Ford Contour fan installation thread

Spook50 · 08-22-08, 04:40 PM

I figured this way I can keep track of what works for me and what doesn't with the Contour fan conversion to the benefit of anyone else looking to do the same. It's easier than trying to remember to do a complete writeup when I'm done and remember everything that I did

Those that've said this fan is a perfect fit to the stock 62 (60 also?) radiator weren't kidding. This thing is absolutely dead on. I trimmed the stock mounting tabs off the side of it for my installation, and like a couple others on here have done, I'm using 1" square steel tubing as mounting brackets for it. For control, I'm using a DC Control unit (the FK50P) to control the fan assembly along with their indicator light mounted to my instrument panel right next to the temp portion of my quad gauge. So far I've done a test fit of the fan with the mounting brackets, so in case anyone's curious, here are a few pics I took:

Like I said: dead on. The tubing will be cut down for a cleaner appearance when all is said and done. I'm also using all stainless steel hardware (I've gotten into that habit for any fastener I replace as long as I can find a match in SS) to ward off any possibility of corrosion in the future.

Closeup of the DC Control box, just to give an idea of its size. Not much to it. I chose to mount it directly to the fan and up top because it'll make it easier to adjust the temp setting on it, and it keeps the fan closer to just one self-contained assembly.

In case any of you were wondering if this can be done with the A/C dryer, it can. It's moved back an inch and has plenty of room to spare.

That's it so far. The only problem I can see myself having here is finding out where to connect the controller's A/C lead to. There's a screw on top of the A/C compressor that I'm told is a good spot, but I couldn't get the screw out with the limited access that I had to it, so I'll probably have to route the wire into the cab and connect it to one of the A/C wires underneath the dash.

cruiser88 · 08-22-08, 05:35 PM

Looks good Spook

Kavik · 08-22-08, 07:58 PM

Subscribed

Spook50 · 08-22-08, 11:23 PM

Quick update before I go to bed. I finished the wiring on the fan assembly itself. The Weatherpak connector in the pic is for the A/C and IGN signal leads, which will run into the cab, underneath the dash. The IGN lead is what lets the fan run as long as there's power going to it (the IGN lead). You can either wire it directly to the battery so the fan will run until the rad gets down to a certain temp after engine shutdown, or connect it to an actual IGN lead in your factory wiring so the fan is killed immediately upon shutdown. I'll have it connected to a red-guarded switch that's connected directly to the battery so it'll act as a master kill switch. I can let the fan run for a while after shutdown if shit gets toasty, and when I get out I can open the guard and flip the switch so that the fan is killed and doesn't put any draw at all on the battery.

BTW all splices and connections are crimped and soldered, wrapped with a small piece of electrical tape, and shrink wrapped. No chance of shorts here

Tinker · 08-23-08, 09:13 AM

Spoo -

Where'd ya get the fan(s): are they OEM Bosch (new or junkyard) or aftermarket? I just got my Dorman from Summit, but they don't look Bosch to me.

Why'd ya use the tubing instead of angle brackets? Being lazy I want the simplest approach possible.

I'm thinking of lining the perimeter of the ABS shroud with foam weatherstrip to make a good seal. I want ALL the air going through my bling-o Ron Davis rad.

BTW thanks for doing a new thread - hard to keep track of all the old ones.

Moby · 08-23-08, 10:13 AM

For my DCC controller I tapped the black wire that runs from the A/C amplifier to the compressor. Near the compressor there is a single spade connection so that you can remove the compressor. I spliced in at this point (I hate cutting stock wires unnecessarily).

Spook50 · 08-23-08, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tinker

Spoo -

Where'd ya get the fan(s): are they OEM Bosch (new or junkyard) or aftermarket? I just got my Dorman from Summit, but they don't look Bosch to me.

Why'd ya use the tubing instead of angle brackets? Being lazy I want the simplest approach possible.

I'm thinking of lining the perimeter of the ABS shroud with foam weatherstrip to make a good seal. I want ALL the air going through my bling-o Ron Davis rad.

BTW thanks for doing a new thread - hard to keep track of all the old ones.

I got the fan new at Spaldings, which is a huge local junk yard / parts warehouse. It was in an unopened box that said Motorcraft on the label, so I assume they're Bosch motors. I'm not sure on the appearance of a Bosch motor versus a Dorman one (if there even is a visible difference), so I can't say for sure if it is a Bosch or not.

As far as the tubing, it's just what was readily available to me. There's a fab shop a ways off base that I have do minor work for me from time to time, and they had this and some 2" tubing that I'll be using for subframe connectors on my Duster so I picked up both right then and there.

