Cooling fan

[peters3103]

Hi chaps,
I have decided on a Radtec repro Marston radiator. They have offered a very good deal on 2 as a mate wants one too. The change left over from opting against the Fosseway will nearly pay for a repro Lucas battery. (Shipping to Australia is the killer there). I’m going to do away with my Kenlowe fan and am debating over refitting an original motor and propeller blade (from my previous 4.2) or going with the Coolcat which mounts up on the same bracket (which has been butchered to accommodate the Kenlowe and will need repair). Then I will need an otter switch and an auto electrician to figure out the wiring up. Hopefully the original wiring is still there somewhere. The question is, with the upgraded radiator, will the original fan be up to the job in 35C plus temperatures? David, I know you have this set-up but it don’t get that hot over there does it?? What’s the maximum temp in traffic you’ve been in with your car?

[Grahame W]

Well it is unusual for us to have 30 degree plus temperatures here in the UK but this year we do so have some current experience of these types of temps.
I run the original fan set up, fine at 50mph plus on open road, when stationary temp rises 10 degrees then held by the fan.
If there is an issue it is that once moving after being stationary temp does come down to near normal but not quite enough to switch off so you can end up with the motor running for hours.Have been told a modern fan would solve this issue but I kind of like original spec cars unless they become totally unusable in the modern world

[Heuer]

Yes, I have the Radtec and initially fitted the Coolcat fan along with the Mitsubishi thermostat. As the fan did not seem to come on almost at all I decided to put back the original Lucas motor and single blade fan. The car is fine and I have been stuck in traffic on a hot day without problems thanks to the efficiency of the Radtec and a dose of 'Water Wetter' in the coolant. Suggest you give it a go and see as there are too many variables to give a specific answer (state of engine block with regards silt/casting sand, density of traffic, ambient temperature).

It is fairly easy to swap between Coolcat and Lucas although a lot easier on your back with the bonnet off. If you decide on the Coolcat paint a couple of the blades silver as per the original fan blade. People have managed to get their cars through Concours judging with that trick as on the car it is practically undetectable!

[Gerry]

Hi Peter,why not order everything from Coolcat,fan and Aluminum Rad,there are members of the Jaglovers site that drive in Texas heat without problems with that set up.I live in Ontario Canada,my car can handle outside temps in the low 30's,problem is I can't!

Regards Gerry 62 Ots.

[cactusman]

I have a radtec radiator and coolkat fan on my 3.8. Excellent. Cool as a cucumber even in the unusual heat wave we are currently experiencing in normally rainy Blighty!!

[abowie]

The question is, with the upgraded radiator, will the original fan be up to the job in 35C plus temperatures?

I don't think so. I'm in Adelaide and I have a Coolcat fan on my 3.8 which has an aluminum radiator. My car will get pretty hot sitting in traffic in hot weather even with the Coolcat.

[peters3103]

Thanks for all the replies, the car actually behaves very well temperature-wise with the current set-up. Runs at a constant 70 and rises ever-so-slightly when in traffic on a hot day and is kept stable when the Kenlowe cuts in. I am replacing the radiator as the incorrect 4.2 style one is tatty, unattractive and starting to leak (a little like me!) I think when I install the Radtec I’ll try the original fan knowing I can upgrade to the Coolcat if need be. David, I did read an earlier post of yours regarding painting two opposing blades silver. Very clever! Not that I’m a concours player.

Pete

[Moeregaard]

One more vote for the Coolcat fan. It uses the original frame mount, integrates nicely with the radiator shroud, and moves a lot of air for the amount of current it draws. My '66 stayed cool in southern California traffic once I fitted one.

[RobertGrieve]

I have just fitted the twin coolcat fans and they are absolutely brilliant. With previous original fans my cars temp would be fine on the move but would creep up in traffic or parking up/traffic lights. I have also fitted an override and (quite neatly I think) tucked a toggle switch under the dash. With the new fans on the cars temp can creep to 90 and drop right back to 75 or so with the fans within a couple mins. Very pleased.

