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Big turbo and what fan setup?, step inside,let's see yours
I want to see how people have there fan setup and what fans/fan you have?
I finally tackled my overheating problem,
Radiator is a Griffin stood up flush mounted
First setup
-160° stat(was trying to bring the temp down)
-Two stock puller fans
-One small pusher
(Would get hot in traffic and around town on hot days)
New setup
-187° stat (after spal fans the temp gauge wouldn't move off 160,with the 160 stat)
-2 10" spal pusher,curve blades(no shroud)
-DEI titanium blanket
(Now runs around 200 idleing and it feels much happier now)
People are afraid pushers won't be enough, but spals are, and you make more room for your turbo.
Let's here your overheating nightmares and how you overcame them.
Installed Ls7 waterpump. Suppose to flow a bit more. Weigh about 2lbs less than the older pumps.
Removed thermostat, plugged aft bypass with freeze plug.
Small $90 forklift radiator 14x14x3.5" core
2 speed ford taurus fan. Cools even with a huge intercooler blocking it completely. 90+ degree days in traffic it will sit around 210 with the fan on low. If I let it idle long enough with the fan on high it pulls it down to the 180's. At night in the staging lanes it will cool to 170ish in 75ish degree weather.
On 90+ days with the thermostat installed and Ls1 pump it would creep to 225+ with the fan on low. Around 205-210 with the fan on high.
Last edited by Forcefed86; 11-11-2014 at 01:16 PM.
Curious to know you guys took 2 totally different t stat routes, one went to a higher temp and one ditched it all together. Whats the theory behind the 2 methods?
Curious to know you guys took 2 totally different t stat routes, one went to a higher temp and one ditched it all together. Whats the theory behind the 2 methods?
I have a blanket which he don't have, I have a Griffin radiator, and HP spal pushers, ... so my car stays super cool now, too cool with the 160° ,that's why I switched to the 187° now it runs around 200 like it should.
Not sure why he did what he did
Also 187 is the stock t stat so if your not having overheating than you can run stock t stat, whatever puts the car around 200° , different setup different results
I have a blanket which he don't have, I have a Griffin radiator, and HP spal pushers, ... so my car stays super cool now, too cool with the 160° ,that's why I switched to the 187° now it runs around 200 like it should.
Not sure why he did what he did
Also 187 is the stock t stat so if your not having overheating than you can run stock t stat, whatever puts the car around 200° , different setup different results
Def. have a turbo blanket if thats what your talking about. (see last pic) I removed the thermo because the faster you get coolant through the system the more efficiently it cools. If you have the space for a large aftermarket radiator, chances are you won't need to do this. But if you are basically running a half radiator for turbo clearance and want the most efficiency possible, removing the thermo completely helps. (you must plug the bypass when doing this) It will also take longer to get up to operating temps or may not get past 170* on a cold night. On a race toy that gets the oil changed every 4-5 track outings moisture/sludge buildup etc isn't a concern in my case.
A shrouded puller fan also cools much better. And the taurus fan pulls more CFM than most aftermarket fans.
Def. have a turbo blanket if thats what your talking about. (see last pic) I removed the thermo because the faster you get coolant through the system the more efficiently it cools. If you have the space for a large aftermarket radiator, chances are you won't need to do this. But if you are basically running a half radiator for turbo clearance and want the most efficiency possible, removing the thermo completely helps. (you must plug the bypass when doing this) It will also take longer to get up to operating temps or may not get past 170* on a cold night. On a race toy that gets the oil changed every 4-5 track outings moisture/sludge buildup etc isn't a concern in my case.
A shrouded puller fan also cools much better. And the taurus fan pulls more CFM than most aftermarket fans.
Sorry didn't see your blanket at first, I was just telling him how diff our setups were since he asked why we went 2 diff directions.
