From thermofan back to STD...

Discussion in 'Technical' started by geron, Dec 7, 2016.

  1. geron

    geron National Petroleum Equipm

    I'm going to share my experience with fitting a thermofan set-up on my ZTT AUTO for people thinking about going down this path.

    It is doable to fit a thermofan on a TTZ MAN or AUTO and having it work successfully. Having said that, I made the executive decision to go back to standard setup because it's crude and should I say it?.... idiot proof.

    This is what I discovered.
    - A FAT dual or triple core radiator is a must
    - A 280w 16" fan is a must. 280w nothing less.
    - The air-conditioning fan has to be hooked up to work with the 16" fan so they both switch on at the same time. (It's easy to do)
    - A good vented nose panel is a MUST for those hot days and to help stabilise engine temperature. The top of the radiator doesn't see enough hot air with the OEM Nissan nose panel to allow sufficient cool down while on the open road and especially when going on long slow uphills with engine revving a fair bit.
    - A 2000 spec bar will help a fair bit since it's opening is larger than the 199x style bar.
    - The 16" fan circuit breaker has an operation temperature range. If this upper range is exceeded, it will break the circuit and the fan won't turn on! (Happened to me twice). So it has to be mounted toward the front of the engine where it doesn't get hot. The wiring procedure recommends for it to be mounted very close to the battery but our battery being on the LHS firewall it cooks there just above the turbo and if the circuit breaker is mounted there, it will fail.
    - Engine Temperature range 85 - 90deg C. This is a magic range but the normal temperature sensors all have an error. This will give a result of fan on at 95deg C and Off at 83deg C. (I tried several sensors and the 85-90 rated gave the best result). Alternatively, an adjustable temperature sensor can be fitted.

    Personally, the idea of fitting a thermofan to free up the engine bay is a great idea but one needs to be on the ball and have the ability to check the temperature at any time or have a temperature warning device fitted.

    I've made the decision to go back to stock because I wanted better under bonnet and engine temperature stabilisation and because of running high boost it is very important to avoid detonation.
    Also, using the stock setup, it just works. Especially for anyone wanting to keep the 199x front bar. It's the default setup so no need to stress or keep an eye on temperature all the time regardless of driving conditions and ambient temperature.
     
  2. QLDZDR

    QLDZDR ID=David

    Lucky for you we know a guy (on this forum) who sells OEM quality fans for the stock setup. Now you just need to check your fan clutch or read the "how to" of refilling it. Not hard to do, I've done it. A couple of tapped holes and a few dollars of silicone diff fluid from a hobby store. Done.
     
  3. geron

    geron National Petroleum Equipm

    I've contacted the gentleman you're thinking off :)
    And yes, the price is excellent no doubt about that.

    I've gone NEW stock everything, including fan shroud.

    The OEM TT fan clutch has a YELLLOW dot on it.
    For anyone thinking about buying an aftermarket fan clutch... DON'T DO IT!! Even if they are $100 on eBay.
    I had a new aftermarket unit prior to fitting the thermofan setup and it sounded like a full time jet engine. The noise at idle was incredible and off-putting. Never again.

    Before anyone discredits a thermofan setup, I know of a forum member on here with a powerful Z who has been running his for a few years now and have been in his Z without granny footing it. It works.

    If a front mount is fitted, forget it. There is not enough air flow to keep the temperature constant while on the freeway. The thermofans will constantly kick in and out and as soon as a hill is encountered, it will spike very quickly to stratospheric levels and the thermofans will have a hard time trying to cool the water.



     

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