Thank you, I replace yesterday my alternator with a 160 amps. No issues. I will move on and get the spal fan and controller. Thanks again
Cooling fan upgrade comparison: Explorer 11-blade fan and HD clutch versus SPAL 19" 850-watt electric brushless fan
- Thread starter Steel City 06
- Start date
Thank you, I replace yesterday my alternator with a 160 amps. No issues. I will move on and get the spal fan and controller. Thanks again
Thank you so much for this info. I just need some clarification if is possible. On the 3 points you are mentioning upgrading, you are referring to upgrade with a 4 awg cables on those 3 points?
The charging wire from the alternator to the PDC and then to the battery isn't sized for the larger alternators output. You can cook it now
Correct. Those three wires are at a minimum what you'll need to upgrade.
If the original cables are still in decent condition, you can just stack the additional cables on top of the existing ones.
The cables I have on the jeep are on very good condition. To be honest they look like they are already the size suggested, 4 awg. What size are normally the original ones? The purpose of this would be for the cable to be wider or smaller? Thank you in advance
The purpose is to make sure you don’t cook the existing cables by sending more power than they are rated for. 4 AWG would be a minimum target and would be fine if you are adding to existing wiring rather than replacing. 2AWG would be better if you are replacing all of the existing wiring.
Odds are you’d be fine with OEM wiring if it’s in very good condition, but you’d be taking a slightly increased risk of overheating the wires and causing a fire.
Where is the fusible link - is it the wire from the atlernator to the PDC? I can’t recall. Wherever it is, should the replacement include a fuse?
Ir0nH3@d
Member
OEM fusible link is the last ~6-8" of cable before the alternator
Hello everyone, what you guys think about the cable kit sales by jeep cables? looks very complete. I saw some videos that it needs a little of trimming on the fuse box for the number 2 cable.
Thank you in advance.
Thank you in advance.
I’ve added some installation info in case it's helpful for others.
Shroud
I used a cutting wheel, band saw, and flapper wheel to trim the Camaro shroud down. The fan didn't want to come out even after I removed the three retaining nuts, so I left the fan in during the cutting phase. SteelCity06 told me he had to pry the wires a good amount to get the fan out and said it's even more difficult to install it. Pick your poison.
I became more comfortable as I did more cuts and stayed focused on not cutting into the fan as my eyes dialed things in.
Installed in the TJ shroud:
The efan sat inside of the opening of the TJ shroud with about 1/4" of gap. I filled that gap using ss fender washers. I usually used 3 washers for each of the eight mounting points.
Fasteners
- 10-24 ss fender washers (24) for gap filling...ymmv
- 10-24 x 3/4" long ss fasteners (I used one at each mounting foot, x 8)
- small 10-24 washers for under the bolt head (8)
- 10-24 nylon lock nuts (8)
Note: the 3/4" long bolt is just long enough to engage the nylon part of the locknut. You could buy 1" and shave them down to about 7/8" so they fit. You may want to do this if you run a thicker outside washer for under the bolt head or a washer under the nut. I chose to use a thinner outside washer to make it work. And I chose not to use a washer with the nut since the OD of the washer would need to be similar to the nut. I held the nut in place as I tightened up the bolt so no issues with it chewing into the TJ shroud.
Wiring (using the diode method)
Controller Power & ground:
- Red controller wire to switched 12v (I used a fuse tap)
- Black controller wire to ground
ETC Sensor:
- GM ECT wire 1 and brown controller wire connected to the diode on the end with the stripe (diode facing the brown wire)
- GM ECT wire 2 and purple controller wire connected to the diode end without the stripe
This proved to be the correct orientation for the diode.
Output signal:
- Yellow controller wire to the small black wire on the Efan
Override:
- White controller wire to override switch (12v)
8 gauge fan wires (caution):
Don't cut the wires until you know which is the positive and the ground. They are not labeled nor are they interchangeable like a push/pull setup. I had already cut mine, so I tested it by connecting each wire to a spare battery. One way made a small spark...the other way made an intense spark and smoked the ring terminal. This was not ideal.
