PWM (brushless) Rad fan
I had purchased two spal fans to make a shroud in my turbo 5.3 gto. Well one came in and two months later I still didnt get the other one. So I just sent the one i had back and cancelled the other. They looked like brushed versions of the Chevy volt fans..........so getting to my point...
my GTO runs a little hotter at low speeds than I like. It runs 205-220 when its in the 90's outside. When I'm going down the road, it cools off. So I want to do a better fan setup and the brushless stuff is so much more efficient, powerful and lasts longer... thats what I want to do. So I have some questions..
1) would I be better off with the corvette, camaro, or two Volt fans? I want the maximum cooling I can get, I'll build an aluminum shroud with flaps..
2) Can I just do a simple on/off with any of them? My ecm doesnt have PWM for fans, just 2 speeds.
3) Do the volt fans come as a single fan or Double fan assembly? In my searching, it seems like it could go either way. What exact year should I look for?
my GTO runs a little hotter at low speeds than I like. It runs 205-220 when its in the 90's outside. When I'm going down the road, it cools off. So I want to do a better fan setup and the brushless stuff is so much more efficient, powerful and lasts longer... thats what I want to do. So I have some questions..
1) would I be better off with the corvette, camaro, or two Volt fans? I want the maximum cooling I can get, I'll build an aluminum shroud with flaps..
2) Can I just do a simple on/off with any of them? My ecm doesnt have PWM for fans, just 2 speeds.
3) Do the volt fans come as a single fan or Double fan assembly? In my searching, it seems like it could go either way. What exact year should I look for?
I had purchased two spal fans to make a shroud in my turbo 5.3 gto. Well one came in and two months later I still didnt get the other one. So I just sent the one i had back and cancelled the other. They looked like brushed versions of the Chevy volt fans..........so getting to my point...
my GTO runs a little hotter at low speeds than I like. It runs 205-220 when its in the 90's outside. When I'm going down the road, it cools off. So I want to do a better fan setup and the brushless stuff is so much more efficient, powerful and lasts longer... thats what I want to do. So I have some questions..
1) would I be better off with the corvette, camaro, or two Volt fans? I want the maximum cooling I can get, I'll build an aluminum shroud with flaps..
2) Can I just do a simple on/off with any of them? My ecm doesnt have PWM for fans, just 2 speeds.
3) Do the volt fans come as a single fan or Double fan assembly? In my searching, it seems like it could go either way. What exact year should I look for?
my GTO runs a little hotter at low speeds than I like. It runs 205-220 when its in the 90's outside. When I'm going down the road, it cools off. So I want to do a better fan setup and the brushless stuff is so much more efficient, powerful and lasts longer... thats what I want to do. So I have some questions..
1) would I be better off with the corvette, camaro, or two Volt fans? I want the maximum cooling I can get, I'll build an aluminum shroud with flaps..
2) Can I just do a simple on/off with any of them? My ecm doesnt have PWM for fans, just 2 speeds.
3) Do the volt fans come as a single fan or Double fan assembly? In my searching, it seems like it could go either way. What exact year should I look for?
2. You cannot operate the C7 or the Volt fans without a PWM signal.
3. I have only seen dual Volt fans.
Andrew
1. Which Corvette? Which Camaro? The C6 Corvette fan is 400 watts and can be operated by a relay. The C7 fan is 600 watts and needs a PWM signal from the ECU but can also be used by an external SPAL PWM controller, leaving the ECU out of the mix. Volt fans are 300 watts each and operate the same as the C7 fan.
2. You cannot operate the C7 or the Volt fans without a PWM signal.
3. I have only seen dual Volt fans.
Andrew
2. You cannot operate the C7 or the Volt fans without a PWM signal.
3. I have only seen dual Volt fans.
Andrew
thx. I jumped the gun when posting this and answered part of my Questions. So the c6 is a brushless too? I was looking at the c7. I came to the conclusion that I’d have to use SBL-TS-185P temp sensor to create the pwm signal. Little pricey at $150. Any other options? Or is that it?
also, what would be a better choice.....the two volt fans or the single c7 fan?
thx. I jumped the gun when posting this and answered part of my Questions. So the c6 is a brushless too? I was looking at the c7. I came to the conclusion that I’d have to use SBL-TS-185P temp sensor to create the pwm signal. Little pricey at $150. Any other options? Or is that it?
also, what would be a better choice.....the two volt fans or the single c7 fan?
also, what would be a better choice.....the two volt fans or the single c7 fan?
