Better application of a Ford Taurus fan, rather than from the ford taurus... (1 Viewer)

[dieselcruiserhead]

I was doing some junkyarding and figured out that Volvos from the 90s (and probably later) use the same Ford Taurus fan (exact same motor, etc) except that it uses a simple super easy to install relay system, and that they are thinner. I put together a little video...

Better Application of the Ford Taurus Electric Fan -- From a Volvo - YouTube

Use this with something like this 185 degree coolant switch (summit racing link), or in this case I matched it to a Volvo 240 radiator (small cheap aluminum radiator capable of cooling a small block, ports in the right place for a Land Cruiser or Chevy. Press in switch designed for this app is only $14 or so...

Let me know if you have any questions...

thanks,
Andre

 

[cruiserjunkie]

I would like to see a picture of the radiator please if you get a chance

 

[alaska60]

Nice find there Andre!
great info to know....
Thanks!

 

[uglyoinker]

That does look very useful. Almost as useful as having a running yota with a benzo diesel in it? How's that coming? I do like that set up though. I shall visit my friendly local scrap yard.



I know tom.

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

I would like to see a picture of the radiator please if you get a chance

Sure..

The radiator is the same or super similar/interchangable between Volvo 240 and 740 4 cyl models. The 6 cyl Volvos from the 90s (where the fan in the video came from) use a wider, different radiator, and that powerful electric fan. Therefor the fan from the '92 740 is wider than the 240 radiator but can be easily trimmed down (this is what I'll do, and I'll take pics).

Here is the radiator:

Here is a pics of the 740 intercooler combined with this radiator. In non-turbo (commonly called "NA" for naturally aspirated) and in 240 models, it uses the radiator only, even with turbo models. The 240 turbos were not intercooled (common upgrade is to put a 740 intercooler into a 240 turbo).

I used the Volvo intercooler with my last 4BT (and an aluminum POS radiator that leaked, and I wish I'd used the Volvo 240/740 radiator). The Volvo radiator would be a really clean setup and only issues could potentially be overheating only when hauling a massive load where you'd need a massive radiator with the big 4BT. This said most guys with 4BTs downgrade to FJ40 radiators where have zero issues cooling the 4BT.

The small radiator and electric fan are nice, particularly with diesels, because they make the motor warm up much much quicker.

Here are some photos of the intercooler for anyone interested...

 

[cruiserjunkie]

Thanks for the picture

 

[belaw]

I was doing some junkyarding and figured out that Volvos from the 90s (and probably later) use the same Ford Taurus fan (exact same motor, etc) except that it uses a simple super easy to install relay system, and that they are thinner.

This is good stuff. Any clue whether the Volvo fan / stock controller has the same power spike at start-up on the high-circuit as the Taurus fan? Or does the OEM Volv controller give you a softer start (no power spike) like the aftermarket Delta DCC controller? Based on the video the wiring didn't seem that heavy.

. . . in this case I matched it to a Volvo 240 radiator (small cheap aluminum radiator capable of cooling a small block, ports in the right place for a Land Cruiser or Chevy. Press in switch designed for this app is only $14 or so...

Let me know if you have any questions...

thanks,
Andre

Maybe I'm being dense, but I want to make sure I have this right: are you saying that the 4-banger Volvo radiator is sufficient to cool a SBC?

Thanks!

Brian

 

[BrianSanDiego]

Awesome video man. Great tip on the relays and it also looks like the Volvo shroud has blow-thru/pressure relief type flaps, so the shroud doesn't impede freeway airflow like the Taurus might. That actually might help me.
Thx, B.

 

[cousinavi]

this looks inspiring!

 

[belaw]

Wanted to follow-up with some information I found.

Reports here on Mud say that the Taurus fan draws almost 100 amps when the high-speed circuit kicks in and then settles down to a +/- 30 amp draw. The Delta contoller is reported to have a smoother start that doesn't draw as many amps at startup, but that adds another $100 to the cost of converting to an electric fan.

I checked a couple of Volvo websites and found the following:

we tested the two fan speeds by putting battery voltage directly on the fan connector. the fan works. on the high speed wire we measured 55 amps on initial motor start up and after running it dropped to 22.1 amps.

Long story short, it looks like the Volvo fan with stock controller operates the same as a Taurus fan with a Delta controller.

Another advantage worth noting is that I dont see many V6 Taurus' with the 2 speed fan in the yards locally, but 90's vintage Volvo's are very common.

Once again, thumbs up to Andre for alerting us to Volvo fans!

 

[allan man]

I just installed a 7 fan blade out of a caprice same one that are in early cadillacs...... i recently read here on the forum.... that have cured high temp. problems, but i will keep this volvo fan in mind if all fails......thank you for sharing andre.....next time i am in the junkyard i will be looking for that particular volvo

 

[nuclearbeef]

Thanks for the tip. Just picked this up on flea-bay.

1996 volvo 850 cooling fan complete with all relays and shroud nr | eBay

In case you can't see it, it is a:
"1996 Volvo 850 cooling fan complete with all relays and shroud"

A steal at $15.50 + $18.00 shipping.

Now I just gotta figure out what to do with it. I just agreed to purchase a 3b-turbo powered fj-55. I haven't even seen it yet, but I bought a one-way ticket to Vancouver next month and will drive it back to Memphis. (I hope) I would like to intercool it. Would it be better to stick with an engine driven fan if you have an intercooler? Always getting your charge air cooled? Do I have a sickness if I'm buying parts to upgrade a vehicle I don't own yet?

My fzj-80 hasn't always been the best cooled beast. Would switching to the electric fan make it worse? I figure there is no way it can move as much air as the engine driven fan. I hope I'm wrong because if I could ditch the engine driven fan and go with the electric maybe I could save 1/2 a mpg? Don't laugh, that's almost a 5% improvement.

JW

 

[kcustom73]

Does anybody know what the dimension of the fan/shroud combo is? I need a shallow fan for my 40 project and I'm hoping this might work.

 

[nuclearbeef]

If somebody else hasn't chimed in before mine gets here, I'll measure it and let you know what the dims are.

JW

 

[Trollhole]

Saw this today. 50 bucks.


INTERCOOLER VOLVO 240 740 | eBay

 

[kcustom73]

JW, thanks for the offer. Let me know when you get it.

 

[pbgbottle]

great find thank you very much ,i really could use the relays , here is some wire diagrams i found for the fan and relay .not sure if they are of any use yet or not but i thought i would post.
pdf attached here

,,,,,,,,,,

 

[cruiserjunkie]

I don't see the link to wiring diagrams

 

[pbgbottle]

your right it doesn't show up on my iphone either .i actually attached a PDF
to my other post.
you can see the file on a computer.

I don't see the link to wiring diagrams

 

[1973Guppie]

some good info andre, do you think it is as easy as a taurus fan to bolt up to an fj40? with the overall relay system though seems like an awesome basic fan that can be used in a ton of applications.

Noah