Update: @The_walrus used this video to determine which was the positive and negative.
Fan depth
Two to three of the efan's mounting feet stick out a bit while others sit more flush. This provided over 2" of gap between the fan blades and the radiator.
I have little concern about the fan hitting the radiator even if I'm under water because it's over 2" away from the radiator, the fan blades are all connected by an outter ring, and the TJ shroud has two spots that limit how deep the blades could reach. That said, I have a kill option just in case I want to pull power.
You can see the gap between the fan and the edge of the TJ shroud, and there is another gap between the edge of the shroud and the radiator.
This shows how some of the other mounting feet sit more flush to the edge.
The mounting foot at the end of the fan's wiring channel sticks out the most. I zip tied the wiring even though it may have not been necessary.
Controller Settings
The controller came set up so that I didn't need to change the switching logic behind the back cover panel.
If you installed the diode, then you will likely want to set the start to 160* and the max to 200* using a flat head jeweler screwdriver. That’s what Steelcity06 is set to as of the time of this post.
Note: If you skip the diode method, then you can wire either of the ECT sensor wires to the brown and purple wires and then set the minimum to around 130* and max to around 180*. YMMV
I zip tied the controller up in the driver kick panel so it’s out of the way but still accessible for making setting adjustments.
Initial thoughts
The true functional testing will be done with the AC on in idle when it's 115*+ outside. That said, the fan barely turning helped the engine to warm up faster from a nighttime cold start, and it was nice driving without the fan inefficiently roaring.
The efan ramps up and down in a pleasing manner and pulled about 8A when my ECTs were showing 195-204* in idle. The override switch makes the fan sound like a jet engine spooling up and pulls about 60 amps. I’m using the same 80A breaker that SteelCity06 is using.
I look forward to testing the performance this summer.
Shroud
I used a cutting wheel, band saw, and flapper wheel to trim the Camaro shroud down. The fan didn't want to come out even after I removed the three retaining nuts, so I left the fan in during the cutting phase. SteelCity06 told me he had to pry the wires a good amount to get the fan out and said it's even more difficult to install it. Pick your poison.
I became more comfortable as I did more cuts and stayed focused on not cutting into the fan as my eyes dialed things in.
Installed in the TJ shroud:
The efan sat inside of the opening of the TJ shroud with about 1/4" of gap. I filled that gap using ss fender washers. I usually used 3 washers for each of the eight mounting points.
Fasteners
- 10-24 ss fender washers (24) for gap filling...ymmv
- 10-24 x 3/4" long ss fasteners (I used one at each mounting foot, x 8)
- small 10-24 washers for under the bolt head (8)
- 10-24 nylon lock nuts (8)
Note: the 3/4" long bolt is just long enough to engage the nylon part of the locknut. You could buy 1" and shave them down to about 7/8" so they fit. You may want to do this if you run a thicker outside washer for under the bolt head or a washer under the nut. I chose to use a thinner outside washer to make it work. And I chose not to use a washer with the nut since the OD of the washer would need to be similar to the nut. I held the nut in place as I tightened up the bolt so no issues with it chewing into the TJ shroud.
Wiring (using the diode method)
Controller Power & ground:
- Red controller wire to switched 12v (I used a fuse tap)
- Black controller wire to ground
ETC Sensor:
- GM ECT wire 1 and brown controller wire connected to the diode on the end with the stripe (diode facing the brown wire)
- GM ECT wire 2 and purple controller wire connected to the diode end without the stripe
This proved to be the correct orientation for the diode.
Output signal:
- Yellow controller wire to the small black wire on the Efan
Override:
- White controller wire to override switch (12v)
8 gauge fan wires (caution):
Don't cut the wires until you know which is the positive and the ground. They are not labeled nor are they interchangeable like a push/pull setup. I had already cut mine, so I tested it by connecting each wire to a spare battery. One way made a small spark...the other way made an intense spark and smoked the ring terminal. This was not ideal.
