Builds My LC 80 thread. (4 Viewers)

[Dave 2000]

Update time.

So 'Tanque' was taken off the road for some planned maintenance............yeh right!

Apart the PWM fan install, I had planned to change other odds and ends, the trouble is you take something out and before you know it the 'while I am in there' mantra takes over!

So new OE

Engine mounts
Top and bottom radiator hoses, two small rubber hoses on the turbo coolant connections.
Thermostat and gasket
Timing belt, tensioner, tension spring, spring retainer, guide plate and other hardware.
On the diesel there is a small steel tube that supplies coolant to the turbocharger, impossible to repair with the timing belt back plate in place, so while in there it got done, again an OE part, and also the camshaft seal as well. New turbo wastegate pipe, new flexible boost lines from manifold to the pressure sensor on the fuel pump.

My rear heater was removed way back as were the rusty pipes however, the blocked openings were still on the bulkhead not looking very good at all. The real problem is not just finding hoses the correct length but also different sizes openings, I ended up purchasing a pair of hoses from another marque but they are the right size and length, bulkhead way more tidy now and looking factory.

Radiator was back flushed, it is a basic aluminium/plastic non OE unit I installed around eight years back, still good for the moment, so it went back in, I found a nice piece of door moulding that fitted the gap between the rad and slam panel.

PWM fan also went in perfectly, I have no inspection on the 80 ATM, but I can hit a mountainous area without getting on the black stuff........and I did! Not fully loaded but fan controlled temps easily climbing through 700 metres ASL, barely broke the lowest speed it uses at idle, still not too hot here yet, just hitting 32°C.

The PWM controller has a fail safe built in, if the sensor fails the fan defaults to full speed and jeeez does it go or what, then after a few minutes the breaker tripped.....bugger!

A few late nights catching up with me, finish this update after my siesta.

Regards

Dave

 

[Dave 2000]

Sorry for the delay, after a phone call yesteday the Siesta became a Fiesta!

So, where was I, ah yes the circuit breaker had tripped. This was during a test of the various facilities on the PWM controller at home and not in the middle of nowhere. I had intentionally pulled the connector off of the temperature sensor, this forced the PWM controller to call for full speed from the fan, the fan hit top speed, it really is hard to get your head around how powerful modern OEM fans are! All was well initially however after a few minutes the 50 amp breaker tripped, a few minutes later I reset and again a trip after a short while.

I had put the circuit breaker on one of the battery heat shields, this is so it is close to the fan and battery, this keeps cable runs short and the install neat and tidy, and so easy to reach and reset. My 'kitchen' testing had not shown an amperage draw of more than IIRC 47...ish amps? Whilst I had a 50 amp CB in the workshop, and knew it had been there more years than I care to remember, it wss ideal for getting cable runs right, true it was a bit near the mark of the amperage seen during testing and pre install so guessed there may be an issue and a 60 amp is duly on order. As the Mercedes fan shroud is almost a factory fit on the 80 radiator, there are no gaps for air to escape, this forces the fan to draw as much air through the radiator and air conditioning as possble, of course high efficiency means higher amperage. Discussions with other users of this formidable piece of kit agree a step up to a 60 amp breaker should sort this. As usual this was me testing 'stuff' to the limit in a safe environment, so a 60 amp breaker to be fitted.

Other stuff done has been tidying cables, shortening some of the heavy cables used for the twin battery install by careful routing, just keeping voltage drops to a minimum. I removed one of the under bonnet fuse boxes, those who follow will recall I got rid of the trounblesome fusible links and fitted a proper fuse box? That is still in place with zero issues, the fuse box that was removed housed the various fuses for the Lincoln MK VIII fan, they were needed for multiple relays to control the two speeds the MK VIII was capable of, the more modern Mercedes unit has 1 x 5 amp fuse from the ignition, this is for the PWM controller, and the aforementioned circuit breaker, an earth and that's it.

