I'm having the same trouble, we've have 100* plus the last few weeks almost everyday and my car hates it. I need to get 2 pushers on the front of the condensor and see what happens. dlandsvZ28 do you know which Spal pushers you used or just any 12" pusher from them will work?

 

got it all sorted out......192 down highway (like 2 miles)....and won't go above 204. High fans pull temp back down to 195

 

dlandsvZ28- Did you try the becool with the shrouds off and pushers on too? If not, sounds like you are comparing apples to oranges...[/QUOTE]

No - I have not tried the addition of both pusher fans with the BeCool but if the stock fan can keep the car within reasonable limits, I don't doubt the BeCool can.

The reason I tested the stock radiator first is because I didn't want to hack anymore on the BeCool as it cost $500 compared the stock new one at $125. I also wanted to prove that it's all about air flow through the AC condenser.

The issues I have with the Becool that I think have to be modified are the tabs front and rear where that AC Condenser and ATI shroud hang.

The stock condenser fits perfect on the stock radiator whereas on the Becool it hangs forward more and so it rests against the frame in the car.

Same for the ATI shroud. The ATI shroud fits flush to the stock radiator whereas on the Becool it hangs back from the radiator by at least a 1/2 inch or so. As a result there isn't a good seal between the ATI shroud and the radiator. Because the Becool is thicker the ATI shroud fits nearly flush against the plastic ATI inlet hat. That I don't like.

To compensate for the above a fix to the Becool is to cut new slots in the aluminum tabs that both units hang on. This would move the AC condensor back more on the front (which is needed) and move the ATI shroud closer to the radiator on the back creating a better seal(which is needed). Moving the ATI fan shroud closer to the radiator would also create additional clearance between the ATI shroud and the ATI inlet hat. I just don't like parts rubbing on each other.

In addition because the ATI fan shroud hangs back much farther it also interferes with the upper radiator hose and one AC line. And if you install an extra fan, the small 9 inch fan blows hot air directly onto the radiator hose.

So rather than hacking anymore on the ATI fan shroud and the BeCool radiator, the cheaper route was to use the stock radiator first to test my theory.

And golly gee whiz bang. It seems to be working. So maybe we don't have to spend $500 for a big radiator (Becool, Griffin) when the stock or SLP style will work just fine simply by adding two inexpensive 12 inch pusher fans onto the front of the AC condenser.

My next test will be to add a 50/50 ratio of water to coolant back in and see what happens. It it still stays cool, that means I won't have to change it this winter to keep from freezing (my garage is not heated).

My current ratio is 75-90 percent water, Dexcool, and two bottles of Redline water wetter.

BTW - I tested the same ratio above with HyerLube and found no difference in temps - so I am sticking with Redline water wetter - I like the color better

 

What did you do?

 

Since I was testing and wanted to keep costs down I bought two Hayden (Imperial PN 226112) 12 inch pusher fans from Advance auto - about $60 a piece. Each draws about 9 amps.

I will replace with Spal 12 inch later (about $90 each). This low profile Spal will fit since it is less than 2 inches wide. You need just a little over 2 inches of clearance so the top of the fan will fit under part of the upper front frame near the hood latch. You need to mount both as low as possible on the AC condensor because the fan gets thicker from outside edge of the fan to the fan motor.

http://www.spalusa.com/store/main.as...&item=30100384

BTW - the fans are noisey with the key on engine off - but you can't hear them with the engine running - the ATI drowns out the noise.

If you decide to do this - now is the best time to make sure the AC condensor is perfectly clean. Shine a light on the backside to see the crud that has accumulated between the fins.

 

bled the system many times......and turned out my new 16" spal extreme fan was wired backwards.....it was pushing on the radiator so hard it felt like it was blowing towards motor, but that was air being bounced off radiator

 

A common mistake, glad you found it and the results were good.

BTW, Water Wetter has an anti-corrosive additive package in it, so it makes up for removing the anti-corrosion stuff in antifreeze. Also, use it per the instructions - it usually doesn't even take 1 full bottle for an entire system, and using two is not helpful, it's a waste of money and uses up space that could be filled by useful cooling water.

Jim

 

I will have to try that out, I have a 2 core HOWE so I may have to go with smaller fans so they fit between the frame and the condenser. Shouldn't be too much of a problem though.

 

There is vertical bracing underneath the horizontal frame bracing that you can notch or shave to create additional clearance and once repainted would not be noticeable.

However, that means you have to cut and hack.