(The fact you have to run no stat should tell you that your Taurus fan ain't that great)
My last setup had 2 pullers (stock) and one Taurus wired as pusher, this setup didn't cool any were near how my spals do(after spals I had to put a 187 stat in because it ran way to cool with the 160),so I personally can tell you the Taurus fan ain't as good as my spals,also cfm is only half of it,I do agree a shrouded puller is generally better but you can't really fit with turbo there,that's why I wanted to see people's setups
Running no t stat is ok for passes but with no stat your continually flowing coolant eventually getting hot, with the proper fans and rad you won't need to do this,(like you said above).......meaning if you had better fans/rad you could run a stat, so you just admitted there your Taurus fan is one of the reasons you can't run a t stat.
But that's ok whatever works for you is what I wanna hear, that's the point of this thread.
I wanted to see how people have made different cooling system work for there setups,that is the point of this thread
Nit sure how much faster it flows,but in his Cass u would think that will work against him, flowing more coolant (continually with no stat)would give it less time to cool, ?? Am I wrong
I would have applied that money of the ls7 pump toward good fans and or better radiator, than you could run a regular water pump,
It seems a lot of people put in parts that don't keep the motor cool and then spend more time/money covering up the problem with dif water pumps and lower stats/ no stats ...etc.
Yes, I was told the newer water pump design flows better. I haven’t been able to find exact flow comparisons. It is lighter weight than the old design for sure. Aft cover is pressed on instead of screwed on and the thermostat housing is a little different. The main reason I went with the new pump was for fan clearance.
Taurus fan is a puller. It will not work worth a damn as a pusher. You can’t just reverse the polarity and call it a “pusher”. You would also have to flip the blades over on the shaft to reverse the blade orientation. Don’t believe there is an easy way to do that on a Taurus fan. If you're going to use a pusher fan, then you need to go get one made for that purpose.
Originally Posted by ws6turbo
Sorry didn't see your blanket at first, I was just telling him how diff our setups were since he asked why we went 2 diff directions.
(The fact you have to run no stat should tell you that your Taurus fan ain't that great)
My last setup had 2 pullers (stock) and one Taurus wired as pusher, this setup didn't cool any were near how my spals do(after spals I had to put a 187 stat in because it ran way to cool with the 160),so I personally can tell you the Taurus fan ain't as good as my spals,also cfm is only half of it,I do agree a shrouded puller is generally better but you can't really fit with turbo there,that's why I wanted to see people's setups
Running no t stat is ok for passes but with no stat your continually flowing coolant eventually getting hot, with the proper fans and rad you won't need to do this,(like you said above).......meaning if you had better fans/rad you could run a stat, so you just admitted there your Taurus fan is one of the reasons you can't run a t stat.
But that's ok whatever works for you is what I wanna hear, that's the point of this thread.
I wanted to see how people have made different cooling system work for there setups,that is the point of this thread
I think your mistaken on a few things…
How did you run a Taurus fan as a pusher? To my knowledge this isn’t possible. (see above)
If installed correctly, a Taurus fan flows around 6000cfm on high. That’s VERY good for a single fan. I’d bet the Taurus flows quite a bit more CFM than both your 10” SPAL fans. Have a link to the 10” Spals you bought? Pushers are a horrible design. A shrouded puller will always perform better. That’s why all OEM’s main cooling fans are shrouded pullers. To make the most out of a small radiator core…pusher fans aren’t the way to go.
I run a tiny radiator, zero ducting, and a giant intercooler. There is nothing wrong with the fans performance, I’m just asking a lot out of my tiny core.
Here is a shot the 4.5” thick intercooler. It covers the radiator completely. Ducting to the radiator is non-existent. So much so that the car cools better on the highway with the fan on. With the bumper and air dam in place flow is even worse.
As far as the thermostat goes your theory is incorrect.
The Taurus fan has nothing to do with the fact that I don’t run a thermostat. The faster coolant moves through the system the better the system works. (See the flow chart below.) Any restriction in the system will make it less efficient. If cooling efficiency is what you’re after, you don’t want any restriction (aka thermostat).
In your case you have a core that is capable of cooling your engine efficiently with a poor fan design and a thermostat installed. That’s great, but many running a truly small radiator core wont’ have this luxury.
