Davies Craig Fan Clutch to Thermatic Electric Fan Upgrade

27/04/2018 09:00AM

Evolution when it comes to the automotive and aftermarket parts industries can be clearly plotted back to the very first horseless carriage. Items such as engines for propulsion, braking systems, and even the body designs have evolved. Cooling systems, too, have changes and as technology finds new ways to make cooling a car’s engine and transmission more efficient, the traditional ways are being done away with at a manufacturing level.

Cooling still requires a radiator but how they’re cooled is changing. From engine driven fans, to fans with a viscous coupling, to fans that are electrically powered and have a sensor to operate them, efficiency is always improving.

There are still plenty of vehicles with a fan that’s powered by the engine itself and have a clutch system that could be close to the end of its working life. Davies Craig recognizes that possibility and offers an easy way to upgrade from a belt driven fan to an electric system.

The systems are designed for easy installation and can be fitted at home once some engine bay measurements are taken.  The height, width, and depth of the radiator needs to be measured, as does the gap between the front of the engine block and the rear of the radiator.

Once these figures are known, the Davies Craig website can be used to help provide the best fitment option for a new thermatic Electric fan. One very helpful piece of information is that one large fan will draw more air through than two smaller units. Another is locating the fan to be fitted as close as practically possible to the radiator’s top outlet, where the hottest radiator fluid will be.

If engine bay space is tight but ahead of the radiator is free, the Davies Craig thermatic fans are reversible. This means that they can pull air through a radiator or push the air through.

Also a little electrical work is required, as current draw figures can determine the maximum electrical fan size. The higher the current rating the more powerful airflow the fan can produce and the bigger the radiator they can deal with.

A mechanical thermatic fan switch is available which operates via a switch fitted into the radiator fluid flow. An electrical service works on a preset temperature that’s set by an operator of the vehicle. This allows more flexibility and fine tuning for specific applications and usage. A dual relay system is also available which will cover a temperature range from 40 degrees Celsius to 110 degrees Celsius.

The Davies Craig website has more information available on converting from a clutch system to a thermatic fan setup.  The website also offers other systems to complement engine cooling systems and our full range of fans to suit anything from a small four-cylinder car to a performance vehicle.