With the BeCool you can cut new slots in the radiator tabs the AC condenser hangs on to move the AC condenser closer to the radiator gaining about a 1/4 inch of clearance. Since the Spal fans are thinner than the Hayen Imperial 12 inchers they still might fit in applications not using the stock radiator.

You can make a template out of cardboard easily enough to check for clearance before ordering the Spal fans.

 

Cool, I'll check it all out. My meth pump is up in front as well (between the bumper and the frame), so it would be worth making sure its still holding up ok too. I had my Howe custom made so there is very little room between the condenser and the rad so hopefully that will be ok. I'm ordering those 2 Spal fans today and if they get in this week I'll throw up some progress pictures.

 

ran car in traffic with ac on....highest it got to was 213 and that was when I got to my house and let car idle in drive way for a bit

 

Yes - don't forget to take progress pics. Seems I always forget to do that while putting parts back together.

It will also be interesting to hear if you get the same results as I did. I expect you might get cooler temps because the Spals push more cfm with their model model that has straight blades. The Hayden Imperials with a curved blade only push about 850 cfm each.

Here is a pic after my install. Looks almost factory.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/1835930...7602956888623/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/1835930...7602956888623/

BTW: Your inside cabin temps should be much cooler too because the AC condensor is tranferring more heat and not getting as hot.

 

Took a look at some of your pics. Very nice ride indeed. You are fortunate to live close to a good tuner.

Back in the day (2004 -2005) the install instructions from ATI were wrong and so it was common to wire the fan backwards. One of your pics looks like the orginal ATI fan. Just a hunch but I'll bet it's was wired wrong from the get-go and why your Spal extreme was wired backwards as well.

 

Awesome, looks good. What did you use to secure the fans? I see Spal has straps, but I'd prefer to use pins.

 

Thanks.....original procharger fan was wired up correctly but the 8" was backwards

 

The Hayden and Perma Cool come with nylon mounting kits. You might check with Spal if they sell a similar kit.

If not Advance Auto has the kit (less than $10). Whether is it the same kit that is supplied in the Hayden fan they sell - don't know.

The kit contains doubled side foam mounting pads and four nylon quick ties that extend through the condenser. They are grooved so the secure pad on the backside secures the fan as you tighten the connector. Be careful when mounting on the back as they are nearly impossible to readjust. So don't overtighten.

My Perma Cool kit was same as well.

There are some that say not to mount this way.

But I took my chances based on the fact that the fans are very light with not a lot of torque/twisting when they start up and spin. Plus the AC condenser mounts very firmly in place especially in the plastic mounting tabs on the stock radiator. Over time I doubt the nylon mounting pins will wear into the AC condenser tubes.

My car is not a daily driver either so I don't think I will have any issues.

 

I found a pretty informative and a well priced site that has Spal fans and various mounting kits, I'll stick with the nylons like you used. I am just going to order 1 14" low profile Spal rated at 1700 CFM, that should be sufficient. I'm not overheating, but I think if I let it sit with the A/C on it would. We'll see how it works .

 

Measure the height of the AC condenser. There was a reason I did not go with two 14's. I do know that two Hayden 14's would not sit side by side on the face of the condenser. A Hayden 14 was only $3 more than the 12 so two 14's would have been the better value.

I'm not an AC guru, but IMO if just using one fan, the best placement would be on the hot side of the condensor. I'm not sure if that is the left or right side of the AC condenser.

However, the driver side on the radiator is the side that needs the most air flow through the radiator since the ATI 16 inch puller is on the passenger side. It's that dead spot forward of ATI SC that bothers me.

But maybe dead center on the AC condenser is the best compromise if using just one fan.

 

I noticed in your pics that it looks as if you still have the plastic shrouds in front of the AC condensor.

Other chime in but I used to be of the opinion that they should be left in place. But after lots of trial and error I am of the opinion that they should be removed to enhance air flow if you have opened up the front bumper and are running an FMIC instead of the two ATI intercoolers.

The plastic shrouds make sense - when stock - because there is a BA vacuum cleaner (LS engine) sucking up a lot of air into the underside of the air filter and into the motor. So with the stock Z28 style air filter assembly, the plastic shrouds make sense because they aid in creating a cavity to aid in suction of fresh air up from the front of the air dam, to the engine and through the AC condenser.

But with the installation of the ATI SC all of the suction from the engine is gone because the air filter assembly is removed. And there sure isn't much suction much being created by the single 16 inch fan sitting backside of the radiator. So IMO the plastic shrouds inhibit instead of enhance air flow since the front bumper of the car is now open as a result of the FMIC.