electric fan controller question

[mudcrewsr]

Hey guys I have a mark viii fan that I am installing in my TJ (just finished the dodge 5.9 motor swap). I've been looking at different controllers and I wanted to ask you opinions of what has worked for you for fan controllers.

I looked at the painless performance F5 Single 70amp controller but they were too expensive and I didn't like the idea of the plastic adjuster screws... I've seen a few comments where they can break.

I've also seen the Dakota Digital controller . This thing looks pretty nice for around $110

What are you guys using/doing for a fan controller? Does anyone have any experience or comments on either of these controllers?

May main goal and need is I need a continuous relay 70amp, I'd like to be able to turn the fan off when needed and I want a controller that will have a low temp setting kicking the fan on at 50% juice (say at 185deg). and then running the fan at 100% juice when up to temp (220deg)

Both of the above mentioned seem to do this but I wanted to know if there were other controllers to look at or if you guys had other ideas or suggestions.

Thanks

 

[Fabrik8]

I've heard good things about the Hayden controller, but I haven't used it myself.

DIGITAL FAN CONTROLLER

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hda-3655

 

[Jody Treadway]

Volvo fan delay and the infamous BMW temp switch.
You can google it for plenty of info. I use the same setup myself and love it.

 

[Caver Dave]

I've done Taurus fan swaps in 2 vehicles using relays (1 relay for low - on with engine, 2 relays in parallel for high - manual)

Saw this the other day and think it might be a contender...

 

[Fabrik8]

There's one thing I don't see on the labeled terminals on Derale's site that I don't care for (and just verified via the instructions):

There is no switched ignition terminal, so there is no way that I can see to shut the controller off. This would mean that the controller would leave the fans running (after engine shutdown) until the probe reaches the temperature setpoint, which is a complete waste of battery power. That could be minutes of running depending on the radiator temp and ambient temperature. There's no need to cool down a radiator that has no coolant flow, and you're not cooling the engine with no coolant flow either.

I also see it as a safety concern, because the controller is always active and is just waiting for a signal from the temperature probe to turn on the fans. That also means there is no way to stop the fans from running (if the temperature is greater than setpoint temp) without disconnecting battery power or removing the temp probe from the radiator.

The lack of ignition enable is such a bad oversight... It's a $200 controller, why not add another 7 cents of components to add an enable to work with the existing circuitry?
The easy fix is to switch battery power with a big relay, but that's something that should really be built-in to a controller of this price range using semiconductors.

Most other controllers have an input for ignition-switched power....

 

[Fabrik8]

I wonder what happened to the nice unit that SPAL used to make? It appeared to be discontinued when I looked it up for this thread originally....

 

[catfishblues]

There's one thing I don't see on the labeled terminals on Derale's site that I don't care for (and just verified via the instructions):

There is no switched ignition terminal, so there is no way that I can see to shut the controller off. This would mean that the controller would leave the fans running (after engine shutdown) until the probe reaches the temperature setpoint, which is a complete waste of battery power. That could be minutes of running depending on the radiator temp and ambient temperature. There's no need to cool down a radiator that has no coolant flow, and you're not cooling the engine with no coolant flow either.

I also see it as a safety concern, because the controller is always active and is just waiting for a signal from the temperature probe to turn on the fans. That also means there is no way to stop the fans from running (if the temperature is greater than setpoint temp) without disconnecting battery power or removing the temp probe from the radiator.

The lack of ignition enable is such a bad oversight... It's a $200 controller, why not add another 7 cents of components to add an enable to work with the existing circuitry?
The easy fix is to switch battery power with a big relay, but that's something that should really be built-in to a controller of this price range using semiconductors.

Most other controllers have an input for ignition-switched power....

This is how pretty much every electric fan equipped car today is configured, hence the warning under the hood that the fan could come on with the engine off. Reduces the chances of some jackass leaving it off and blowing a head gasket.