Add-on fan

Mac

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Jun 17, 2012, 9:51:01 AM6/17/12

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Wanted to see if anyone has added an extra fan to a 1990 Miata.
Looking to add one to help with cooling when the AC is on. Where
would be a good palce to tie into for power. Thanks.

charlie

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Jun 18, 2012, 1:12:37 AM6/18/12

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Fly-In Miata is one source if you really need a bigger A/C fan.
As old as a 90 is, I'd wonder about the radiator's efficiency,
due to crud build up inside. The A/C compressor is also suspect.
One way to add an "extra" fan is to place a "pusher" fan on the front
of the radiator.

I have a turbo'd 99, and it uses stock fans with a larger capacity
radiator and a 180deg thermostat.

XS11E

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Jun 18, 2012, 11:30:25 AM6/18/12

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I live in Phoenix, AZ where we have pleasantly warm days of up to 122F.
My 150,000 mile 1992 Miata does NOT overheat with the AC on. If yours
does, you have a problem and an extra fan is a workaround, not a fix.

Remove the radiator and have it flushed, make sure all components are
working correctly and don't forget the often overlooked overheating
culprits: brakes dragging and wheel alignment!

To answer your question, the best place to connect would be in parallel
with the existing AC fan.

--
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The Usenet Improvement Project:
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charlie

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Jun 19, 2012, 2:17:38 PM6/19/12

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On 6/18/2012 11:30 AM, XS11E wrote:
> Mac<modm...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> Wanted to see if anyone has added an extra fan to a 1990 Miata.
>> Looking to add one to help with cooling when the AC is on. Where
>> would be a good palce to tie into for power. Thanks.
>
> I live in Phoenix, AZ where we have pleasantly warm days of up to 122F.
> My 150,000 mile 1992 Miata does NOT overheat with the AC on. If yours
> does, you have a problem and an extra fan is a workaround, not a fix.
>
> Remove the radiator and have it flushed, make sure all components are
> working correctly and don't forget the often overlooked overheating
> culprits: brakes dragging and wheel alignment!
>
> To answer your question, the best place to connect would be in parallel
> with the existing AC fan.
>
>

If I had to add a fan, I'd likely use a relay triggered from the
appropriate fan circuit, and a separate added power circuit with fuse.

XS11E

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Jun 19, 2012, 10:22:28 PM6/19/12

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I believe the AC fan already has a relay, connecting in parallel should
be no problem if the relay has the capacity, if not, there's higher
current relays available.

I can't find current specs on the relay right now but your parts guy
would know....

charlie

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Jun 20, 2012, 6:05:52 PM6/20/12

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It does, at least on my 99. The concern I have is more related to stock
wire size, and a desire to change the stock wiring as little as
possible. Adding an additional relay and power side wiring with the
relay coil driven from the original wiring seems best to me. I might
also add a temperature sensor, so that the added fan comes on only when
needed.
In addition, I'd likely add the fan to the front of the radiator as a
pusher. Remember, my 99 is turbo'd, and there is not a lot of excess
cooling capability.

Mac

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Jun 29, 2012, 5:32:57 PM6/29/12

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Thanks for the information.

charlie

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Sep 9, 2012, 6:27:07 AM9/9/12

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There is another little detail that I ran across on the 99.
The gauge temp sensor is at the front of the engine, and the computer
sensor at the rear. I use a "Scan Gauge II" to monitor the temperature
readings and other stuff that the computer sees via it's sensors.
The rear temp sensor generally is higher that the front when the engine
is fully warm, and colder than the front when the engine is warming up.
This might be part of for the 99 "idle dip" problem, assuming that the
computer thinks the engine temperature is uniform.

Anyway, the rear sensor often shows a reading of about 20 deg F higher
than the thermostat, so a 200-210 thermostat and "normal" gauge reading
can easily result in a rear temperature higher than you would prefer,
and one that stresses underhood stuff, due to heat.
(No wonder there were problems with the 99-2000 ignition coil packs)
A 180 degree thermostat, due to production variations, may not reduce
things enough, and a 160 thermostat impacts gas mileage.
Given that my 99 has an oversize aftermarket radiator, I'd think things
might be even worse in terms of front to back temperature difference
with a stock radiator.

Sigmund Paulson

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Oct 30, 2012, 10:21:47 PM10/30/12

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