Cheap alternative for a Kenlow fan (with pics)

[Smokydiesel]

Hi,

I'm sure some of you are considering getting a Kenlow fan, I know I did (I'm putting a Disco 200 TDI engine in my 90 at the moment)
But with Santa being a bit short on cash just recently, he (or me..) came up with another plan.

Please find some pictures below of what I came up with.
Just wanted to share this DIY-job with you !

First I went to a breakers-yard to find an electric Ford Sierra fan, I had been told that a Sierra fan would be a good replacement for the standard viscous fan, because size-wise it fits the Disco radiator.
While walking around, I bumped into a Chevrolet Corsica  :oops: with it's bonnet open.
And there it was, a nearly perfect size fan, ready for me to take home with me (12 pounds)

The Fan:


The plan was to fit the fan nicely inside the original plastic windtunnel so to speak.

This is what I am talking about:


To make it fit, I cut of the three plastic legs or brackets on the Chevy fan.

Cutting:


After removing the plastic bits it even starts to look like a Kenlow.

Kenlow replica:


Next I drilled three holes in the fans plastic ring and put long bolts through (M5 60 mm)

Drilling:


With a bit of measuring I also drilled holes in the plastic windtunnel and fixed the fan inside it.

Fan bolted in:


The final result looks great I think.
Wiring the fan up to a thermostat-switch would be the best way to go from here.

Final result:





I'm sure a genuine Kenlow fan has it's advantages; good quality, waterproof etc.
But for the money I have payed now, I think it is worth giving this a try.

Regards.
Edwin

[Disco_Stu]

Top notch Edwin.

Necessity is the mother of invention eh? I've been prattling on about doing this for a few months now, I'll have to get my ass in gear before summer :)

Stu.

[marky]

Excellent job there, and what a fit :thumbup:
I'm sure i'm probably wrong, as I'm certainly no expert, but to me the fins look as if they're the wrong way round? :-k

[Smokydiesel]

Excellent job there, and what a fit :thumbup:
I'm sure i'm probably wrong, as I'm certainly no expert, but to me the fins look as if they're the wrong way round? :-k

Originally the fan was fitted on the back of the Chevy radiator (standing in front of the car) in order to suck air through the radiator (from the outside in)
That's where it's going to be on my Land Rover, so I can't see any problems there...or have I missed someting major here.... 8-[

I've tested the fan on a spare battery and it certainly suc..... well, does a good job !  :)

[300TDi Disco]

Fair play to you, looks a tidy job,  :clap:  got me thinking of going to a scrap yard now.  :D
Hope you don't mind if i copy your design. I will post it when i get a fan sorted.

[wizard]

Hi Edwin

Great job.

 A few years ago i got a good dressing down from a very pompous man at Kenlow, for having the cheek to compare there fans (which wasn't waterproof) to a £10 fan from a scrap yard.

Now you will be on the lookout for a thermostat, unfortunately the Italian company that made the ones i sell have gone bum, but i am on the lookout for a suitable replacement.
I can recommend the X-eng one.

Regards
wizard :twisted:

PS have you got the engine in yet ?

[marky]

Excellent job there, and what a fit :thumbup:
I'm sure i'm probably wrong, as I'm certainly no expert, but to me the fins look as if they're the wrong way round? :-k

Originally the fan was fitted on the back of the Chevy radiator (standing in front of the car) in order to suck air through the radiator (from the outside in)
That's where it's going to be on my Land Rover, so I can't see any problems there...or have I missed someting major here.... 8-[

I've tested the fan on a spare battery and it certainly suc..... well, does a good job !  :)

I'm sure it works well, it's just that however many times I look at it my brain can't work it out! :doh:. It could be one of those optical illusions. Like i said earlier, I'm definately no expert, it just looks wrong to me!

[Smokydiesel]

Haha, optical illusions, could very well be, after all it's an AMERICAN fan.
In America a lot isn't just what it appears to be........ :D

[Smokydiesel]

Hi Edwin

Great job.

 A few years ago i got a good dressing down from a very pompous man at Kenlow, for having the cheek to compare there fans (which wasn't waterproof) to a £10 fan from a scrap yard.

Now you will be on the lookout for a thermostat, unfortunately the Italian company that made the ones i sell have gone bum, but i am on the lookout for a suitable replacement.
I can recommend the X-eng one.

Regards
wizard :twisted:

PS have you got the engine in yet ?

Hi Wizard,

Lets just hope that my Kenlow replica can cope with that searing heat we get here every summer in Holland (if only...) 

Will have a look at the X-eng thermo, thanks !

And ahhmm, to be completely honest this is how far my engine-project has moved on......... :oops:
No worries, will have it all sorted before summer !!

Bye,
Edwin

[wizard]

Hi Edwin.
have you at least got the engine out of your friends van. :shock:

wizard :twisted:

[Chris Putt]

A VW LT35 fan is a good fit.- One of my mates had one off a W- Plate, just the job!!!