I had thought this thread was geared more towards guys front mounting their turbos and using “half” radiators. Usually to do this, you need to get the most out of a small radiator core. To do this, a few tricks are usually needed. Better water pump, no thermo, super powerful fan etc…. 2 10” fans aren’t going to fit well on a 14” radiator core either. So a large high flow single is usually needed.
Originally Posted by ws6turbo
Nit sure how much faster it flows,but in his Cass u would think that will work against him, flowing more coolant (continually with no stat)would give it less time to cool, ?? Am I wrong
I would have applied that money of the ls7 pump toward good fans and or better radiator, than you could run a regular water pump,
It seems a lot of people put in parts that don't keep the motor cool and then spend more time/money covering up the problem with dif water pumps and lower stats/ no stats ...etc.
You are incorrect. As said above, flowing more coolant with no thermostat will cool more efficiently…period. I run a 3.5” thick triple pass alum radiator. Since my space was limited, I did not have the option to run a larger core. You won't find a much better radiator this size IMO. 2 SPAL 10” pushers on my setup wouldn’t come close to cooling my radiator core. If a thermostat were added, it would perform even more poorly.
IMO, a lot of people don’t have a firm grasp on how cooling systems work in general. What they think they know often is often incorrect…
Depending on the application, having the most efficient cooling system is not usually the goal of an OEM cooling system. Performance is also not usually the goal. On a daily driven emissions controlled car, getting the engine up to operating temp as quickly as possible is the goal. OEM setups are not limited by core size. They can install a core that will keep the engine running at the desired temperatures with a thermostat in place easily. When you jump into the performance world that all changes. If you are forced to run a tiny radiator to make room for monster turbo’s and intercooler’s, changes have to be made. The emissions friendly coolant temps that OEM engines run at aren't the same temps we want to run in a performance turbo application either.
Bottom line is… if you have the space for a good core you don’t need huge fans, no thermostat, higher flowing pumps etc... If you are core limited like I was you may need to modify the system.
Last edited by Forcefed86; 11-12-2014 at 09:17 AM.
^ ANY fan can have the polarity reversed and the fan swapped, that's how a lot of aftermarket fans even come now.
What's your problem against spals? Clearly they cool better than you Taurus fan, (mine stays cool and generates more heat than you car)your car Bairley cools.
6000 cfm...lmfao
You Taurus fan flows nowhere near that or you wouldn't be running no stat. (Idc what Ford says)
The spals are rated at 1500 cfm and 40amp,they move way more air than your Taurus fan,you must be smoking some good stuff,
I know because I used both on my setup, and I tried ALL 3 fans I had in different configurations, one being the Taurus fan as a puller,didn't cool Well enough.
Your asking why they didn't do pushers factory then? A lot of turbo cars do come stock with only pushers, Saab is one...
Why didn't they do no t stat factory? I'll tell you why because they put sufficient fans/radiator in so ...don't need to hide the problem.
Oh believe you called my setup a poor setup as well. Lol thanks for that Lmao. ...poor setup, literally that's what you have, everything down to your eBay blanket, let's not start a pissing contest because obviously both our systems work for us.
anyway let's keep them coming guys. ..
Lets pretend there in no right or wrong way and just post up your cooling systems.
Thats the point of this thread, too see how different people setup there systems,and make it work for them
^ ANY fan can have the polarity reversed and the fan swapped, that's how a lot of aftermarket fans even come now.
What's your problem against spals? Clearly they cool better than you Taurus fan, (mine stays cool and generates more heat than you car)your car Bairley cools.
6000 cfm...lmfao
You Taurus fan flows nowhere near that or you wouldn't be running no stat. (Idc what Ford says)
The spals are rated at 1500 cfm and 40amp,they move way more air than your Taurus fan,you must be smoking some good stuff,
I know because I used both on my setup, and I tried ALL 3 fans I had in different configurations, one being the Taurus fan as a puller,didn't cool Well enough.
Your asking why they didn't do pushers factory then? A lot of turbo cars do come stock with only pushers, Saab is one...
Why didn't they do no t stat factory? I'll tell you why because they put sufficient fans/radiator in so ...don't need to hide the problem.