In the past, two or three (often valid) criticisms have been levelled at the use of electric fans for engine cooling, for example the amount of components (wiring, sensors, and relays) needed to control the high powered versions, none of which is a problem if quality components are chosen in the first place however, it is fair to say the more you have the more that can go wrong. With the modern technology used in this Mercedes fan all the 'gubbins' are enclosed in the motor, if you wanted the bare bones you could put the positive and negative fan cables to the battery, the fan will then just sit there waiting for a simple switch to set it off on full speed, so in effect 4 wires if you count the power supply to the switch, you don't even need a relay, its all built in the fan motor.

This brings me nicely to the second criticism, and that is the sudden 'hit' of high amperage on the charging system. If you use the PWM controller that I have then there is no sudden hit on the vehicle electrics, PWM or 'pulse width modulation' allows a varied pulse of electricity to the fan motor, this will increase if the amount of cooling is not sufficient, so the pulse is ramped up slowly, as the motor cools the pulse changes and the fan slows, so far I have not managed to work the engine hard enough to get the engine past 1st speed and up to it's maximum (and unsure if I ever could), you should however wire and fuse for maximum output.

The third criticism is actually dealt with by the preceding paragraph. You negate the advantages of an electric fan if it is on all the time, so a manual switch (easy to forget), or temperature switch is used to bring the fan in once the engine is getting too hot, so the engine goes through multiple temperature changes when sitting at idle in traffic for example, PWM prevents that and mimics the viscous coupling, albeit it with much more accuracy, and if course with much more airflow.

There are some other things done, just odds and ends, I will list them when they come to mind.

Thanks for following,

Regards

Dave

 

[JOHN OF LONDON]

Sorry for the delay, after a phone call yesteday the Siesta became a Fiesta!

So, where was I, ah yes the circuit breaker had tripped. This was during a test of the various facilities on the PWM controller at home and not in the middle of nowhere. I had intentionally pulled the connector off of the temperature sensor, this forced the PWM controller to call for full speed from the fan, the fan hit top speed, it really is hard to get your head around how powerful modern OEM fans are! All was well initially however after a few minutes the 50 amp breaker tripped, a few minutes later I reset and again a trip after a short while.

I had put the circuit breaker on one of the battery heat shields, this is so it is close to the fan and battery, this keeps cable runs short and the install neat and tidy, and so easy to reach and reset. My 'kitchen' testing had not shown an amperage draw of more than IIRC 47...ish amps? Whilst I had a 50 amp CB in the workshop, and knew it had been there more years than I care to remember, it wss ideal for getting cable runs right, true it was a bit near the mark of the amperage seen during testing and pre install so guessed there may be an issue and a 60 amp is duly on order. As the Mercedes fan shroud is almost a factory fit on the 80 radiator, there are no gaps for air to escape, this forces the fan to draw as much air through the radiator and air conditioning as possble, of course high efficiency means higher amperage. Discussions with other users of this formidable piece of kit agree a step up to a 60 amp breaker should sort this. As usual this was me testing 'stuff' to the limit in a safe environment, so a 60 amp breaker to be fitted.

Other stuff done has been tidying cables, shortening some of the heavy cables used for the twin battery install by careful routing, just keeping voltage drops to a minimum. I removed one of the under bonnet fuse boxes, those who follow will recall I got rid of the trounblesome fusible links and fitted a proper fuse box? That is still in place with zero issues, the fuse box that was removed housed the various fuses for the Lincoln MK VIII fan, they were needed for multiple relays to control the two speeds the MK VIII was capable of, the more modern Mercedes unit has 1 x 5 amp fuse from the ignition, this is for the PWM controller, and the aforementioned circuit breaker, an earth and that's it.

In the past, two or three (often valid) criticisms have been levelled at the use of electric fans for engine cooling, for example the amount of components (wiring, sensors, and relays) needed to control the high powered versions, none of which is a problem if quality components are chosen in the first place however, it is fair to say the more you have the more that can go wrong. With the modern technology used in this Mercedes fan all the 'gubbins' are enclosed in the motor, if you wanted the bare bones you could put the positive and negative fan cables to the battery, the fan will then just sit there waiting for a simple switch to set it off on full speed, so in effect 4 wires if you count the power supply to the switch, you don't even need a relay, its all built in the fan motor.

