Hello. My name is Dan, and today I doomsday prepped
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Lets go take pics tonight! The blackness of my paint will tie in with the blackness of everything else!
I'd like to see a long exposure needle sweep photo of a tach. Im sure my temperature gauge would have a nice needle sweep too if we wait long enough.
black should be interesting! i'm free tonight, hit me up.
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black should be interesting! i'm free tonight, hit me up.
It's way past @B C bed time by the time it gets dark
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ok e30 guys, need some help.
my aux fan stopped working a couple months ago and ive finally got around to addressing it. the fan ended up being fine, i think my temporary wiring failed at some joint. anyways, i moved to step 2 of temporary wiring to solve it. i've got the system setup as follows:
4-pin relay.
1. Input power from main positive battery terminal in engine bay, with 30amp fuse inline.
2.Output power to Spal fan
3.Switch power from aux fan wiring (12v on ignition)
4.Switch ground to main engine chassis ground.
the Spal fan ground then goes through the single temp (82c) switch i installed in the radiator, which then goes to chassis ground.:

so, this all works great and the fan did switch on when the temp switch got hot enough and the car cooled down. however, the fan kicked on when needle on the gauge was about a needle's width shy of red. i assumed the lower temp (82c) would get the fan going sooner than that. it seemed to me that the top right corner of the radiator was cooler than the rest of the radiator and that may be why it happened. i've never actually owned an e30 that had working ac, or that overheated in any way to have the AUX fan kick on, so this is new territory for me. is it supposed to kick on that late?
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The sensor is sensing the cold side of the radiator which is essentially the coolant supplied to the engine. I've had great results with an 80/88c low speed/ high speed switch on multiple e36s but on an e30 I tried it on it seemed late to turn on and the e30 fan isn't as good as e36 aux fan (spal should be better though). I was uncomfortable and reinstalled the mechanical fan. I didn't have a real temp gauge though so I am not sure what the temp really was.
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The sensor is sensing the cold side of the radiator which is essentially the coolant supplied to the engine. I've had great results with an 80/88c low speed/ high speed switch on multiple e36s but on an e30 I tried it on it seemed late to turn on and the e30 fan isn't as good as e36 aux fan (spal should be better though). I was uncomfortable and reinstalled the mechanical fan. I didn't have a real temp gauge though so I am not sure what the temp really was.
the 16" spal fan does work great when its on. you can see the needle fall almost instantly. there is actually no room for a mech. fan with the 24v swap, so that is not an option.
i think i might have to get a
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m
p
g
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to check real temperatures of the radiator and engine.
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Is the temp sensor m12x1.5 thread? If so you could use an e36 temp switch which is available in an 80c. That is what I have in my e36 and it works great. I have an Autometer gauge and the fan turns on around 210F at the cylinder head temp port. I have a Spal 16" and it brings the temp down pretty quick and shuts off. Pics here.
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A tempgun is probably a good thing to try since I don't necessarily trust the factory gauge to be accurate. The temp switch is at the coldest part of the cooling system so it makes sense to me that the engine itself gets pretty hot before the fan kicks on. Admittedly I have a different engine and an e36 radiator, but for reference the head temperature (reading data from the ECU) on my car is about 210 when the fan kicks on with a 91C switch (61311364272).
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From the factory, the aux fan on the e30 is wired through relay k1. The temp switch AND the A/C button can turn on the aux fan by applying 12V to the K1 relay. If you turn A/C button on, the fan automatically runs too (vice-versa with the temperature switch). Something doesn't seem to add up with the switch and the temp gauge. As others have stated, find the real operating temp and go from there. -Nick (Nice car BTW!)
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well the journey of this car will be wrapping up next year. as i pull the car into the garage for the season, it's with the intent to fix a couple things over the winter and post it for sale in the spring. wanted to say it out loud to help make the idea real.
I'm finding myself drawn to other hobbies instead of the car. Also, I'm getting weary of maintaining 1 bazillion motorized appliances. The list has grown and needs to shrink somewhere.
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well the journey of this car will be wrapping up next year. as i pull the car into the garage for the season, it's with the intent to fix a couple things over the winter and post it for sale in the spring. wanted to say it out loud to help make the idea real.
I'm finding myself drawn to other hobbies instead of the car. Also, I'm getting weary of maintaining 1 bazillion motorized appliances. The list has grown and needs to shrink somewhere.
DONT YOU DARE!
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I'm finding myself drawn to other hobbies instead of the car. Also, I'm getting weary of maintaining 1 bazillion motorized appliances.
This makes sense. You've done a nice job with the car thus far! It's hard to maintain a level of interest in multiple hobbies when time and money are finite for most of us.
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DONT YOU DARE!
i do dare dude
It makes sense. The car hobby is a fulfilling one but in a lifetime of limited resources, it can be a hog.
Just maintaining 3 reliable vehicles is a chore in itself.
i will still be car hobbying, just on a limited basis. an engine tune or set of wheels here or there. but one vehicle for me only. i've been driving the volvo a lot even in the summer, sometimes even choosing it over the e30 for the turbo noises.
This makes sense. You've done a nice job with the car thus far! It's hard to maintain a level of interest in multiple hobbies when time and money are finite for most of us.
thanks!
I'm jealous of your woodworking projects and you're more sane then I am to make these decisions. Don't be a stranger once this car flies the coop.
sane = overly pragmatic. i try not to cross the line from sensible to boring, but i definitely do sometimes, lol.
I get more joy from the home projects since it makes two people happy (me and the wife) and more people get to enjoy it (friends and family). plus, hobby time all year means a nice, warm, well lit, indoor shop space.
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I get more joy from the home projects since it makes two people happy (me and the wife) and more people get to enjoy it (friends and family). plus, hobby time all year means a nice, warm, well lit, indoor shop space
Happy wife, happy life is a myth. You've already figured it out. Doing something for other that also brings you joy is far more rewarding. I will most definitely sit and watch woodworking and cooking shows on PBS when I have the time. Skilled woodworking is amazing to me! The way they fly through building hidden joints and chiseling out perfect dovetail joints is just nuts.
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Happy wife, happy life is a myth. You've already figured it out. Doing something for other that also brings you joy is far more rewarding. I will most definitely sit and watch woodworking and cooking shows on PBS when I have the time. Skilled woodworking is amazing to me! The way they fly through building hidden joints and chiseling out perfect dovetail joints is just nuts.
yeah, those guys have so much patience. 'fly through' is a TV trick, that shit takes forever. they are akin to car builders who polish every nut and bolt. yeah, its cool for your social media accounts, but is it really worth the time? i design my projects to avoid joinery LOL.
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I get more joy from the home projects since it makes two people happy (me and the wife) and more people get to enjoy it (friends and family). plus, hobby time all year means a nice, warm, well lit, indoor shop space.
I totally understand this and can respect the decision to move on to other things. I'll be sad to see it go!
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