Oh believe you called my setup a poor setup as well. Lol thanks for that Lmao. ...poor setup, literally that's what you have, everything down to your eBay blanket, let's not start a pissing contest because obviously both our systems work for us.
anyway let's keep them coming guys. ..
Lets pretend there in no right or wrong way and just post up your cooling systems.
Thats the point of this thread, too see how different people setup there systems,and make it work for them
I have zero problems with you or SPAL, but your throwing out tons of incorrect information. It’s clear in every statement you post that you are completely ignorant regarding cooling systems. You also lack basic reading comprehension. I said nothing about a “poor man’s setup”? I said your fan setup will perform poorly when compared to a puller that moves more CFM. The fact that it works on your specific setup doesn’t mean it’s well designed. Comparing my car to yours is moronic. We don’t have the same radiator core, airflow to the radiator etc…
If you look at the fan blades you will see they are an airfoil. The airfoil is directional to move air in one direction. The aftermarket fans that can be run as a pusher/puller have detachable blades that need to be flipped depending on its use. The ford Taurus fan does not have this option as it was designed as a puller only. Taurus fan would perform horribly with the polarity of the motor swapped alone used as a pusher.
Maybe your Taurus fan was “bad”. Were you using the 2 speed version? Did you have it on the high speed? Google Taurus Fan Flow… many independent tests have been done by many people. It flows roughly 6000CFM on high depending on voltage and year. Your wrong if you think your unshrouded pusher spals cool better than a puller Taurus fan. Your also confused about the use of a thermostat VS not using one. As well as the reasons why someone would or would not run one.
Do a little research.
Here's a great read on cooling systems in general.
If memory serves me right the 3.8L Taurus single fan provides 3500-4500 CFM. That is pretty damn good for a single fan which can be purchased for under $90 in my opinion. Most SPAL Singles range from 1400-2000 CFM but cost about about double the price.
My personal experience with the Taurus fan was that it was much better than my old Flex-A-Lite setup which was rated to 2500 CFM and was a double fan setup. The reason I had gone FAL was for space restriction reasons so I was using the Slim version of the FALs and that I had not researched any OEM fan applications. This was (2006 yr) a huge intercooled 240sx with a sub 600rwhp Sr20 4-liter setup with a Koyo Racing Rad if that matters to anyone.
Current setup in progress is a boosted LM7 with AFCO Dual Pass Rad using a Taurus Fan and 180 degree thermo. I dont believe I will have any issues with my setup as my friends use the AFCO and Taurus combo at drifting events both NA & Turbo GM setups with 0 issues.
If memory serves me right the 3.8L Taurus single fan provides 3500-4500 CFM. That is pretty damn good for a single fan which can be purchased for under $90 in my opinion. Most SPAL Singles range from 1400-2000 CFM but cost about about double the price.
My personal experience with the Taurus fan was that it was much better than my old Flex-A-Lite setup which was rated to 2500 CFM and was a double fan setup. The reason I had gone FAL was for space restriction reasons so I was using the Slim version of the FALs and that I had not researched any OEM fan applications. This was (2006 yr) a huge intercooled 240sx with a sub 600rwhp Sr20 4-liter setup with a Koyo Racing Rad if that matters to anyone.
Current setup in progress is a boosted LM7 with AFCO Dual Pass Rad using a Taurus Fan and 180 degree thermo. I dont believe I will have any issues with my setup as my friends use the AFCO and Taurus combo at drifting events both NA & Turbo GM setups with 0 issues.
Just my own personal experience.
With my Taurus fan as a puller no shroud, didn't keep my car cool, why idk.. maybe because it was sanwiched between my turbo and radiator, or because I couldn't fit a shroud?
Idk but I wish I could have gotten away with the fans I had laying around,one being a Taurus,,, I would have saved $400 on buying the spals..
But it didn't work and I couldn't find any stock style fan to fit (that's why I went pusher, and I agree pusher ain't the best idea, so I decided if I had to run pushers I would use high end fans(spals)
I even considered the Saab pusher setup but was waaaaay to big also.
This is why I started the thread, to help future builders with there setup... be it a Griffin radiator and spals.. or all stock parts from a pinto. ..