This brings me nicely to the second criticism, and that is the sudden 'hit' of high amperage on the charging system. If you use the PWM controller that I have then there is no sudden hit on the vehicle electrics, PWM or 'pulse width modulation' allows a varied pulse of electricity to the fan motor, this will increase if the amount of cooling is not sufficient, so the pulse is ramped up slowly, as the motor cools the pulse changes and the fan slows, so far I have not managed to work the engine hard enough to get the engine past 1st speed and up to it's maximum (and unsure if I ever could), you should however wire and fuse for maximum output.

The third criticism is actually dealt with by the preceding paragraph. You negate the advantages of an electric fan if it is on all the time, so a manual switch (easy to forget), or temperature switch is used to bring the fan in once the engine is getting too hot, so the engine goes through multiple temperature changes when sitting at idle in traffic for example, PWM prevents that and mimics the viscous coupling, albeit it with much more accuracy, and if course with much more airflow.

There are some other things done, just odds and ends, I will list them when they come to mind.

Thanks for following,

Regards

Dave

 

[Dave 2000]

@JOHN OF LONDON

Hi mate, I see my post quoted but nothing from yourself?

Regards

Dave

 

[Dave 2000]

Just remembered something, as per above I recently replaced the timing belt and associated components i.e. tensioner, spring, retainer ect. The work was done over a few weeks and the engine had not been run for months. When I finally got the batteries in last week I turned the key, the engine fired and cut out after a second or so, I turned the key again and the engine cranked quite fast, it sounded like the belt had snapped and there was no compression!

As I pulled off the cam belt cover (easy access, electric cooling fan), I started thinking about the time gaps between fitting components, had I put the woodruff key in the camshaft sprocket? While the belt back plate was off to replace the turbo coolant pipe, did I turn the camshaft, tighten the bolts in the tensioner ect? All sorts of bad scenarios going through my head.

Checked and double checked the timing marks and all good, gave the air intake a sniff of petrol and the engine fired, and I knew straight away what it was, the fuel stop plunger had stuck closed, with the ignition on I tapped the fuel solenoid with a spanner and was rewarded with a click as the plunger retracted, turned the key and away she went.

Then it occured to me, I have never heard an 80 diesel engine turn over, you flick the key and it fires and runs, they never actually spin over a full turn before firing. When spinning without fuel, they really sound like an engine with a broken belt.

Regards

Dave

 

[JOHN OF LONDON]

Hi Dave,
I'm up a mountain so internet on my phone is idiosyncratic, at best!
As you know I followed your instructions for fitting the Lincoln MkVIII fan to the 80 and yesterday it passed it's first big test, the road over to Omalo (in Georgia) from the plains. Plains temperature was a bit below 40C and the long slow climb to almost 10,000 feet had the fan running continually swapping between low and high speed with the gradient. Just the job - I'm very pleased. Thank you for your guidance.
I did not faithfully follow your instructions and my experience may help others to decide on what best suits them. On my installation I used a BMW dual speed fan controller in the top hose. These come in two temperature ranges and after much pondering I decided to use the higher range as it switches the low speed at a slightly higher temperature than the fully open temperature of the OEM thermostat. With the temperature gauge modification this is a little unnerving as the low speed clicks in with the gauge halfway up the red and the high speed at the top of the red. However, I have not lost any water from the header tank and there's been no sign of boiling, even at nearly 10,000 feet. I used two Ripaults 70 amp changeover relays to power the fans. These are small 1 inch cube fuses with 3/8 power terminals and they are not up to the job. The main problem is mechanical, the plastic box they are made of is not strong enough to withstand the force necessary to push a tight 3/8 terminal on with the result that one case is now held together with self amalgamating tape. Have now seen the internals it transpires that the internal terminals are just as small as the 40 amp relays so I have some doubts about their durability. Both will be replaced with chunkier circuit breakers when I get back to England. You are permitted to laugh and say "I told you so"
I managed to get a second hand trinary switch connector from a breaker and put the two tails in my connector which provided a cheap and easy way to make use of the OEM trinary switch which switched the fan at slow speed just fine, it gave copious cold air when stationary while the AC was still working. But that's another saga!
Cheers John

 

[Dave 2000]

Great to hear the modification worked for you John, internet issues a daily problem here, we just live with it , although you never get used to it, the UK having spoilt us. A couple of thoughts on your install if I may?

