Electric Fan Swap Options

[bigjae46]

bumping this thread.

my car did not come with electric pusher fan just the clutch fan, im thinking of upgrading to either Spal or mishimoto but can i use a non M fan controller?

thanks all.

Go with SPAL and you can use the M fan controller but you need to get either a brushed or brushless motor...one can vary speed and the other is on and off.

Don't buy Mishimoto. See the black temp bump in the red coolant hose? That is the same ebay part that sells for $10, Mishimoto marks up to $30 and stamps an M on it. Most of their stuff is an eBay part with an M stamped on it.

[mikeetastic]

bumping this thread.

my car did not come with electric pusher fan just the clutch fan, im thinking of upgrading to either Spal or mishimoto but can i use a non M fan controller?

thanks all.

[Mr.wReckless]

Did you get the Mishimoto controller that’s the probe or NPT? If so, was it for the the OEM or aftermarket radiator?

I ended up getting their coolant hoses and got the aluminum part where the temp sensor screws in (NPT I guess), had to cut the upper hose in 2 to fit the alu part, all Mishimoto parts and and works a charm. OEM radiator as it's good enough for the temperatures I see where I live.



Regards

[S3diment]

Yes, I butchered the AUX fan controller by cutting the 2 power wires from it to the AUX fan and ran the Mishimoto fan from that, it is an option, but using a dedicated controller isn't the end of the world. Since then I've added Mishimotos own controller though, seems more efficient to me. With Mishimotos you get to set the temperature the fan kicks in at, and also the possibility of an override switch to run it constantly should you need more track practicality.

Regards

Did you get the Mishimoto controller that’s the probe or NPT? If so, was it for the the OEM or aftermarket radiator?

[Mr.wReckless]

Just to clarify, you hooked up the Mishimoto fan to the aux fan controller? Asking because I bought the Mishimoto fan for very cheap but it didn’t come with their proprietary controller. Just wanting to confirm that it’s an option to connect to the aux switch.

Yes, I butchered the AUX fan controller by cutting the 2 power wires from it to the AUX fan and ran the Mishimoto fan from that, it is an option, but using a dedicated controller isn't the end of the world. Since then I've added Mishimotos own controller though, seems more efficient to me. With Mishimotos you get to set the temperature the fan kicks in at, and also the possibility of an override switch to run it constantly should you need more track practicality.

Regards

[Hotchkess]

How does anyone feel about the Zionsville 16" electric fan? I've thought about using that as an alternative to the OEM mechanical fan I currently have, or to the Mishimoto fan. I was planning on removing my aux fan and using the controller box from that to power and control the new fan.

[S3diment]

I did this, removed both the AUX and stock clutch fan and ran a Mishimoto fan off of the AUX controller.

Don't quote me too hard on the following, as it's all internet "facts", but my googling prior to this install I found that the above is, in general, ok, but if you're in a hot climate and do a lot of low speed/queue or sitting stationary there won't be enough flow for the AC to work properly. In itself perhaps not the end of the world, but to my understanding the AC system has a max pressure the system is capable of, and if you sit with AC on and no flow I suspect you run the risk of dumping the AC gas to atmosphere due to overpressure, which isn't ideal. Also, I believe I found that the OEM AUX controller will run the fan at a lower speed than a dedicated controller.

For me living in a cold climate and using the car as a sunday fun car I don't see a problem, but if you're living in a hotter environment and also use yours as a daily I'd advice to get a dedicated controller. Either keep the AUX fan, but also, if you delete it you'll gain more surface area for the coolers at the front of the car.

Regards

Just to clarify, you hooked up the Mishimoto fan to the aux fan controller? Asking because I bought the Mishimoto fan for very cheap but it didn’t come with their proprietary controller. Just wanting to confirm that it’s an option to connect to the aux switch.

[sapote]

but to my understanding the AC system has a max pressure the system is capable of, and if you sit with AC on and no flow I suspect you run the risk of dumping the AC gas to atmosphere due to overpressure, which isn't ideal. Also, I believe I found that the OEM AUX controller will run the fan at a lower speed than a dedicated controller.

The AC efficiency depends greatly on how cool the condenser is. There is a graph showing the relationship of condenser temperature vs freon pressure pre evaporator coil, that higher condenser temperature causing higher freon pressure which leads to more load on the compressor and wear and tear. And of course higher condenser temperature means warm instead of cold air in the cabin.

What I try to say is not enough air flow through the condenser is bad idea.

[Mr.wReckless]

With Aux fan removed, does the AC condenser have enough cooling air to work properly?

I did this, removed both the AUX and stock clutch fan and ran a Mishimoto fan off of the AUX controller.

Don't quote me too hard on the following, as it's all internet "facts", but my googling prior to this install I found that the above is, in general, ok, but if you're in a hot climate and do a lot of low speed/queue or sitting stationary there won't be enough flow for the AC to work properly. In itself perhaps not the end of the world, but to my understanding the AC system has a max pressure the system is capable of, and if you sit with AC on and no flow I suspect you run the risk of dumping the AC gas to atmosphere due to overpressure, which isn't ideal. Also, I believe I found that the OEM AUX controller will run the fan at a lower speed than a dedicated controller.

For me living in a cold climate and using the car as a sunday fun car I don't see a problem, but if you're living in a hotter environment and also use yours as a daily I'd advice to get a dedicated controller. Either keep the AUX fan, but also, if you delete it you'll gain more surface area for the coolers at the front of the car.

Regards

[sapote]

I got my brackets/fan/controller mocked up while I'm away from the rest of the car for the next few days. Does this look correct to those who have used the N15 brackets?

The fan connected to the PWM driver module using 2 wires. I think it is a brush DC motor fan. Any vendors sell brushless fans? Brushless motor has more power density and nothing to wear except the ball bearings.

[sapote]

After that all u need to do is code the electric fan to come on sooner, and done!

Why it needs to come on sooner than factory setting?

[sapote]

You can wire it to the Aux fan control if you remove the Aux fan otherwise you will need a separate fan control.

With Aux fan removed, does the AC condenser have enough cooling air to work properly?

[sapote]

Here is my car in CA desert summer at 110 ambient and temp just started creeping up after crawling in traffic on highway on a slight uphill before we started moving again.

Do the M3 cars have the hidden display to show the actual coolant temp? It's interesting to see the coolant temp in this case, and what happened if the traffic did not moving again with only the ACC fan and no clutch fan.

[IMOLA3]

Are there any specs on the OEM AUX fan available? Anyone know its CFM rating? Thanks.

[topher]

Any concerns of these aluminum mounts blocking air flow through the radiator? I know people seem to like them but it seems like just using the simple pass-through (zip-tie-like) mounts or Spal's basic mounts would be better for flow. I notice the Mishimoto fan mount is the same way. Any experience or data on that?