Update: @The_walrus used this video to determine which was the positive and negative.
Fan depth
Two to three of the efan's mounting feet stick out a bit while others sit more flush. This provided over 2" of gap between the fan blades and the radiator.
I have little concern about the fan hitting the radiator even if I'm under water because it's over 2" away from the radiator, the fan blades are all connected by an outter ring, and the TJ shroud has two spots that limit how deep the blades could reach. That said, I have a kill option just in case I want to pull power.
You can see the gap between the fan and the edge of the TJ shroud, and there is another gap between the edge of the shroud and the radiator.
This shows how some of the other mounting feet sit more flush to the edge.
The mounting foot at the end of the fan's wiring channel sticks out the most. I zip tied the wiring even though it may have not been necessary.
Controller Settings
The controller came set up so that I didn't need to change the switching logic behind the back cover panel.
If you installed the diode, then you will likely want to set the start to 160* and the max to 200* using a flat head jeweler screwdriver. That’s what Steelcity06 is set to as of the time of this post.
Note: If you skip the diode method, then you can wire either of the ECT sensor wires to the brown and purple wires and then set the minimum to around 130* and max to around 180*. YMMV
I zip tied the controller up in the driver kick panel so it’s out of the way but still accessible for making setting adjustments.
Initial thoughts
The true functional testing will be done with the AC on in idle when it's 115*+ outside. That said, the fan barely turning helped the engine to warm up faster from a nighttime cold start, and it was nice driving without the fan inefficiently roaring.
The efan ramps up and down in a pleasing manner and pulled about 8A when my ECTs were showing 195-204* in idle. The override switch makes the fan sound like a jet engine spooling up and pulls about 60 amps. I’m using the same 80A breaker that SteelCity06 is using.
I look forward to testing the performance this summer.
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Thank you so much for the info. As you can see in the previous post, I got a 180 alternator and I just got the cables to replace wiring. Soon I will be ordering the controller and fan. That’s great information you just provide. I don’t understand about the diode method. Can’t recall seen any information in that.
It's an alternative method for temperature control that I made some time after this post. It's buried in here somewhere.
In short, you use a 0.77V Zener diode to trick the controller into thinking that it is never less than 160°F. Then by setting the controller "fan on" temperature setting to 160°F, you get the fan to turn on at its lowest state as soon as you start the car (except if ambient temperatures are below 50°F or so).
As the temperature increases past 160°F, the controller starts to read the actual temperature rather than the fake diode temperature, allowing a slow non-linear ramp in of fan speed
The advantages are that the fan is on as soon as you start the car, but at a very low power state. So if you turn the AC on, you don't have to worry about popping the compressor due to a lack of airflow. It also actually ends up consuming less energy overall, as the consistent low airflow helps mitigate temperature spikes in the radiator outlet.
The fan still ramps up as needed, and by the time the radiator outlet temperature hits 200°F (which would be seen with ECTs around 220°F and fully open thermostat) the fan is at full power.
SteelCity06 previously discussed the diode in post #64 on page 4.
That said, you can always add it later.
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Update:
I messed up the Zener diode information and accidentally posted the link to the ones I tried and failed to get to work.
You actually want Microchip Technology 1N6006B, and you'll actually wire it in the forward direction, so stripe towards sensor ground, in order to get the non-linear ramp I mentioned.
I've edited Post 64 on page 4 with the new part number and link.
Note this only works with 160°F/200°F on/max control logic.
I messed up the Zener diode information and accidentally posted the link to the ones I tried and failed to get to work.
You actually want Microchip Technology 1N6006B, and you'll actually wire it in the forward direction, so stripe towards sensor ground, in order to get the non-linear ramp I mentioned.
I've edited Post 64 on page 4 with the new part number and link.
Note this only works with 160°F/200°F on/max control logic.
Hello everyone! I just want to thank @Steel City 06 for this guide but I also would like to give a special thanks to @MikeE024. The last week he is has been very supportive. I will keep you guys updated.
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