Flex-a-lite fans any good?

[dinosore]

do i need to snag an 80 amp continous relay or is it already in my stock setup? And should I switch the neg switches or run the stock ones?

 

[Lil-Pony]

Derale single speed 160off 180on

 

[shane96ranger]

do i need to snag an 80 amp continous relay or is it already in my stock setup? And should I switch the neg switches or run the stock ones?

You need to get a relay. I got mine off Amazon for 16 dollars, and it is made by PAC. You won't find a better relay, and that is a killer price. Here is a link:

http://www.amazon.com/80-AMP-RELAY-12-VOLTS/dp/B001EAWS6O/?tag=959media-20

This is mine, installed.

As far as the switch(s) you can do several things here. The easiest method would be to buy a double pole switch so you could activate either speed with the same switch. Any rating on the switch will do, nothing special.

I wanted to not mess with worrying about turning it on, so I made it automatic with the BMW sensor/switch that activates low at 180 degrees and high at 195 degrees. The beauty of it is this is all in one unit. It requires a little ingenuity, as it requires you to find a spot to tap an M14 X 1.5 access hole. I made an adapter for a 3/8 npt hole that was in my thermostat housing already. I can get you part numbers if you want to go this route. There is another option for temps on the sensor as well.

Here is the adapter I made - and a special thanks to Rick (RangerSVT) for the idea on this.

Here it is mounted in the housing.

This is the connector - I bought a couple of them at the dealer for just in case.

Sent from the can

 

[Lil-Pony]

Is there a black wire leading off the thermostat? If so you should be able to put a relay between that and the ground to control everything instead of the big 80 amp

 

[shane96ranger]

Is there a black wire leading off the thermostat? If so you should be able to put a relay between that and the ground to control everything instead of the big 80 amp

I know what you are getting at, but I didn't feel that was the circuit I wanted to interrupt. And no, there is no wiring to the the stat, I did all of that - and my black wire is the ground source. There is more than one way to do this... I just prefer interrupting the power instead of ground.

Sent from the can

 

[Lil-Pony]

I have a bunch of smaller 10-30 amp relays lying around so thats how i would do it to save 16$ plus shipping, but both ways will work. Its just a matter if the base of the thermostat switch has continuity with the ground wire that comes off of it. Then my way is out the door. I do like the controller you found. Its allot better than making your own or buying some overpriced mass produced one.

 

[shane96ranger]

I wanted to switch power in case the sensor/switch somehow grounded (since it screws into a grounded housing) and kicked my fan on when I didn't want it on. The 16 bucks on the relay was a 2 day shipped price - Amazon Prime!

I also have a drawer of the 30 amp relays and harnesses. But I decided otherwise.

Sent from the can

 

[shane96ranger]

In 100 degree heat today, this is where the temp gauge sat. I took this a couple days ago, but it still sat right here today.

 

[4.0B2]

Do you not worry about over cooling? I know some vehicles won't run properly unless they hit that certain temp.

 

[shane96ranger]

Do you not worry about over cooling? I know some vehicles won't run properly unless they hit that certain temp.

It has a 180 thermostat in it. That is within operating range. A 160 is not a good choice for EFI though.

 

[Ranger SVO]

I'm going to answer the original question, yes the Flex-a-lite fans are excellent. The controller is adjustable so I can set turn on temp, it has an AC relay built into the controller so the fan is on when ever the AC is on.

My Flex-a-lite 40 is a direct bolt in for the Ranger, mine is 6 years old and it works perfectly

 

[shane96ranger]

I'm going to answer the original question, yes the Flex-a-lite fans are excellent. The controller is adjustable so I can set turn on temp, it has an AC relay built into the controller so the fan is on when ever the AC is on.

My Flex-a-lite 40 is a direct bolt in for the Ranger, mine is 6 years old and it works perfectly

How much did you pay for said fan?

 

[PirateB]

Taurus fan did wonders on my closed cooling jeep Cherokee, and it was cheap to boot. Correct, the 4x4 guys love them. No experience w flexalite

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD

 

[shane96ranger]

Taurus fan did wonders on my closed cooling jeep Cherokee, and it was cheap to boot. Correct, the 4x4 guys love them. No experience w flexalite

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD

Yeah, it's unbelievable how well the Taurus fan works. Mine kicked on high for the first time yesterday and my needle dropped very fast. I am very pleased with the system.

 

[4.0B2]

I just ordered the Depo FO3115114
which is an aftermarket direct replacement for the Taurus 3.8L fan.. same airflow and all.

can get them for around $78 on Amazon and eBay