Good idea on the weatherstrip. I think I have some vinyl foam left over in my garage somewhere that'll be perfect to fill in the little gap there will be between the fan shroud and the rad.

Elbert · 08-23-08, 12:32 PM

you can get the fans new (motor-craft) from rock auto ...if you want to buy them online. Good write up... Let us know how it turns out. I have similar setup on my FJ60. I did have a spal fan controller until it went up in smoke (saw where they re-designed it). I'm now runnin a spal sensor in the dirvers side cylinder head (v-8) and two relay harnesses that control the fans. So now, the fans I have are either on or off...no in between.

Interesting to see different strategies...on how to work this. I used a different radiator on mine, mounting is similar.

Spook50 · 08-23-08, 02:49 PM

'Nother update before I head out to finish the bracketry and hopefully get the cabin wiring done today.

I changed the wiring on the fan assembly to add a 2-lead Weatherpak connector for the main power and ground leads. The power lead has a fusible link wire at the battery, so fusing isn't an issue. I'm going to make up some spare fusible links just in case something goes downhill in the future though. Anyhoo, I also added the indicator lamp's signal wire to the A/C and IGN leads and replaced that connector with a 3-lead one. Now if the fan ever has to come out for any reason, it's as simple as disconnecting these two connectors, the temp sensor connector and unbolting the brackets from the radiator. I'm trying to design this with a professional appearance and future maintenance in mind, and so far it seems to be coming together fairly well. The real test is when I fire up the engine though...

boots4 · 08-23-08, 03:50 PM

My motors were black and had this on the side. I pulled the unit from a contour in the JY. Your install is looking good.

Tinker · 08-24-08, 12:20 PM

Spooky -

I love SS fasteners, too. But there's one thing I learned on my '56 F100: if you use air wrenches to tighten them up the heat generated causes bolts & nuts to fuse together & strip. Dunno if you should use anti-seize & whether it would foil the NA feature (Nylon Aircraft "locker").

Spook50 · 08-24-08, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tinker

Spooky -

I love SS fasteners, too. But there's one thing I learned on my '56 F100: if you use air wrenches to tighten them up the heat generated causes bolts & nuts to fuse together & strip. Dunno if you should use anti-seize & whether it would foil the NA feature (Nylon Aircraft "locker").

Yeah I had been told that before, so I don't use powertools with SS hardware. Just hand tools, and no anti seize when I use lock nuts. I'll always use anti seize when I have a steel fastener going into aluminum or any different metal though, since it helps to slow down bimetallic corrosion (water pump and thermostat housings for example).

'Nother update while I'm at it; here's a couple pics of the kill switch I mounted up in my (unused) 4WD switch bezel. With the switch down and the guard closed, power is going to the IGN lead on the DC Control box which allows the fan to run. With the guard open and the switch up, the fan is killed completely.
I cut a small piece of aluminum, drilled it for the switch and JB-Welded it to the bezel. The switch is a perfect fit through the opening of the bezel, and you can see where I drilled a few holes in the back to let the JB-Weld squeeze through, which I then spread around just to make it a bit more solid. I couldn't laser etch over the painted surface of the aluminum, so I had to just make labels with the Ptouch. Looks kinda sloppy to me, but it gets the job done.

wengejor · 08-24-08, 02:33 PM

Spook,

Looks good.

The motors in the pic are not Bosch motors, but the fan and shroud assembly do look like Bosch components. There should be a Bosch symbol on the shroud and fan...if not then it is most likely an after-market copy from china. If it is an aftermarket assembly, you might want to make sure that the power will be cut if something goes wrong because you can end up with a fire under the hood.

Just a year ago I was working at the Bosch Waltham facility just outside of Boston where these fan/shroud assemblies are designed. Sometimes the after market ones were put on cars by the dealers as a replacement, then they would catch on fire and get sent to us where we had to figure out what happened...took awhile for us to realize they weren't even Bosch components!

wengejor

Spook50 · 08-24-08, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wengejor

Spook,

Looks good.

The motors in the pic are not Bosch motors, but the fan and shroud assembly do look like Bosch components. There should be a Bosch symbol on the shroud and fan...if not then it is most likely an after-market copy from china. If it is an aftermarket assembly, you might want to make sure that the power will be cut if something goes wrong because you can end up with a fire under the hood.

