1000018_IMG.jpg

Installing a Ford Taurus Electric Fan
By Lance Clifford

Small block 400's are notorious for running hot. The one in my Land Cruiser is no exception. But these motors are amazingly tough. Mine has been hot enough to cook bacon on, but it still keeps on chuggin'.

Over the years I've run different radiators trying to keep the motor cool. I recently went on a snow trip on Iron Mountain and cooked the last Black Magic ($200!) fan I will ever buy. There is something cheaper, and better. Much better....

After doing some research on our own beloved Bulletin Board, I found that there was lots of talk about the electric fans in Ford Taurus cars. There are a couple of different versions, but it seems as long as you find one that is a two speed version (it will have three wires on it - one ground, and two power wires for different speeds) you can't go wrong.

I went down to the local junk yard and went through about 20 Tauruses before I found a damn fan! I guess these things are popular! The last car I checked had one sitting in the back seat. I didn't even have to get my hands dirty.

$45 later, I was the proud owner of a used fan. The price was a little steep compared to what most others seem to be paying for them, but you pay for convenience. I could have driven the extra 40 miles to Sacramento to save $15, but I'm lazy.

1000008_IMG.jpg

I decided to wire this turkey the right way, since they reportedly draw 33 amps continuous, and up to 100 amps at startup! I went to the local NAPA and found this continuous duty 85 amp relay. It was $40 and they had it in stock. It is a universal application, but was listed as used in electric golf carts.

NAPA Part# ST85

1000012_IMG.jpg I mounted the relay in a central location on the battery box.
1000017_IMG.jpg Since my radiator is in the back of my rig, the fan is mounted behind it. This fan is insanely strong! It is probably twice as powerful as my old Black Magic fan.
1000018_IMG.jpg The fan is also very low profile and doesn't take up much space.
1000020_IMG.jpg

When my old Black Magic fan died, I lost my Optima Yellow Top with it. Prices on the Optimas were just out of my budget right now, so I bought this Exide Orbital battery from Rock Logic 4x4 for less than $100. It's got more cranking amps than the Optima, and you can't go wrong with the price!

The battery tray is from Summit Racing.

Sources:
Rock Logic 4x4

Click here to go back to the Tech Dept.