Radiator Slim Fans and the coolant overflow tank

[ShadowGT]

For those of you who use the slim radiator electrical fans, you know the two individual fans that clip to the radiator.. not stock fans.. what or where do you put the coolant overflow tank?
A friend gave me some slim fans, they fit right on and I can figure out the 3 wire Subaru to 2 wire plugs on the fans but what's stopping me is that the coolant overflow tank mounts to the stock fan shroud. Without the shroud.. I have no idea where to put the tank.

Any ideas?

[Reason]

More info on the fans and pics would help.

[ouch1011]

You could always go to your local auto parts store and pick up an aftermarket replacement overflow tank that isn't shaped so odd. Then just bolt it in some place where you have room.

[ShadowGT]

You could always go to your local auto parts store and pick up an aftermarket replacement overflow tank that isn't shaped so odd. Then just bolt it in some place where you have room.

I may get a race bottle, a little one that holds 5 quarts or whatever it is that the stock overflow bottle holds and stick it somewhere either in the fender or around the bumper or something (inside the covers) and just run the overflow tube longer to wherever I decide to put it.
Shouldn't be a big deal though space is a premium under the hood.

[Patrick Olsen]

The entire coolant system is only like 6.3qt, so a 5qt overflow would probably be a bit excessive! :lol:

What slim fans are you putting on and why, if you don't mind my asking?

[Reason]

This is a little off topic, but I was just reading you sig with mods. Why in the world do you have 600cc injectors and a 255 fuel pump? Are you running boost or plan on it?

[rougeben83]

my only reservation about using slim fans is that they are one speed only...usually set on high. In other words when the fans kick in, theyll be always set on high when the fans are triggered on and may sound weird to people.

As for an overflow tank, there are tons of options out there, I'm using a smaller overflow tank that came with my FMIC since you have to relocate the stock tank to make room for the pipes...

[Patrick Olsen]

This is a little off topic, but I was just reading you sig with mods. Why in the world do you have 600cc injectors and a 255 fuel pump? Are you running boost or plan on it?
I was wondering the same thing. I can only imagine how horribly, horribly pig rich the car must run with those injectors and no real way to compensate for it.

As for the overflow, I've been using one of these generic ones for years on my Mustang.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/09/overflow20tank1JPG-1.jpg
It's not particularly pretty, but it gets the job done.

[ShadowGT]

This is a little off topic, but I was just reading you sig with mods. Why in the world do you have 600cc injectors and a 255 fuel pump? Are you running boost or plan on it?

I was planning to go to a turbo one day.. when the funds are there. (Frankenmotor, yes?) The 255 pump was cheaper than the stock OEM pump which was something I had to replace when I got the car. Remember this car did not run when I bought it.
The injectors were a gift to me, I figured what the hell. Maybe the car is running rich.. maybe not, I don't know.. can't smell anything abnormal with the exhaust, no CEL's, my O2 sensors work and my gas mileage is in the 16-18's in the city. I have nothing to complain about. The car has been running about a year now.. have to renew the tags next month and I have no problems with the fuel system or fuel delivery in the car.

I have considered an adjustable fuel pressure valve but I have enough things to do right now.

I like the cage and bottle idea. Just need to find a place for it and honestly I don't mind if the fans run full tilt all the time. The car is loud the way it is.. what's some more noise?

[Patrick Olsen]

The injectors were a gift to me, I figured what the hell. Maybe the car is running rich.. maybe not, I don't know.. can't smell anything abnormal with the exhaust, no CEL's, my O2 sensors work and my gas mileage is in the 16-18's in the city.
The car runs pretty rich from the factory, so I can assure you that it's running really rich now that it's got bigger injectors in there. 16-18mpg is a few mpg below where you should be, and I imagine the injectors are part of the problem.

But anyway, back to the point of this thread - what slim fans are you looking at running, and why? Are your OEM fans dead?

Pat

[Reason]

If you want oem fans I have a set sitting in my garage. Pm me if you are interested and we can go on from there.

[ShadowGT]

They are universal 2x 12in electric fans that clip directly through the radiator fins. I got them when I was replacing the radiator. I figured it would be logical to get these since I was changing the radiator out. They test fit perfect and I can figure out the electrical splicing, just the blaringly obvious issue was the loss of the coolant overflow stock mount.

The car is still running the OEM fans (Thanks Reason for offering) attached perfectly to my Spectra radiator. I couldn't wait anymore with the car disabled with cracked tanks, just went with the Spectra and my car runs a hair cooler than normal.
The OEM fans attached well, the Spectra was supposedly a performance OEM replacement.

