Hey guys... I'll post pics and a brief writeup tomorrow if anyone is interested. I found an excellent fan to put into my '91 RS. It's massive but thin, it's quiet, and it moves unholy amounts of air. Most importantly, it's a near perfect fit with only slight modifications, and it looks almost factory.

A little background:

I just got this car. It had been sitting for a couple of years, so as I'm getting to know the car better, new problems come to light. It's also had a lot of modifications. Some are great and done right, and some I've had to correct. Among these mods that a previous owner made is a carb setup. For the most part that was done well and I've improved on it some by tuning, putting on a proper throttle cable bracket, etc.

Presumably due to the carb conversion, the stock cooling fan had been somehow wired to stay on constantly. I didn't like that one bit and besides, it wasn't doing its job. It would run at 220 on the interstate and if I dared to use the AC, my punishment was I'd have to turn the heater on to get the temp back down from 230+. I assume the stock fan is supposed to have a shroud, but this one didn't except at the top and bottom, and the fan blades were at least 1.5" from the radiator. This just wasn't gonna work, and I think this may be one reason why the previous owner parked it and gave up. I can tell he did at least throw money at the problem - it's got a new aluminum radiator. I don't know if it's stock for a thirdgen, I think it is, but either way I can tell it's stock GM. It looks a lot like the Corvette radiator I used for my V8 Bravada conversion.

Anyway, so I needed a fan and a shroud. This is what I came up with:



If you buzz the brackets off the top with a Sawzall, it's exacly the same height as the radiator. It's narrower by a couple of inches. The depth is pretty low too. Again, I'll post pics of my install tomorrow and explain how I did it. This comes from a Volvo S60, S70, or S80, and your local Volvo dealership is probably throwing them in the trash every day. They were recalled due to a few of 'em failing. That little silver box at about 2:00 is the culprit, and sure enough mine had failed so I bypassed it and wired straight to the motor.

This is my ugly little drawing of how I wired it. Just your basic typical circuit including a Flex-A-Lite adjustable fan controller: (~$25 from Summit)



I've got the fan controller ("Temp Sw") set to kick the fan on at about 195 and it cuts off around 180. I have a 180 thermostat. So far, I couldn't make the temp go higher than 200 if I tried.

Now, I do actually have a question in all this. There's one thing shown on the diagram that I haven't done yet. I need a place to tap into so that this rig turns on with the AC. High pressure switch, maybe? AC relay? And assume that when the fan is on, the "Ignition Source" and "A/C Source" wires will be connected. Don't want to light up the AC circuit when the AC is off, so do you think I need another relay for that? Diode? What would you guys suggest?

Thanks!

 

Now I have to run to the volvo dealer on monday and tell the parts guy I'll give him $20 to call me when he gets one of these fans.

 

So here are some pics of my finished install. Please excuse my loose wires; I haven't got them wrapped and stashed yet.

http://pittman.ws/Camaro/IM001322.JPG

http://pittman.ws/Camaro/IM001319.JPG

http://pittman.ws/Camaro/IM001321.JPG

http://pittman.ws/Camaro/IM001320.JPG

That chrome bracket actually belongs on a Chevelle, but it does the job quite well. The only mod necessary for that was to drill the middle bolt hole. The car already has holes for the other two.

 

So... Anybody have an idea about my AC wiring question?

 

On the AC system there should be a High Pressure Switch, THat can be used

Another possibilty is to use the power supplied to the blower fan to activate the relay.

Did you use a Sink (ground) or source (Positive) relay system? That dictates who this will work

 

Thanks for the reply. I actually figured this out today after work. I ran a wire to the pressure switch on the evaporator canister, (the lower prong if that matters) and so the circuit gets +12 when the AC is on, but not the heat or the vent.

It worked out pretty well. So now when the AC is on, the fan is on. Otherwise it will cut on and off based on where the temperature is. And as an added bonus, I also get the one benefit I could see in having a manual fan switch: If for any reason I need to cool the radiator with the engine off, (draining the radiator, changing water pump, intake, sensors, etc.) I can just turn on the AC and it doesn't matter if the compressor is cycling or not.

 

Hey Facelessnumber,

I am now trying this setup as well and having issues with some wiring. Can you send me pics and diagram of how you wired yours?

Thanks!