Just a year ago I was working at the Bosch Waltham facility just outside of Boston where these fan/shroud assemblies are designed. Sometimes the after market ones were put on cars by the dealers as a replacement, then they would catch on fire and get sent to us where we had to figure out what happened...took awhile for us to realize they weren't even Bosch components!

wengejor

Good call on the identification. I'll have to pull the motors and see what actual manufacturer they are now. Was it pretty common for the Chinese crap to catch fire? I assume it was because of an internal short inside the motor?

I'd rather spend the extra money and replace any Chinese crap with a Bosch (or Denso for the stuff they make) motor any day.

wengejor · 08-24-08, 03:41 PM

My understanding was that even at low current levels the chinese armature can overheat and then the insulation on the windings will melt then cause a short which results in a fire. The over heating comes from lack of proper airflow through the motor. In that case the Bosch specified fuse wouldn't break even though the motor stops running and is on fire!

I wasn't the person at Bosch doing the study but I got to periodically see melted components on the cart in the hallway.

You could put a thermocouple on there for the first few times you run it just to see what the operating temps on the motor are over time. Then just make sure you don't run it too long such that the temps get out of control.

Spook50 · 08-24-08, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wengejor

My understanding was that even at low current levels the chinese armature can overheat and then the insulation on the windings will melt then cause a short which results in a fire. The over heating comes from lack of proper airflow through the motor. In that case the Bosch specified fuse wouldn't break even though the motor stops running and is on fire!

I wasn't the person at Bosch doing the study but I got to periodically see melted components on the cart in the hallway.

You could put a thermocouple on there for the first few times you run it just to see what the operating temps on the motor are over time. Then just make sure you don't run it too long such that the temps get out of control.

This is getting really interesting. A good word of warning to stay away from Chinese made crap, it sounds like. What would be a good operating temp range for the motors when running? I'll be picking up a non-contact thermometer before this project is done so I can dial in the ideal engine temp with the controller, and it sounds like it'll be a good idea for monitoring the motor temps too.

I just looked at the motors on my unit, and there's no manufacturer name on 'em. Just a part number and "MADE IN TAIWAN". IIRC, Bosch stuff is made in Portugal isn't it? I seem to remember seeing that on the Bosch relays I've used recently. I wonder who's stuff as far as motors is made in Taiwan...

wengejor · 08-24-08, 04:23 PM

Not sure about the Taiwan stuff, but usually the Bosch stuff for the US market is produced in Toluca Mexico. The European Bosch stuff is produced in Buehl Germany and the Brazilian stuff is produced in Sao Paulo. A Bosch motor will have a Bosch sticker on it with a bunch of numbers that will tell you where it was produced and the date it came off of the line.

I used to do tests with motors running constantly for several days with current levels less than 10 amps, which requires an external cooling fan. I always used the touch test to check if a motor was too hot. If you can't hold your finger on the motor for at least a few seconds then it's probably hotter than 60deg C...which is most likely not good. I'm really not sure what temperature the winding insulation starts to melt...I wasn't about to have a fire in the lab.

wengejor · 08-24-08, 04:31 PM

The Bosch window lift motors have a controller box with a thermo switch on it...since there is no opportunity for airflow to keep the motor cool. If you get into a newer VW golf and run the windows up and down like 15 times it'll stop working.

Spook50 · 08-24-08, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wengejor

Not sure about the Taiwan stuff, but usually the Bosch stuff for the US market is produced in Toluca Mexico. The European Bosch stuff is produced in Buehl Germany and the Brazilian stuff is produced in Sao Paulo. A Bosch motor will have a Bosch sticker on it with a bunch of numbers that will tell you where it was produced and the date it came off of the line.

I used to do tests with motors running constantly for several days with current levels less than 10 amps, which requires an external cooling fan. I always used the touch test to check if a motor was too hot. If you can't hold your finger on the motor for at least a few seconds then it's probably hotter than 60deg C...which is most likely not good. I'm really not sure what temperature the winding insulation starts to melt...I wasn't about to have a fire in the lab.

Looking at the illustration on Rockauto, my motors look the same as what's pictured for the Dorman unit. I'm not sure who makes the motors for their assemblies (or if they're even in-house), but it looks like I might be safe from ending up with a Chinese unit.

BTW, you know how one might be able to get replacement motors direct from Bosch (or at least any retailer that sells just the Bosch motors)?

wengejor · 08-24-08, 05:07 PM

There is a Bosch hotline that you can call, but they'll just send you to Rockauto or some of their other online vendors. No direct purchases from Bosch...even as an internal person, I couldn't get stuff for my rabbit direct.