> From: Timothy Holbrook [mailto:tjh173@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Thursday, May 23, 2002 8:35 AM
>
> I have an electric fan on my car, and currently I
> have an on/off switch in the car to manually activate
> it. I am interested in installing an automatic
> thermostatic switch in the radiator...
Tim,
I have this set up on my car. The switch I'm using is from a first
generation Honda Prelude. These a re common in junk yards where I live so
getting the fitting was not a problem - it's a metric thread that was hard
to locate locally. I believe this switch turns on at a lower temp compared
to the typical switches most modern cars use since they are designed to run
hotter than older cars.
A few points to consider:
- The bottom of the radiator has cooler fluid than the top so ideally it's
probably best to install the switch in the top tank (but that looks uglier).
FWIW, mine is in the bottom tank.
- The switch mounted in the return pipe *might* affect coolant flow since
it's in a much smaller channel than if it's in the tank. I don't know for
sure and probably I'm being overly paranoid but just thought I'd throw that
out. Probably the folks who sell this kit have this all figured out...
- If you install the thermo switch, keep the manual switch as well in case
you ever want to turn on the fan before the thermo switch closes. The Dan
Masters book has a pretty good write up of this including a wiring diagram.
- While you have the rad out to install the switch port, add a drain tap so
changing coolant will no longer require disconnecting the bottom hose. This
won't add much to the total cost of the work.
Good luck.
Peter Zaborski -- CF58310 UO
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