[Smokydiesel]

Hi Edwin.
have you at least got the engine out of your friends van. :shock:

wizard :twisted:

Yep, got the engine out OK.
I opened the rear doors, got behind the wheel and floored it....job done !  :twisted:

It's a good thing I got it out on time, because a week later he crashed his van into the back of a truck !

[lee celtic]

Well done mate looks cool  :clap:

I couldn't get the sierra fan to fit in the disco (belts and wheels in the way) so I did mine with a vectra sri fan behind the rad and a vectra sri aircon fan in front as a back up luckily cost nothing as a mate was breaking the car  :dance:

Feels better when you make something your self anyway  :D

[Range Rover Blues]

It's not a bad idea to keep it inside the original housing as it will be a tad more efficient but also it will pull air through the intercooler.  I wonder if removing the viscous fan means the intercooler doesn't get enough air any more :-k

[stageonesimmo]

RRB- I'm thinking the same.

I recently fitted a twin fan set-up (from a Pug 406, scrappies again, cost me £10, filled my pockets with bulbs, washer jets/pipe, fuses, the usual  ;)).  It sits in front of the rad, (housing 'chopped about' to suit), as its a push fan, in the original housing (as it comes compete with relays and loom attached) but I've noticed a slight drop off in performance since fitting it and the only suggestion I have come up with is that yes indeed, the fan is restricting the flow of air through the fins of the intercooler.  One way of stopping that is to constantly power the fan on that side, noisey, but as they are wired to the second battery, not really a problem........  My original intention was to make it a two stage set-up as thats how it's originaly wired anyway, but I thought due to the on-set of winter I'd leave it as both fans coming on on switch on as so to not affect normal running temps and warm-up times.  May have to re-think that now.  :-k

Mmmmm, I think I feel some tinkering coming on.........

[Tel]

ive got 2 astra fans on mine, revotec do a fan controller you measure the top hose of your car then buy it in the size thats needed we do these at work if anyone wants any more info on them, ive done 2 now 1 on my rrc and 1 on my dads 300tdi defender both work a treat and with the revotec controller you can choose what temp you want your engine to run at before the fan kicks in just like the kenlowe

[Boddle]

It's not a bad idea to keep it inside the original housing as it will be a tad more efficient but also it will pull air through the intercooler.  I wonder if removing the viscous fan means the intercooler doesn't get enough air any more :-k

I have though about converting myself due me liking water and viscous fans not, But I not so far as I have though would effect the intercooler.

  One way of stopping that is to constantly power the fan on that side, noisey, but as they are wired to the second battery.

 Why? if you are going to run a fan all the time you will find the viscous more efficient, of cause has been designed by the manufacture for optimum cooling and possibly quieter.

[Range Rover Blues]

I've noticed a slight drop off in performance
Mmmmm, I think I feel some tinkering coming on.........

I fitted the intercoooler and electric fan the same week, so all I can say is I didn't notice it get any quicker.  That said the pump was already tweeked by a previous owner so I'm trying to stop it smoking and I htink it's better.

Anyhoo, I'm thinking that he viscous fan creates a constant pull through the intercooler, even when you are stood or running in low box, so i though of sticking a small electric in the gap vacated by the old intercooler to pull air through the gap and connecting it to the throttle linkage, yo only need the intercooler at high throttle after all and if the fan runs all the ti e I might as well have left the viscous on.

I also need to attend to the baffling behind the rad htough as I think the air escapes rather than get pushed through the intercooler.

[discorich]

Just a quick question as there seems to be a few people that have done this here.
I have a 200tdi still standard (engine wise anyway) it I removed the viscus fan and fitted one of the pre mentioned fans then i wouldnt have a problem with perfomace, i dont do many road miles and most of the discos life is spent in mud and low box. Also i guess if i got a electric fan it would be worth wiring it up to something like a x switch to control it, thus meaning faster heat up and possibly on a isolator switch so that when in deep water it could be turned off.

Would the same also apply to a 3.5 V8, my mate has got one and wants to play in water, thus i mentioned this post as a solution to the fan throwing water over the electrics.

Hope you some of you can answer my questions.

[crazymac]

discorich, yes, removing the viscous fan will improve your warm up time, but if I was spending a lot of time off road then I woul be tempted to leave as is!!

I removed my viscous fan nearly 3 years ago and the only time my temp rises is when off road. I didn't replace mine with an electric fan as such! I had aircon which I removed including the aircon rad in front of the main rad, but I left the aircon fans and electrics in place. The discovery with aircon has  built in safety to the aircon fans, in that if the engine temp rises above 3 quarters then the aircon fans kick in to assist the viscous unit, so with no aircon rad and viscous fan this works well in bringing the temp back down. Yes an isolater would be a good idea.

Yes your mates V8 would benefit from the leccy fan and isolater.

[discorich]

cool cheers.

the V8 has already had the aircon removed and the fans left in place to help with cooling, but i didnt know that they would come in there selves, i just know that the previous owner just switched on the aircon when temp started going up.

I am not too bothered about changing my fan but if it would give better performance and my fan broke then i would, as with a 200tdi not worred about water going over the engine, it actually helps clean it. hehehe.

Cheers crazymac