I think I will get a 5 quart small tank with cage and mount it on the flat deck in the lower air dam and run a long hose from the overflow spout.

[Reason]

So you have an OEM radiator with OEM fans now? IS it your bottle that's bad, because I have one of those too.

[rougeben83]

well your stock fans are more than capable of pulling the needed air through the radiator, the only functional reason to go with slim fans is when you have clearance issues tbh...

[Patrick Olsen]

Actually, I'd bet good money that the OEM fans flow better than the aftermarket ones. ShadowGT didn't mention a brand, but there are very few aftermarket fans that are going to match the OEM fans.

[ShadowGT]

Project: Shitcanned

The fans where 12 inch eBay fans. I was looking for space clearance. They don't cover up enough of the radiator. I did get that bottle that Patrick Olsen mentioned, everything was set up but the fans are louder than hell and don't move enough air. Temps spiked way up.. to far up for me to feel comfortable knowing that my normal driving temp is much higher than what the stock fans gave me.

The wiring was straight forward.. black to black, blue on the fan to the red and yellow wire on the car. Fans worked.. just didn't do well.
Tomorrow back to stock. Subaru does stock well.

[Patrick Olsen]

Space clearance for what? :-? I'm very confused, but at least you abandoned the project.

[anothernord]

I was looking into slim fans to allow space for my extra supercharger pulley. It turns out I could just bed the support for the motor back enough to allow the pulley/belt to fit, and the fan to not interfere with the radiator.

[ShadowGT]

I was just trying to do something different that could have been cool. Space clearance for any projects like changing the drive pulley and so on. This was all just finding ways of doing something cool. I found a project that didn't work right.

[anothernord]

Yeah, the fans have to be removed to get to the crank pulley bolt with a breaker bar, but its not very hard to take the fans out anyway.

[chuckthefuk]

I may be too late but relocate your battery to your trunk and run the overflow bottle in the stock battery location.

You can also run your fuel pump directly to the battery and have less chance of resistance.

Just a thought.
-Chuck

[Huffer]

Yeah, the fans have to be removed to get to the crank pulley bolt with a breaker bar, but its not very hard to take the fans out anyway.

No they don't! You put the socket on the crank pulley nut, then put the breaker in the socket.

[anothernord]

Yeah, the fans have to be removed to get to the crank pulley bolt with a breaker bar, but its not very hard to take the fans out anyway.

No they don't! You put the socket on the crank pulley nut, then put the breaker in the socket.

I had to have a 3/8" to 1/2" adapter thingy that took more room since I don't have a socket with a 3/8" hole for my breaker bar.

[1-3-2-4]

Hate to bump this so those slim fans don't do better then the stock fans huh?

[anothernord]

Nope, nothing beats stock fans for cooling.

[chuckthefuk]

Hate to bump this so those slim fans don't do better then the stock fans huh?

Fans on their own don't do much unless your splurging for trusted CFM ratings like Flex-A-Lite

But the real cooling benefit is fan shroud.. a proper aluminum sheet that fits snug over the rad and allows the fans to make a proper seal with increase cooling efficiency.

Same concept as the factory setup.. sure its two crappy fans but the plastic shroud helps keep the temps down.

Example:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2011/06/IMG_4516-1.jpg
-Chuck

[1-3-2-4]

Yeah that's a nice setup

But don't you need a aluminum radiator in order to use the shroud?

[ShadowGT]

Hate to bump this so those slim fans don't do better then the stock fans huh?

I'd go with Chuck with the shroud because the fans by themselves did not work enough alone. Plus those two fans alone cover less area than the stock fans do, even when I got creative and put one high and one lower it still didn't cool properly.

Knowing what I know now... I wouldn't try it again unless I got the whole kit and the fans are known to be trustworthy. I just filed this project under "not a good idea."

[chuckthefuk]

You can always run 4 fans and run 2 pushing and 2 pulling. 2 on each side .. if u don't have an a/c condenser.

[1-3-2-4]

The bade design is not helping those ebay fans as well.

[ouch1011]

Something to consider is that a fans ability to move air has to do with the blades it uses and the speed it spins. Slim fans require the use of a smaller motor that will probably spin slower under a load, and the use blades with a shallower pitch (I believe that is the correct term...basically less of a twist to the blades). Likely slower speeds and less blade pitch means less air flow.

[1-3-2-4]

Something to consider is that a fans ability to move air has to do with the blades it uses and the speed it spins. Slim fans require the use of a smaller motor that will probably spin slower under a load, and the use blades with a shallower pitch (I believe that is the correct term...basically less of a twist to the blades). Likely slower speeds and less blade pitch means less air flow.


yep pretty much