[Sarthe72]

Another vote for Coolcat here.

[Series1 Stu]

Good grief!

Is that fan off an Everglades air boat???

[Jeremy]

Er, nope, that's the Coolcat Stuart. Same diameter as the original, fits inside the original cowl. Funny that, how things look bigger when you get closer to them... .

[Geoff Green]

Good grief!

Is that fan off an Everglades air boat???

Two plane (layer) counter rotating multi straight blade.

[peters3103]

Hi chaps,
I’ve decided to order a Coolcat fan for peace of mind given the temps the car could well be exposed to. Is it possible to fit without removing anything other than the original fan & motor? ie header tank & shroud can stay? My car has the Kenlowe controller fitted. If I choose to remove this can I just attach the two wires from it to the otter switch in the header tank? Also will my existing otter switch control the Coolcat fan or do I need the Coolcat switch?

Cheers
Pete

[cactusman]

You can but it is tricky you may need to loosen the shroud but not take it out. Much easier with the header removed. Not sure what the wiring configuration you have is....the coolkat draws a few amps so check the current rating of the kenlowe stuff. In principle though the new motor just connects to where the old one was....

[peters3103]

Thanks Julian, the 16” Kenlowe fan that I removed draws 15amps and the Coolcat draws only 7amps, according to their respective specifications, so should be ok there. I also have an alternator installed (soon to be changed for a Dynator or similar for appearance).
Hopefully I don’t need to pull the header tank off again...

Regards.
Pete

[abowie]

The Coolcat is a bit of a PITA to fit.

It mounts to the original 4 holes but you can't quite wangle it between the picture frame and the steering rack intact. I needed to take the motor out of the mount, install the mount and then push the fan motor back into the mount. I did it with the original fan shroud and the header tank both off the car.

It also doesn't come with any rubber bushes for the holes. You're supposed to reuse your old ones but they are usually mummified and useless. So you need to get some nice firm 10mm grommets from somewhere.

The other irritations I had were that the nuts were 3/8 AF (nothing else on an E Type is and where the hell is my 3/8 AF spanner) and that the fan blade is tricky to actually fit to the motor.

The motor shaft has a roll pin that positively locates it onto the hub on the fan blade. The roll pin is however too fat to fully engage the slot. You need to squash it a little, otherwise when you try to tighten the nut that holds it it slips and the shaft just rotates. This is made even more tricky because the threads have a locking material on them making the nut hard to do up.

Once in you just use your original wiring. Make sure you follow the instructions to install the fan the right way around and check that you wire it to spin the right way.

Having installed it though it is fantastically good.

[peters3103]

Thanks Andrew for that comprehensive info on installation. You say you had both tank and cowl off so I’m assuming the cowl will go back on with the fan blade on? Did you need to tip the radiator forward for clearance? I’ve just fitted the Radtec radiator and new hoses/clips/coolant so was hoping to avoid removing the tank but if it has to come off, so be it. I should have bought the Coolcat fan earlier but I need to use the car this weekend so have assembled it with the original fan temporarily in place.

Cheers
Pete

[abowie]

That's how I did it but I am rebuilding a car from scratch.

If I were you I'd leave the shroud on and install the motor, then see if you can install the fan once it's in. It'll probably work. Similarly, try it with the header tank in place first.

Worst comes to worst, if you can't get them in, take more bits out.

The most important bit is squashing that damned roll pin.

[peters3103]

Andrew, yes a little fiddly, not much room between fan motor clamp and steering rack but all in and working well. I did as you suggested and removed the clamp from the motor and offered it and the bracket up first. Didn’t have to remove the cowl or header tank and fortunately the roll pin didn’t give any grief. Just did 900 miles over the weekend and apart from a fine from Mr Plod all is good.

Cheers, Pete