For sure the relays have to be up to snuff, I have tried the Volvo version in the past, it just cannot cut it. I then purchased a setup of relays already constructed and advertised specifically for the Lincoln MK VIII fan, the build was rubbish, terminals not crimped properly ect. That is the reason I made up my own by using three 70 amp relays, that is one for the slow speed, the other two sharing the load for the high speed, this gave no issues, I will not say "I told you so" we all need to experiment however, I do believe that poor component choice is why so many people have problems with electric installations, and not just cooling fans.

My second concern is your sensor location. There is no problem having the sensor in the top hose however, having selected a switch based above the OE maximum thermostat rating is IMO wrong. If the thermostat was also in the conventional top hose position your switch temperature choice would have been fine. But with the thermostat on our engines being in the bottom hose, you have to calculate a little differently.

As you are aware the thermostat range on the diesel 80 is 74°C opening thru to 90°C fully open, so by the time your thermostat is fully open, the top of the engine is hotter, and at this point perhaps circa 100°C or more? By the time the electric fan kicks in and the flow of cooler water gets through the thermostat temperatures are still climbing. There will then be a period of latency as the coolant starts to work on the cast iron head, before all this happens your cylinder head could be seeing temps of 115°C - 120°C? IMO Toyota did not want that a high a running temperature, the AC is designed to cut out at 107°C to help the cooling system, given your gauge readings compared to mine, IMO you may be running too hot? You should not boil over as the radiator cap along with coolant raises the boiling point.

I too would have used the top hose for the switch location but the space is taken by a low coolant sensor, so my fan sensor is with the thermostat in the bottom hose, my thinking is as the thermostat reaches maximum opening my fan is just starting to spool up, preventing inlet temperarures going over 90°C, this regardless of if I was using the present Mercedes fan or the MK VIII unit. This shows my temperature gauge being around the three quarter mark and a head temperature (heat sensor gun) maxing out at around 100°C.

This allows me to keep AC on (dash indicator confirms continuos operation) and so head tempatures are under control, what do you make of my thinking, always open to alternative theories?

It sounds like your having a great time, and many thanks for confirming the modification works even at those temperatures and altitudes, safe journeys John.

Regards

Dave

 

[JOHN OF LONDON]

Hmmmm. My understanding of these new fangled engines with bottom hose thermostats is that the water circulates more rapidly giving a more even temperature throughout the block and head and better metering of added colder water. I am also not that persuaded that running 15 Deg hotter is any big deal provided that the cooling water stays as water and in contact with all the metal surfaces though, obviously, the safety margin is reduced and the reliance on the pressure cap greatly increased. In the light of your views, which I respect, I'll try the lower temperature switch and see if there is any sign of conflict with the thermostat.
While the electric fan has worked faultlessly so far I am pretty sure it would not cope with desert sand which needs much higher power usage than any hill climbing. From what you say about your new fan I think it might. When are you going to Morocco to give it a test!?
Cheers,
John

 

[Dave 2000]

Hi John, thanks for getting back to me. I am seeing new cars are still coming out of the showroom with thermostats in the top as well as bottom hoses, a lot of it is to do with the style of bypass being used, running engines hotter to deal with emissions ect, you will see most with thermostats in the lower hose have two pipes going in and one coming out, the bypass flowing coolant over the wax area of the thermostat.

I absolutely agree you need to avoid the fan switch versus thermostat conflict, I view the maximum choice of 90°C by Toyota at the bottom (coolest) area of the engine, as an allowance of 100°C in the cylinder head. I am thinking a top hose switch temp of 95°C for your slow speed, and a 100°C for the second speed you would be close to perfect? This gives you around another 7°C of safety margin before the AC cuts out?

A couple of years back, I did a climb in Almeria, 50°C temp, altitude around 2,000 metres. The 80 was loaded to the hilt, i.e. my full compliment of off road kit, the fan was the MK VIII version, temps got near the red but held, the AC was still blowing cold but my bottle went, I switched off the AC before it cutout (unsure if it would have got that hot?) gauge did not go any higher but, all my research shows the AC adds an absolute minimum of 5°C to overall engine temperatures and often more. I carry my old VC unit, so if Morocco turns out to be more of a challenge than the above with the Mercedes fan then on it will go, I am not about to sacrifice my engine, if the electric can't cut it in Morocco (next year) MUD members will be the first to know.

