Electric Fan or not ?

[Exminiman]

Pondering whether to fit an electric fan......starting to wonder if its actually a bad idea...

If you have a front mounted rad` it seems like a no brainer, air will be forced through the rad` and the electric fan will come on when extra cooling is required.

However, with a side mounted rad`, does it really get much natural airflow ? surly lots of the air goes into the engine bay and is pulled out under the car without needing to go through the rad ?

So.......is it better to keep the engine powered fan on a mini with side mounted rad, and be sure that you are getting some airflow through rad at all times..?

EDIT or maybe keep the electric fan on at all times might be another theoretical solution...

Or am I just plain wrong and overthinking it...

[Fanfaniracing]

Since i have my cooper on the Road again in 2007 i mounted a Electric Fan an i use it during Summer when it's really hot or if i am in low speed trafic.

I occasionally also use it to cool the engine down...

[Exminiman]

Since i have my cooper on the Road again in 2007 i mounted a Electric Fan an i use it during Summer when it's really hot or if i am in low speed trafic.

I occasionally also use it to cool the engine down...

So, presumably the fan works off a thermostat ? does the fan just come on when car is in slow moving traffic or not moving ?

[Bitsilly]

A few of the electric fans you can get these days suck or blow like billyoh so I'm sure would help.
That said some of them are quite noisy.
I had a big V8 once and the thing that stopped it boiling over after a trip was raising the boiling point with some product, I think was 'water wetter' or similar, I guess it would allow the coolant to contain more heat, but then you'd have to get rid of it!
Some people will say get an alloy rad, but as they are rarely black, I don't think they help at all and once full of water don't save any weight either.
When is it over heating?

[mab01uk]

I fitted an electric fan in the wheel arch from a Rover Cooper and just switch it on manually if the temperature gauge climbs too high in slow traffic, etc.
All the later Rover Minis with side mounted radiators still retained the engine driven fan even though they also had an electric fan in the wheel arch that came on automatically when needed.

I have the later type Rover Cooper electric fan fitted but this is the early type Rover Cooper electric fan in link below.....I have an early original RSP fan in storage but did not realise how much repros now cost!

"Electric fan assembly as used on the Rover Cooper with HIF44 carburetter from 1990 to 1991. This can be used to replace the obsolete fan PGF 10038 fitted to the Cooper SE (RSP)."
https://www.bullmotifminispares.co.uk/p ... 6/PGG10046

[Exminiman]

To be honest I have a decent alloy rad and Stant cap and dont have a problem with overheating - this is just about saving some power and improving throttle response by ditching the fan.....maybe I should of mentioned that, apologies

[mab01uk]

I don't think many road going Minis with side rad can ditch the engine fan without problems under certain conditions, probably also why the factory never did either.

[Exminiman]

All the later Rover Minis with side mounted radiators still retained the engine driven fan even though they also had an electric fan in the wheel arch that came on automatically when needed.

wasn`t aware of that, quite telling, you would think the manufacturer would of dropped the engine driven fan, given the chance.

Seems to strengthen the case of keeping an engine driven fan...

[Fanfaniracing]

My Fan has no Termal swich. I like to have my Engine an it's gauges in my eye...

But before fitting a electric Fan you have to ask yourself the question if the Cooling system is in good order. This not only means the Radiator!

My 8 Port Engine block was dipped in a chemical ultrasonic bath cleaning all water ways linke on an new casting. Also has the heater matrix been overhauled.

Since the Carbs were setup properly i never had cooling issues exept on ha hot summer day in standing/slow traffic.

The radiator is a Minispares competition Radiator if i am right

[Polarsilver]

Have one on a car as back up to the standard engine fan as this engine can run a bit hot in summertime .. switch this Elec/Fan on as & when its needed for what is now many years.

[mab01uk]

All the later Rover Minis with side mounted radiators still retained the engine driven fan even though they also had an electric fan in the wheel arch that came on automatically when needed.

wasn`t aware of that, quite telling, you would think the manufacturer would of dropped the engine driven fan, given the chance.

Seems to strengthen the case of keeping an engine driven fan...

I believe the main reason for moving to a front mounted rad with an electric fan on the MPi Minis was to help meet new EU 'drive by' noise regulations. You can especially notice the engine fan noise on early Minis with 4-blade fans. The late Rover Japanese export Minis always had the side mounted rad as I think the standard factory fit air conditioning compressor did not leave enough space for the front mounted rad.

Of course the Clubman range of Minis has more space for a front rad and I think some owners fitted the Metro rad set up before originality became the focus for many.

[Spider]

To be honest I have a decent alloy rad and Stant cap and dont have a problem with overheating - this is just about saving some power and improving throttle response by ditching the fan.....maybe I should of mentioned that, apologies

The volume of Air that a fan moves is pretty much proportional to the Power put in to driving the Fan. There's little pressure differential between the Engine Bay and the Wheel Arch in a Mini when on the move, so the Fan really does play an important role here.

The mechanically driven fans take around 3 - 5 HP (2.25 to 3,75 kW) to drive them at higher revs. The best electric fan I know of was (from memory) 600 Watts, falls a long way short of what a Mini needs. They can be of value in stop / start type traffic but that's about it.

[Oneball]

All the later Rover Minis with side mounted radiators still retained the engine driven fan even though they also had an electric fan in the wheel arch that came on automatically when needed.

wasn`t aware of that, quite telling, you would think the manufacturer would of dropped the engine driven fan, given the chance.

Seems to strengthen the case of keeping an engine driven fan...

If you remove the engine fan and leave the electric one on an SPi it’ll overheat.

[mab01uk]

This is the SPi electric fan which is pretty easy to fit under the wheel arch of an earlier Mini by just drilling 3 holes in the inner wing and I think i added some small spacers to the support mounting legs as the SPi has a large hole cut out for the fan blades to sit in closer to the radiator.





Minispares:-
"This radiator electric fan was fitted as standard on minis with the large round hole cut out in the inner wing fron 1991 on the last carb models through to the SPI but there was an earler type which is no longer available that was on earlier 1275 cooper carb models." (RSP Cooper)
http://www.minispares.com/product/Classic/PGG10058.aspx