unit to get it to fit in between the tanks on my radiator. Its not a big deal to get it to fit just somthing I thought I should mention

When I did the Ramchargers fans on my dad's GN the setup was still too wide to fit between the end tank on the radiator. I just made up some brackets that mounted to the stock upper support.

Another good fan setup worth mentioning is the dual fan setup from the LT1 (and I believe LS1) F-bodies. In order to get the fan to fit it'll need to be trimmed a little bit by the power steering box, but nothing major. These are some serious fans that pull a lot of air. I picked mine up for free, but they can be had at your local junkyard or off of ebay for around $75.

i wondered this myself when i got the ramchargers fans, & i've seen it asked many times on the site:
how to connect the 3 wires on the ramchargers fans?

1. the black leads are GROUND.
2. the yellow lead is POWER.
3. the green lead is POWER.

power to either yellow OR green ALONE will turn the fans on LOW SPEED.

power to BOTH yellow & green will turn the fans on HIGH SPEED.

if you use a variable speed controller, just short the green & yellow wires together. then connect them to power however your controller instructs you to.

Couple of things I would like to add;
1)Any advantage/disadvantage to a pusher fan over a puller fan setup? Ive been thinking that if I did this I would like to mount the fans in the air box and blow through the radiator.
Are the ramchargers capable of reverse flow?

2) For monteSSman, Good idea but we can take it one step further. Install a time delay (TOD) relay so that when you kill the ignition it lets the fans run for a user set amount of time. I use these relays all the time for other things and they work real well. If anyone is interested in this let me know and I'll gather some part numbers and put together a wiring diagram.

3) Instead of a time delay, you can install a thermocouple on the radiator that will let the fans run until radiator temp drops to a predetermined setpoint.

I would like to add, if you have a/c, the fans need to come on when the compressor is turned on regardles of engine temperature.

Supernova455

i just installed the ramcharger fans and i learned some things i think others would find usefull.

fit: others said the fans dont fit the end tanks on the radiators. i got a new heavy duty 3 core radiator (with air) from my local parts store thats ment for a GN. not only does it fit perfectly in my SS but the ramcharger fans fit betweeen the tanks like they where made for each other! only cutting i did was to the tabs, and only had to cut half of them off to fit the frame rails.

mounting: this was actually to simple, first the fans edge that contacts the radiator is hard plastic and i dont like it rubbing my fins so i got door guard stripping, its ment for your doors and its just about 2 foot long strips that are "u" shaped with glue in the track that you put on the edge of your doors to protact them from hitting other cars and dinging. i ran this around the plastic edge on the fans and now there is a soft plastic edge that isnt going to hurt my fins as much.

next i got a aftermarket chrome radiator top plate for a 2nd gen f-body and laid it even with my old top shroud and redrilled 3 mounting holes in the new plate. then i measured in 8 inches and bolted some muffler strapping to the plate. once bolted down, i just reused the two bottom shroud cover bolts to hold the strapping and fans in place.

Electric: i did make my own relay design that worked great with my thermal switch, a/c, and toggle inside the car. but the thing that always bothered me was when the fans came on it was sudden and a BIG hit on the alternator. (i have since put a 140amp powermaster alt "94amp at idle" in that MORE then takes care of everything amp wise i need) so i got the flex-a-lite VSC controller. THIS is absolutly the best way to go. if you want to do it the cheap way and make your own controller then message me and ill send you my wiring diagram that works fine. but the VSC is SO easy to hook up, and it brings the fans up slowly instead of just "click" there on. there is no power hit when they run, there adjustible for temp, they run 30 second after car shut down if needed, they come on with a/c, and since most times they run at 60% speed i cant even hear them anymore!

dont be scared of this install, just be smart and do it right the first time. and dont be afraid to ask questions, thats what where all here for...

For those of you looking for the cheap way to switch to and electric fan. I have a write up on my web site, FastMonte.com . I have about 30$ in mine and it has kept the car cool, even on a 300 mile trip to Nashville TN in mid June.

part information update. if you didn't know it the top radiater plate for the olds was discontinued on 6/04. if you wish to use this plate its boneyard time. Steve

I just wired in my fans, and everytime they kick on they immediatly shut off due to a blown fuse. The fans are out of a 2001 Intrepid and worked great when pulled. The setup is identical to the Ramchargers. Anyway, where did you guys wire yours in for power? Thanks.

84 MCSS, if there is alot of debris in front of the radiator, it will cause a very high amp draw on start up and could be the cause of the blown fuse. Are you using the stock SS radiator? Are you using any relays? If they are started up on low speed, then switch to hight speed, that will reduce the amp draw on start up, starting them up on full-blast draws alot of power.
The stock radiator is harder to pull air thru as compared to the Modine 951. You may want to upgrade to the Modine, it cools better, and is lighter too.

Supernova455

i intsalled black magic fans on mine and they work wonderful. i wired it up as shown in the instructions then i purchased the overide switch from summitt for BM fans and everything works fine. i can answer qusetions if any one has them

chris

Info regarding the top GN mounting plate. Part # is 22506345. I did a locater search today. I found a new one in a Pa. Dealer. If anybody is interested I have a list of 5 other Dealers that show them on their inventory. Just email me and I'll give you the phone numbers and what the Dealers name is..... now if I could just make up my mind which setup to use.....

I used the Flex-a-lite 220 and the Painless wiring kit #30102. The wiring comes with a thermal switch which the people at Flex recommended, on at 200 off at 185. Fit and operation is great. The fans have a full shroud and rubber around the edge where it sets against the rad. Thermal switch I installed on the drivers side of the intake. Wiring kit includes wires plugs and relay. I have pictures if anyone would like them emailed.

This really opened up the engine compartment and with the March serp conversion it looks great.

I sat on doing the conversion too long. Now I need the information on locating a top mounting plate. I found a few used ones, but they are in bad condition. PLease advise the phone numbers so I can do this conversion and make it look right.
Thanks Steven
bob4@tcnuts.com

:rolleyes: well...the last search I did came up empty. There are currently no Dealers that show any inventory.

Go to the junkyard, Oldsmobiles and Regals with the V8 are plentiful. I picked up my upper support for $15, scuffed it up and painted it.
It looks better than new with the paint I used.

I was doing that, but all I found was rusty parts. Hard to beleive in Caifornia. But I foud a good one that just needs cleaning and paint. I'll post photos when I get it done.

Which higher amp alternator for which car would fit the 1987 serpitine alternator style Monte Carlo?

Wow. I was just browsing through this site (cool BTW!) and when I read the topic about electric fans, I couldn't believe nobody has mentioned the Lincoln Mark VIII fans! Specs on these that I put up against any other fan are 5000 cfm @ 30-40 amp continuous draw. It's 18" in diameter and come with its own integrated shroud. Measurements are 22x19x5.25-I use one in my '78 Monte with plans to add one to me '87 SS as well. I use a 31x19 aluminum radiator with a custom built progressive voltage controller which eliminates the need for relays and HO alternators. If anybody wants details on this setup, email me and I'll be more than happy to share info/pics! -Jabin

i installed the flexalite as a pusher in front mainly to help with the ac in traffic.it helped a bit but not as much as i would like.mine is wired to come on when the ign is on with a relay.i have a new rad and the 350 deluxe cratemotor and have never had a cooling issue.in the winter i just pull one wire off the relay.

also on my 4wd forums the hot setup seems to be the ford taurus electric fan.the say they pull the most cfms and are pletifull in the boneyards.