A very good point about allowing the engine to run hotter by 15°C, research has shown that both petrol and diesel engines are happy to be a little hotter than the typical 90°C we have become accustomed too. The problem is we don't have an accurate figure as to the maximum the 30 year old 80 engine is safe to, or perhaps more importantly 'comfortable' with over time. We only have the information that Toyota gave us to make that decision so, a thermostat with a maximum of 90°C at the bottom of the engine, and an AC cutout of 107°C at the top, given those numbers I am happy to have a maximum of 100°C head temperature on mine, modern engines are also using thin wall cooling jackets, this all helps with water flow along with heat shedding through the block, fastening technology has come a long way as well since the mid 80's when we were gifted with the LC 80, using the aforementioned numbers, am going to stay on the conservative side with my settings and stick to 100°C as a maximum, give the above numbers some consideration John before making your fan switch choice, FWIW, FAE have a great PDF catalogue you can download and peruse, pretty much every temp and thread combo you can think of, let me know how you get on.

Regards

Dave

 

[JOHN OF LONDON]

Thanks Dave for your comments. Today we returned over the high pass (is a dead end near the Chechnyan border) and did the pass over to Shatila, better maintained track but just as steep, fans still doing the job! The fan on mine has even more work to do, I've got two big oil radiators which have, so far, kept the transmission below 110 though since the AC retired its not adding to the thermal load!

Lots of 80s here, a few RHD from Japan, and I'd certainly recommend Georgia for a holiday.
I'm not scheduled to be back in the UK until September so I'll be applying the lessons learnt and experimenting further over the winter, though last winter, after fitting the fan, it only switched on once, on Hard Knot pass!
As I understand it the 1hdt has got three temperature sensors. One for the gauge, one for the AC cutout and one for the auto box controller. Can you tell me which is which and where they all are? I'm planning to use the AC cutout sensor to power a buzzer; I can turn the AC off myself if I think I need to! I won't interfere with the gearbox brain, that's way above my pay grade but I have already noticed that the gauge measurement is giving a different reading from the top hose measurement taken by the BMW switch in different circumstances. (For instance when starting with a hot engine having stood for 5 minutes or after cresting a long hill)
Cheers,
John

 

[IanB]

As I understand it the 1hdt has got three temperature sensors. One for the gauge, one for the AC cutout and one for the auto box controller. Can you tell me which is which and where they all are?
Cheers,
John

I can tell you the temp sensor for the transmission is on the union where the fluid leaves the trans and heads to the radiator.

 

[JOHN OF LONDON]

Dave, I think that's the ATF temperature sensor that lights the idiot light when the fluid has gone brown and smelly. Somewhere there's a water temperature sensor that feeds into the computer and stops the box selecting overdrive (4th) until the engine is a bit warm. It may do other clever things too! I think it may be the one just next to the oil filter.
John

 

[Dave 2000]

Dave, I think that's the ATF temperature sensor that lights the idiot light when the fluid has gone brown and smelly. Somewhere there's a water temperature sensor that feeds into the computer and stops the box selecting overdrive (4th) until the engine is a bit warm. It may do other clever things too! I think it may be the one just next to the oil filter.
John

John I think you have mistaken a reply from @IanB, as from me? I cannot help with auto gearboxes mate.

Re the AC sensor, by coincidence I was enquiring at the Land Cruiser Club forum about the temp it cuts out, just to compare with the petrol versions. At the same time someone asked about switch location, another member posted up the temp for me and a diagram of the location for the other member, see link.

AC cut out switch info.

Using the switch to trigger a buzzer is a good idea however, IIRC it breaks the circuit as opposed to making the connection, a relay in there should sort it. I am opposed to connecting mods into OE wiring where possible, it makes fault finding a RPITA, especially if you have a goldfish memory as I do?

I have a buzzer and LED wired into a switch in the sensor tube in the lower hose, I would have prefered that particular switch in the top hose, being nearer the hottest area of the engine, no room though.

