Electric fan question..

[timmyadkins]

this is an idea that I've been cooking up for some time. I want to run my intrepid fans on my sbc that I swapped into my Monte Carlo. I want to run two toggle switches. One for low speed and one for high.. now I know I would sometimes get carried away doing something and forget to turn the switch and I truly truly don't want to deal with the nightmare of running a switch controller to the fans because I'm numb when it comes to electronics. So here's my idea. If I thread a temperature sensor into the block of my motor and run a wire to a relay and light. Would the light come on when the temperature sensor reaches the heat that it's rated for? For example, you thread in a 185 sensor would the light come on at 185? This way I can be reminded to turn the fans on or off in any combonation that I desire.

I've never heard of anyone doing this so please don't laugh at my half cocked ideas.

Thanks in advance.

 

[UNGN]

Those temp switches switch to ground when they reach temperature.

You basically would just wire a light from a fused positive to the switch instead of ground. If you are turning on something that draws amps, you'd need to use a relay, but a light will be fine without one.

 

[Injectedcutty]

That's actually not a bad idea to run a so called "warning light" as a reminder to flip the switch.
I have my fans on a switch because simply because i like having control over them without the expense of the fan controller. However, I'm always watching my gauges and i have an led lit rocker switch so i know when my fans are on/off.
Seriously, good idea....i will have to remember that one.

 

[UNGN]

I made a circuit with 3 relays to run the fans at low speed (series) and switch to high speed (parallel) when the car got to temp, but my dad didn't understand where the wires were supposed to go and just wired it run high speed when the key comes on. I will be fixing this over the winter.

 

[crucial118]

I use a temp switch in the driver side head to ground out my 2 relays to energize the fans to hi speed on my 80 Monte. I always have bad luck with fan controllers. They usually last a year or so for me. My relay setup has lasted a few years now. I now use the relay setup on my 67 Lemans too.

 

[Opie Knievel]

this is an idea that I've been cooking up for some time. I want to run my intrepid fans on my sbc that I swapped into my Monte Carlo. I want to run two toggle switches. One for low speed and one for high.. now I know I would sometimes get carried away doing something and forget to turn the switch and I truly truly don't want to deal with the nightmare of running a switch controller to the fans because I'm numb when it comes to electronics. So here's my idea. If I thread a temperature sensor into the block of my motor and run a wire to a relay and light. Would the light come on when the temperature sensor reaches the heat that it's rated for? For example, you thread in a 185 sensor would the light come on at 185? This way I can be reminded to turn the fans on or off in any combonation that I desire.

I've never heard of anyone doing this so please don't laugh at my half cocked ideas.

Thanks in advance.

I like this idea. Thanks for bringing it up.

 

[565bbchevy]

On my Monte I have the Intrepid fan set up and am using Painless rocker switches wired to relays with one for high and one for low.
With my set up I am constantly monitoring my gauges so I don't feel the need for a controller or warning lights for water temp. but if this was a daily driver type car like my Regal will be I would just get a controller so I would not have to think about it especially if I let someone else drive it.

 

[403Olds]

I've got the dual firebird fans on mine, both off of relay's. I did something similar, I have a light that comes on when the temp switch activates the fans, or it will come on when the manual fan switch is turned on. I guess I was paranoid that the fans wouldn't come on. As I recall, I think I had the light on the ground side that activates the relays.

 

[Opie Knievel]

What year Intrepid fans do you guys use? I have a set from a '98-'02 Camaro but I would like to compare them to the Intrepid fans and see which ones would be easier to make fit.

 

[565bbchevy]

The Intrepid fans fit very well on a 26" radiator core, I just had to give it a slight grinding on the outside edges to sit flush.