I have zero problems with you or SPAL, but your throwing out tons of incorrect information. It’s clear in every statement you post that you are completely ignorant regarding cooling systems. You also lack basic reading comprehension. I said nothing about a “poor man’s setup”? I said your fan setup will perform poorly when compared to a puller that moves more CFM. The fact that it works on your specific setup doesn’t mean it’s well designed. Comparing my car to yours is moronic. We don’t have the same radiator core, airflow to the radiator etc…
If you look at the fan blades you will see they are an airfoil. The airfoil is directional to move air in one direction. The aftermarket fans that can be run as a pusher/puller have detachable blades that need to be flipped depending on its use. The ford Taurus fan does not have this option as it was designed as a puller only. Taurus fan would perform horribly with the polarity of the motor swapped alone used as a pusher.
Maybe your Taurus fan was “bad”. Were you using the 2 speed version? Did you have it on the high speed? Google Taurus Fan Flow… many independent tests have been done by many people. It flows roughly 6000CFM on high depending on voltage and year. Your wrong if you think your unshrouded pusher spals cool better than a puller Taurus fan. Your also confused about the use of a thermostat VS not using one. As well as the reasons why someone would or would not run one.
Do a little research.
Here's a great read on cooling systems in general.
It is a 2 speed Taurus fan, was on high... reversed the polarity but not blade. And tried it as a pusher and puller(obviously it better as puller,how it was designed) but still not good enough, threw in the spals, problem solved,(so much I had to go to a higher stat it ran so cool) , so they must flow more? I realize the paddles push air one way, that's why I got the paddle blades instead of the standard spals.
The point of a radiator fan and t stat is obvious.
T stat closes allowing the coolant to sit in the rad and cool down while the fans blow and the stat opens letting COOL coolant in, , and over and over..
obviously removing the stat keeps it flowing, we've all done this at one point wether it be a old Honda or old small block,I've ran no stat on Honda gsr motors no problem, but in high school I had a 85 Monte SS , no t stat, and it would get hot after awhile of hard driving and I'd let it cool down,
I'm glad it works for you, this is what I want to see is different setups,
Sorry I read your( poor) comment wrong.. then I guess it is fare to say you running no t stat is a poor idea(since it was also not done that way factory)either way both setups work for us,
And again this is why I started the thread,too share cooling systems with each other and help others, which you have done by sharing your setup, thank you now if you don't have another setup to share please move on
If memory serves me right the 3.8L Taurus single fan provides 3500-4500 CFM. That is pretty damn good for a single fan which can be purchased for under $90 in my opinion. Most SPAL Singles range from 1400-2000 CFM but cost about about double the price.
My personal experience with the Taurus fan was that it was much better than my old Flex-A-Lite setup which was rated to 2500 CFM and was a double fan setup. The reason I had gone FAL was for space restriction reasons so I was using the Slim version of the FALs and that I had not researched any OEM fan applications. This was (2006 yr) a huge intercooled 240sx with a sub 600rwhp Sr20 4-liter setup with a Koyo Racing Rad if that matters to anyone.
Current setup in progress is a boosted LM7 with AFCO Dual Pass Rad using a Taurus Fan and 180 degree thermo. I dont believe I will have any issues with my setup as my friends use the AFCO and Taurus combo at drifting events both NA & Turbo GM setups with 0 issues.
Just my own personal experience.
Depending on the year and the voltage the fan was tested at… right around 6000 on high and 3000+ on low are the numbers I’ve seen repeatedly. Seen several references where people "estimate flow" at 4500.
These are also open flow tests (as are SPALS). Once you place the fan flush to a radiator it loads the motor and CFM drops. This could be where the 4500ish ratings are coming from. The amp draw and motor size alone compared to most aftermarket units is a clear indication this is a serious fan.
Tests made on a paint booths CFM flow meter on many popular fans.
^^^ thanks, now let's not talk about stuff we read on the internet, let's see some more setups, also I am not the first to run dual spal pushers for turbo clearance,maybe a few of them guys will also share there's
11-11-2014, 12:53 PM
Big turbo and what fan setup?, step inside,let's see yours 