It triggers the 'thermometer' flashing LED in my dash module.

Regards

Dave

 

[JOHN OF LONDON]

Ok. So the sensor in the engine outlet to the top hose is the inhibitor for the AC. That explains why the gauge and the on and off switch in the top hose are clearly working from different temperature points. I would have thought that was the best location for the gauge sender but given that the unmodified gauge is largely ornamental I guess it doesn't matter to much where it is measuring the temperature. Still it will be interesting to find it and understand what it is actually measuring; the search will continue when I get back unless someone has the answer.
Going back engine temperatures, the low speed fan turns itself just off below the mid point on the gauge and once the fan has come on the temperature drops quickly and has, so far, only crept back to the red zone on a long 2nd gear main road climb at 2500rpm, working hard but with the torque converter locked.
Cheers
J

 

[JOHN OF LONDON]

Hi Dave,
Just been looking at the fan switch decision again and the specification of the BMW switches. There are two alternate switchs; 6131 8361787 which has a low speed on at 80, off at 75 and high speed on at 88 and off at 83 though one supplier quotes the off temperatures at 73 and 81. Whichever is right I forsaw conflict with the thermostat so I selected 6131 1378073 which has low speed on at 91 and off at 86 and high speed on at 99 and off at 94.
Assuming the switch I have is working to specification 91 corresponds to halfway up the red zone on the gauge and 99 corresponds to the top of the red while 86 is just below the half way mark.
So the choice seems to be either to find and fit a lower than standard temperature thermostat with the low range BMW switch or explore the alternative resistor values for the gauge as set out in the gauge modification thread. I think my inclination is to modify the gauge and carry a new spare radiator cap rather than to run the engine cooler.

 

[Dave 2000]

John did you test the switch before fitting?

Did you test your thermostat?

It is absolutely impossible to use the temperature gauge as an indicator of fan switch or thermostat changes in state, it simply responds to slowly to the instantaneous on/off of the fan switch.

As I mentioned earlier, we are in the dark as to what Toyota consider a safe continuos working temperature, so we need to make an efucated guess.

There are a number of things you should be doing before altering anything.

The first is get a decent laser temperature gun.

Take temperaures from the cylinder head outlet, not from a hose or radiator connection, and again from the alloy lower inlet, now you can move between dashboard indication and what is actually happening under the bonnet.

Something else to do, baseline your normal running temperature indication, that when not loaded up and general running around, my gauge shows around a quarter of the way up. We know the gauge is little ambiguos, so you need to know what your dash indicator shows.

Anything else is just guessing at this point, take methodical step by step decisions, if not you will start chasing your tail.

Regards

Dave

 

[JOHN OF LONDON]

John did you test the switch before fitting?

Did you test your thermostat?

It is absolutely impossible to use the temperature gauge as an indicator of fan switch or thermostat changes in state, it simply responds to slowly to the instantaneous on/off of the fan switch.

As I mentioned earlier, we are in the dark as to what Toyota consider a safe continuos working temperature, so we need to make an efucated guess.

There are a number of things you should be doing before altering anything.

The first is get a decent laser temperature gun.

Take temperaures from the cylinder head outlet, not from a hose or radiator connection, and again from the alloy lower inlet, now you can move between dashboard indication and what is actually happening under the bonnet.

Something else to do, baseline your normal running temperature indication, that when not loaded up and general running around, my gauge shows around a quarter of the way up. We know the gauge is little ambiguos, so you need to know what your dash indicator shows.

Anything else is just guessing at this point, take methodical step by step decisions, if not you will start chasing your tail.

