Electric fan.

[LowR3V'in]

I notice that the space is very limited and was wondering what fan do you use and does it do the job?

[Jordan]

I run a cold t-stat, and no fan at all.

I've never had any issues.

I run at 1/4 water temp (220F oil temp) after I am fully warmed up. At this temp it takes about ~8mins of idle without moving to bring the temp up to 1/2.

[LowR3V'in]

My clutch is shot but barley works so the 1/2 mark comes up really quick.
Overheats when not movieng. I'll try a colder thermostat (forgot about those) but really want/need a fan and might as well go electric.

[kowalski]

go to the scrap yard and get one of those dual elc. fan settups pull out your clutch fan and drop that in right behind your radiator im gona do that as soon as i have some free time. theres 1000's of those fan's there prolly get them for like 10 bucks.

[rs4pro3]

I'n running a 16 3600 cfm electric fan on the m30 conversion but only having it run at half speed threw a large resistor. No stock fan, temps stay around 1/4

[Jon325i]

The climate in your location has a lot to do with whether or not you need an electric fan. I live in the Sacramento valley and during the summer it gets hot here (2 or 3 weeks of 100+ temps is common). Back in January I did a cooling system overhaul on my 325i and one of the items that didn't go back was the clutch fan since it was toast. Since then I haven't had a need for a fan since the temps have been cool and mild. However, with summer not too far away I plan to install an electric fan....most likely a Spahl unit. Not sure of the size or CFM specs but a couple of people have suggested at least a 10" puller fan as a minimum. I also plan to install a dash-mounted switch so I can run it as needed.

Jon

[cobraken]

i found that zionsville has an aluminum racing radiator that holds 60 % more fluid. possibly with this you wont need a fan. what do you guys think?? sounds like a great idea! ijust doint know if it would work for me with all the traffic i have here in atlanta.

[Jon325i]

Zionsville Aluminum Radiator = $$$$

Spahl Electric Fan = $

Its your wallet. Pick your poison.

Jon

P.S. I would only consider the Zionsville radiator if I were building up an all-out track car. Stock is fine for daily use/auto-x/occasional track day.

[cobraken]

well my stock radiator is leaking, so that means it needs to be replaced. i could do a junk yard one or by the zionsville one and never have to replace it. I also wanted to put an electric fan on it, i dont really know if i would need one. Probably so with this Atlanta traffic in the summer.

Im open to any suggesionts.

Off of the subject are there any really bad ass waterpumps for e30s?

[Jon325i]

I understand where you're coming from.....you just want to keep the temps in check for the hot day commutes. I am also assuming that your E30s motor is (more or less) stock. With that said, here's what you can get to ensure things don't boil over....

A new Behr brand OEM radiator, under $200 and it will work well.

A new OEM waterpump. The factory unit is very durable and has proven itself countless times whether in bumper-to-bumper traffic or out on the racetrack. No need for aftermarket stuff here.....just a waste of money.

An electric fan will be more effective at cooling when sitting in traffic on a hot day then a factory clutch fan will. That's not to say the factory set up stinks, its just an electric unit will do a better job.

With a new thermostat and properly flushed cooling system, using the items I mentioned will keep your E30 temps in a safe range of operation. I have friends with E30s that have raced their cars on hot summer days 90+ with nothing more than a factory set up and their cars are still running fine. Again, only consider going all out with the aftermarket stuff for the cooling system (i.e. radiator, pump, etc.) if you are building up a highly modified motor for racing. With proper maintenance, the factory set up does a very good job of controlling engine temps.

Jon

P.S. I mentioned before that I live in N. California where it does get hot here as well. Even on the triple digit days my car's all stock engine was staying cool.....and it had a malfunctioning clutch fan :!:

[cobraken]

ok well your words of knowledge and wisdom make sense. maybe i will just do that and all it for the price of the zionsville radiator. ya its stock, although i have been thinking about building an engine for it.

[LowR3V'in]

I'n running a 16 3600 cfm electric fan on the m30 conversion but only having it run at half speed threw a large resistor. No stock fan, temps stay around 1/4

So wich 16'' did you get?
will it clear the M20? Does it sit center?

[rs4pro3]

It's made by Zirgo, I mounted it where the stock aux fan used to sit in front of the AC condensor core. I had to cut a few of the stock brackets off and ziptied the fan to the core.

[LowR3V'in]

OH!
A pusher. I'm looking for a puller.
Thanks anyways.

[rs4pro3]

It runs either way, you pull a clip flip the blade around and switch the polarity, there is no room for anything on the m30 swap, hell you can't even pull the dist. cap without removing the radiator.