Electric Fan Thermostat Location

[BPVan]

I have a 240 and I upgraded to an electric puller fan and removed the mechanical. The engine seems a bit smoother now with the change. I temporarily hooked up a switch to the fan while I sort out getting the thermostat installed. Issue is I need a good place to put the thermostat for the fan controller.

The unit has a 3/8" NPT thread and will fit where my temp sending unit is in the head, but I don't want to lose my temp gauge. I am not using my transmission cooler portion of the radiator, but the unit is too big to fit in there. Any ideas?

[redfalken]

I've got a thermostat housing with an NPT threaded hole (and I've seen some without). I've got a mechanical gauge sensor screwed in there now. I forget what the thread size is although I do remember it was a hassle finding an adapter for the sensor I had.

Or maybe work it into where the coolant exits toward the heater core??

Let me know if you want a photo of the current setup on my 200.

[olgraybeard]

on my tractor I cut the raditor hose and made a piece with a threaded connection so the tip of the sensor was in the flow of the coolent (coupler welded to a piece of exhaust pipe)

[olgraybeard]

or google "temperature gauge radiator hose connection" allot out there like this reasonable http://www.glowshiftdirect.com/water-hose-adapters.aspx

[doghows]

Brian could you simply put a "T" at the head and run one of each of your sensors off that??

[BPVan]

I couldn't find a thermostat housing with an adapter Fitting, not sure if I am comfortable with making one. I thought about a tee at the head but I am concerned with clearance as well as accuracy since the sensors will not be in direct flow of coolant.

I did stumble upon this:
http://www.proracestore.com/index.ph...ducts_id=10679

[BPVan]

or google "temperature gauge radiator hose connection" allot out there like this reasonable http://www.glowshiftdirect.com/water-hose-adapters.aspx

Those are nice connections, way better than the ones I found. I think I am going to go with the different thermostat housing. The minimalist in me likes less connections to deal with and having it integrated seems the way to go.

Over the weekend I temporarily put the fan controller switch in the head. I ran it for over 20 minutes and it ran as cool as it ever has. I have a rad cap with a thermometer as well as an IR thermometer. Neither of them read over 185. Once I get the brakes bled I'll take it out and see how it does under load. You certainly know it when the fan kicks on, what a draw .

Next I'll need to bribe Pat to help me fine tune this Holley 390. I got a jet and spring kit from Jegs for it. Also hoping to pull a milder vacuum advance from the yard this weekend (in the 10-12˚ range).

[Luva65wagon]

Fan temp controllers usually want to read "radiator water temp" to work correctly. Some mechanical sensors (on aftermarket fans) use a capillary line they run between the hose and the lower hose with a special rubber piece that gets clamped along with the hose. Yours is probably electric and not mechanical, so the sender has a terminal, so you may need to take the radiator to a shop and have a bung installed. Would probably be pretty cheap. You can try low on the block too. Maybe a drain on the block is 3/8" NPT?

FWIW I have a temp sender in the Ranchero I can't use because it has 3/8 pipe thread and there is no 3/8" fitting anywhere on a 200 ci block.