Regards

Dave

Hi Dave,
Well no, I didn't test the switch before fitting it, nor the thermostat.
However, I do have indicator lights telling me when the fan switch switches.
In normal day to day unstressed running the gauge needle sits at the halfway point. A long downhill will take it to the 1/4 position and no lower so I assume that is the fully closed thermostat setting.
Before coming to this warm place the gauge had only once ventured higher than the 3/4 mark.
With the set up as it is I am happy that the system is working as it should, though not necessarily at the precisely correct temperatures. When more heat is being produced than the unforced cooling can deal with the gauge rises steadily to the half way up the red position at which point the fan switch operates the low speed relay. It then either falls back to the gauge mid point and switches off or continues to rise more slowly until the fan switch switches to high speed, which has, so far, brought the temperature quickly down to about the 3/4 mark at which point the switch switches off the high speed relay.
As you say, I need more information so that'll have to wait until September but so far I've concluded that the engine probably has an aftermarket thermostat with a higher opening point than the OEM 76 (it was fitted by the PO); and that the fan switch operating range is more than 5 degrees with the low speed setting being out of spec in the high side. We shall see!
Cheers
John

 

[Dave 2000]

I must confess when making any mods I do get anal with the testing side of things, as you say it all works fine, just some fine tuning in to be done.

As you have probably read, I spent considerable time testing the switches, thermostat and controller all were great, I knew the 50 amp CB was close to false tripping during the install, and I had to force the fan to full speed before it tripped.

Just waiting on the postie for the breaker, so the 80 should be ready for inspection within a couple of weeks, once other bits and pieces have been fitted, usual stuff like kitchen lighting in the hatchback.

Regards

Dave

 

[Dave 2000]

I gave the 80 another workout in the mountains this pm, just doing my usual over testing. 42°C around 550 metre climb, slow speed and loaded up but less the roof rack. Steady climb but very loose under foot, so centre and rear lockers in.

To make it a meaningful test I kept the AC on, fan just cycled between off and AC demand, in other words, the period of time the AC was on, it was long enough to drop the coolant temperatures low enough to not invoke the slow speed of the temperature sensor unless the AC was switched off for a minute or so.

As the PWM controller is programmable I may reduce the gap between slow fan on and full speed temperatures, just to ensure the fan ramps up to full speed sooner rather than later.

This is just fine tuning, still waiting on the 60 amp breaker, present calculations indicate the fan at full speed with the engine idling may cool enough to close the thermostat, often seen when the engine is off load or idling when descending a steep hill.

Thanks for following.

Regards

Dave

 

[Dave 2000]

Update time. First to the breaker, the 60 amp version arrived, this is a later waterproof version, with the engine idling in 38 °C I pulled the connector off the coolant sensor, this invoked the failsafe in the PWM controller, the result is the fan spools up to maximum speed, I let it run for 15 minutes, no issues whatsoever, I did speculate earlier that the air being pulled through the radiator may be enough to close the thermostat, with the coolant temps coming down so low, this is exactly what happened. Temperarure taken at the switch tube showed as low as 60°C, easily cool enough to close the 74°C thermostat.

So around to inspection time, I had planned to put it off for another couple of weeks and leave the dashboard out but a friend wanted to make use of the 8 seat capacity of the 80. So I skipped the in/out temp gauge and radio, for the moment. I went right through the 80 and despite her 24 years of age she was in good shape...........me and my big mouth, on the way to the test station my AC stopped working! With the inspection station around 35km inland and booked for 13.30, and with temps of 36°C and 74% humudity it was not going to be comfortable.

The inspection passed but there was an advisory, one of the number plate lights were out, obviously I had checked earlier, so I switched on the lights and they both worked...bloody typical! I guess one decided to have a rest just as the inspector checked them. So a friend swaps his TD5 Discovery with my 80 and goes off to the airport, it was agreed we would keep each others cars until his family returned to the states. This suited me, AC I need and he is not bothered about it. The following day and by chance I found myself following my 80 along the town bypass and noticed on a couple of ocassions the reversing lights coming on and off? I followed the 80 into the petrol garage and discovered my friend was actually trying to engage 4th but was hitting reverse! Comments such as "there was not a lot of grinding" made me not particularly pleased, and as he and a family member came out of the garage eating chocolate lollies I made the decision to swap back cars. My 80 might not be a mall queen but is mine, he's a lovely guy but he just does not get it.......if you know what I mean? As I am not particularly known for my tact and as he is a good friend, I bit my tonque and volunteered to be the taxi driver despite no AC..........jeez I'm so good!

Unsure what has happened to the AC, but busy busy so it will have to wait for a few days, dash light button is lighting up but compressor not engaging, get to it later.

Thanks for following.

Regards

Dave