If you have no way of generating the PWM signal based on engine temperature, then the SBL-TS-185P is your only option. It's not just a sensor. It has a small circuit board in the harness that generates the needed PWM signal. It also has a AC request input that will turn the fan on 40% (don't quote me on that %) when the AC kicks on, if that's something you have.
As for the C7 vs. Volt, it is a matter of which setup fits best. The Volt fans will need an extra connector, while the C7 can be used with the SBL-TS-185P, pretty much plug-N-play. The motor wiring needs to be very robust with the C7 fan. Six hundred watts is no joke, and will need 8 gauge wire to the battery with a 75 amp Mega fuse, or heavy duty circuit breaker.
Andrew
C6 is just an old school brushed motor, but is made to work variable speed using the C6 fan controller. This is what I have in my LS swapped 67 Cougar with Holley EFI.
If you have no way of generating the PWM signal based on engine temperature, then the SBL-TS-185P is your only option. It's not just a sensor. It has a small circuit board in the harness that generates the needed PWM signal. It also has a AC request input that will turn the fan on 40% (don't quote me on that %) when the AC kicks on, if that's something you have.
As for the C7 vs. Volt, it is a matter of which setup fits best. The Volt fans will need an extra connector, while the C7 can be used with the SBL-TS-185P, pretty much plug-N-play. The motor wiring needs to be very robust with the C7 fan. Six hundred watts is no joke, and will need 8 gauge wire to the battery with a 75 amp Mega fuse, or heavy duty circuit breaker.
Andrew
If you have no way of generating the PWM signal based on engine temperature, then the SBL-TS-185P is your only option. It's not just a sensor. It has a small circuit board in the harness that generates the needed PWM signal. It also has a AC request input that will turn the fan on 40% (don't quote me on that %) when the AC kicks on, if that's something you have.
As for the C7 vs. Volt, it is a matter of which setup fits best. The Volt fans will need an extra connector, while the C7 can be used with the SBL-TS-185P, pretty much plug-N-play. The motor wiring needs to be very robust with the C7 fan. Six hundred watts is no joke, and will need 8 gauge wire to the battery with a 75 amp Mega fuse, or heavy duty circuit breaker.
Andrew
My thing is, we know it keeps the vette cool, but really the temp thats acceptable in a stock car is higher than I like. They sell an 800w upgraded brushless for the vette so that tells me at some point, upgrades are possibly needed. Then I'm looking at volt fans, but the thought that they are used to cool off a 4 cylinder keeps popping in my head. Would that really be good enough? Or is it more of a function of the radiator for a larger engine?
My thing is, we know it keeps the vette cool, but really the temp thats acceptable in a stock car is higher than I like. They sell an 800w upgraded brushless for the vette so that tells me at some point, upgrades are possibly needed. Then I'm looking at volt fans, but the thought that they are used to cool off a 4 cylinder keeps popping in my head. Would that really be good enough? Or is it more of a function of the radiator for a larger engine?
You shouldn't concern yourself with the fact that the Volt fans came out of a 4 cylinder car. Keep in mind, it is a hybrid vehicle and there are all kinds of systems to keep batteries cool, etc...The fact that the fans are rated at 300 watts each, is an indicator of the power and flow capacity. As long as your radiator is efficient and you mount the Volt fans in a thoughtful manner, and you have good airflow to the front of the radiator, I think you will have a good experience with them. I bought a set of Volt fans for $75 at the local salvage yard, for testing purposes with the Holley EFI, but I have not had a chance to do the testing yet.
Andrew
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 112
Likes: 8
Okay I’m finally at the point where I have to wire this up. Seems pretty easy except how do I know which terminal is 12v positive and which is negative haha. They’re both black.
for some reason I assume the top is positive.
Thanks
Sean
for some reason I assume the top is positive.
Thanks
Sean
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