Computer fans cooling a motor?

[badjuju]

I have an abundance of 80mm fans. I don't have a fan which is low profile enough to put on the motor side of my radiator.

It's an s30 with an l28et.

I have a hall effect sensor pointing at the face of my water pump pulley triggering megasquirt. This hall effect sensor would be right in the way of my mechanical fan. I am currently just trying not to idle at lights and in traffic for fear of overheating.

 

I'm wondering if anyone else thinks this is a feasible idea? If I were to just make a bank of 80 mm fans like 8*5 and run them as my cooling? Anyone seenheard of this?

[BRAAP]

Well, I guess it could work. Off the top of my head, the only concerns that come up are weight and mounting bracket/s.

 

FWIW, You could always just use a pusher type cooling fan. Sure, it’s not as efficient, but if you if your cooling system is already more than adequate and the pusher fan is more than adequate, a little “cooling fan efficiency” loss should be of no consequence, especially if you perform some radiator core support hole plugging etc to improve air flow to and through the radiator itself.

 

I have seen pics where some one used computer fans to exhaust air from the engine bay. They mounted the fans on the rear portion of the front fenders, under the battery and brake master cylinder. I have no idea what effects that may have on the air flow through the radiator, and or/ around the nose of the car, just though I’d throw it out there..

[badjuju]

The way I figure it...

 

the rad is 24" x 13".

or 609 x 330 mm

609120 = 5

330120 = ~3

5 x 3 = 15

15 fans of 120mm size could fit in that space, with about 1" depth.

 

running a 92 cfm fan, it gives me 1380 cfm. running a 114 cfm fan, it gives me 1710 cfm. eh? eh? of course, this idea was shot down within minutes of posting at zcar, but hybridz is a bit more... progressive? lol

 

by the end of buying all the fans and stuff it wouldn't really by cost effective, it might just turn out to be a decent idea. I don't have enough of the quality of fans I'd want to use for this, but it's a hell of an idea I think.

[naviathan]

badjuj, that's bad juju. Computer fans won't push enough air fast enough through that radiator or pull it for the matter, to cool anything.

[badjuju]

cfm is cfm... as long as it's shrouded, it'll push or pull, yeah?

[het976]

what happens when they get wet?

[Warren]

What happens to the hall effect sensor as a result of the EM field that you'll be creating with all those magnets in such close proximity to it? That's the real question...

[G.I.jonas]

15 fans!!lol,seems like a cool idea at least but i have to agree with naviathan.And i dont think cfm is cfm,the fans probably have a shallow blade pitch and spin fast where i think what you want on a car is the other way around(slower spining and deep pitch to move the air quickly.Im doubting that the fans are going to work that well moving air through such an obstruction as the radiator fins,plus arent they meant to run on AC.

[Pilgrim]

You may have a cumulative air flow of X, but with the total flow in CFM broken up and distributed across many small surface areas, the flow across any one area may not be sufficient. I'm skeptical.

[Daeron]

I would say a test is in order.. see how different they sound when held flush up to the radiator. The question is, are the fans "torquey" enough (for lack of a better term, its really a matter of how much force they induce on the air they move) to force air through the coils of the radiator. If there is an audible difference between the fan operation out in the open, versus up again the radiator, then I would say no go. If they dont change pitch when you set them up against the radiator, then it might be kosher.In that case, your big concern would be moisture.

 

PC power supplies transform 120VAC to 5 and 12 VDC, all internal power inside a computer is DC.

 

Your idea is crazy; but it MIGHT be just crazy enough to work; I would just mount a pusher fan on the front of it though. I save the PC fans for post hurricane times, when my landlord and I are living off of 12VDC!! Radiator fans, turn signal bulbs, headlights, and PC fans abound!

[(goldfish)]

I vote it would work, for idle. I think all the frames would cause alot of blockage at speed or when the fans aren't running. And I think we covered the cost factor, I agree w/ the water to. big fans typically have a better bearing life, I can't count how many pc fans i've replaced.

[Pilgrim]

Here's another reason to be concerned: at highway speeds, fans can actually block or restrict air flow through the radiator, causing heating. This can be a factor even with a full size electric fan, especially if it can't turn fast enough to expedite air flow at highway speed.

 

Adding a number of small fans would mean a lot more area (in the frames and area blocked by the fan blades)where there is limited air flow - which seems to me a matter for concern.

 

Food for thought.

 

You might also see if you can find a pair of moderate size (side by side) radiator fans from an early 90's Audi 90. They're quite compact and move a lot of air, and they come mounted in a frame which might be handy.

 

There is also a website (a search might find it) describing how to use the electric radiator fan from a Ford Taurus as a general purpose radiator fan. It has been used in BMWs.

[Careless]

if u have them lying around, try it.

no sense in keeping them lying around.

 

maybe u can get a fan controller to hook up to the dash board too, like a zalman or something. LOL

[G.I.jonas]

describing how to use the electric radiator fan from a Ford Taurus as a general purpose radiator fan. It has been used in BMWs.

 

I have heard this as well about taurus fans,actually almost said something in my previous post

[nbesheer]

Okay don't laugh if I'm wrong. but my dad tells me if I start to over heat to turn the heater on full blast, and it will cool the car a little bit (not much) but maybe just enough so you don't over heat while your at a light (if that's what your talkign about anyways) I know it's not ideal but neither are Antec tricools.

[badjuju]

wow, i've never started a thread with so many responses.

 

lmao i have an old zalman, that would look so ghetto though...

yeah that helps, nbesheer. i've been rolling around doing that too, as well as turning ms off while i'm compression braking to turn the water pump and get airflow while not causing more heat.

 

I'll look into the taurus fan thing, gotta be cheaper than buying a brand new fan.

 

careless, the problem is that i don't have that many fans lying around, so i guess this whole thread is somewhat of a mute point, but if everyone sent me their extra fans... lol

 

also, yeah the fans run on dc, the water is the biggest problem for me. a cpu fan gets way hotter than 200*, so i'm not concerned about heat, and if i used brushless motors, wouldn't that eliminate bearing life?

 

as far as blocking airflow, yes the frames of the fans would block a little, however these fans have such a small mass that driving at 30 mph would push them faster than the electricity would, so the fans themselves blocking airflow i don't see as a major problem.

 

When I swapped the l28et into my 240, i had to remove the hall effect sensor to keep it from knocking on the rad support, and when i put it back on, i had it moved about 3/8" to the right (looking at the motor from the front of the car) and it didn't read any magnets. I don't think that these fans, 3-5" away from the back of the sensor would effect it any.

 

damnit i wish i had a ton more of these to try it, i've got msns-e, i can watch my coolant temp change by degree, it'd be a fun test.