Speed 25 Electric Cooling Fan

I am reluctantly going to change the work of art that is the original fan for an electric one as on occasions the car can`t cope with the traffic in my part of the world. I understand that the radiator was checked just before I bought the car. Before I buy an electric fan is anyone able to share their experience on this? I think the largest I can fit is about 12 inchs and I`m happy to operate it manually. So are Kenlowe the best (I`ve seen much cheaper brands on the market some that fix simply by 'cable ties' through the holes in the core), what about the drain on the battery when other stuff is on, fixing, fitting a surround etc?  Sorry if this is an obvious question but I want to get the best permanent solution to remove the worry of overheating every time I hit some traffic on a warm day.   Thanks in advance, Cliff Thompson Posted by cjt 28/04/2015 20:21:24

The tidiest installation I have seen, is on a speed 25 that resides in Jersey. The original fan is retained, but the lower part of the radiator has 2 small fans (side by side) held close to the fins of the V'd radiator by a W shaped bracket (think of a large pair of spectacles with the fans replacing the lenses) which follows the contour of the V'd radiator. It looked very neat and professionally done.   The problem with small fans is the area of blockage from the motor part of the fan is significant compared to the swept area of the fans. On the other hand, fans held immediately adjacent to the radiator fins will be a lot more effective in encouraging air to flow over the cooling fins, than a single fan with no shrouding  (bridging the V shape of the radiator).   I have already purchased suitable fans but not yet got around to designing and making the support bracket! Posted by DaveT 29/04/2015 12:07:51

For sale - 1 electric fan kit for a Speed 25, includes mounting brackets, new Kenlowe fan, fan cowl, swan-neck blanking plate and experience of doing the job.  The knowledge/advice is F-o-C. Give me a call gents! Posted by Angus D'Arcy-Drake 30/04/2015 09:33:49

Am watching this post with keen interest,  I like the idea of adding two smaller (11"?) electric fans, but think the original massive cast aluminum fan just looks so impressive that I'd hate to remove.  I did add a 14" fan to the 12/50 which is only used in traffic or long hill climbs. Works brilliantly!  Please keep us all posted with developments. Posted by johnlayzell 30/04/2015 15:19:02

DaveT,  Just had a good look at the bottom of the radiator and it looks as if two 7&quot; diameter fans are the largest that will fit with the 'spectacle frame bracket'  Something like this: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/7-INCH-12V-FAN-SLIM-THIN-FAN-RADIATOR-INTERCOOLER-ELECTRIC-COOLING-FAN-/181484070465?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&amp;hash=item2a414b2641">http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/7-INCH-12V-FA ... 2a414b2641</a><!-- m -->   There isn't an apparent easy way to attach the brackets on the outside, so I hope that once you get around to installing you will post details of how you accomplished.  Thanks! Posted by johnlayzell 16/05/2015 17:41:16

Where in the world are you Cliff?  I was pleasantly surprised that my 4.3 kept its cool in heavy (uk rush hour) traffic recently.   Chris Posted by chhym 19/05/2015 11:59:03

Hi Chris,  I`m in Essex but just inside the M25 in Greater London. So far the car has had limited use in my ownership for a variety of reasons, but last summer on a fairly hot day in slow traffic the water temp just kept rising - I eventually pulled over to let it cool.   There are other possible factors of course which I can`t vouch for eg. the condition of internal waterways  and the radiator but I`m sure the original fan is not particularly efficient (other people seem to agree).  So I am reluctantly fitting a 12inch electric fan with a cowling to contain the air that`s sucked through the rad. There should I presume also be another small benefit to this in less strain on the engine and slightly better mpg.  I`m pleased your 4.3 keeps it`s cool.  Cheers Cliff Posted by cjt 20/05/2015 18:14:30

Cliff - do you have a thermostat, and if not have you blocked off the by-pass tube so all the water flows through the radiator?  You can see a photo of my cut-off valve in the &quot;How to attach photos?&quot; post, Posted by johnlayzell 20/05/2015 20:34:40

John,  Sorry for the delay in responding - I don`t have a thermostat or a blocked by-pass (where can you get a thermostat?). I may block the by-pass at some stage but for now I`ve started to fit a 12inch electric fan. I suspect my radiator is past its best, a bit annoying as I have a spare newly reconditioned one in my shed which I could have fitted when I had the front of the car dismantled.  Cliff Posted by cjt 08/06/2015 20:04:43

Cliff,  Here's something of interest you might want to consider:  <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://dieselgiant.com/mercedes_citrus_flush.htm">http://dieselgiant.com/mercedes_citrus_flush.htm</a><!-- m --> Posted by johnlayzell 02/07/2015 14:57:32