Greetings again from sunny Florida.
I'm trying to finish the wiring on our car and one of the last things is wiring up the electric fan switch and coolant temp warning light. I've seen the switches that mount in the radiator fins (actually I bought one) and inside a water line and I don't care for either of those. So I thought the best would be to copy what the factory did and install a simple coolant temp switch to control these two items. And this is where my problems begin
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I'm having a hard time finding information on coolant temp switches and was hoping some of you could help me out. Specifically, I'm trying to locate information that cross references sensor (switch) part numbers, closing temperature and NPT thread size (ie 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" NPT, etc.). But this information is much harder to find than I thought it should be
! The guys at the parts houses can't give me the switch closing temps, so I can't just go into NAPA or AutoBone and ask for a coolant temp switch with a 200*F closing temp and be on my merry way--NO, that would be too easy
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Originally I was thinking I would like to have the fans turn on around 185-190* and have the warning light come on around 210* to draw my attention before it's too late. Are these reasonable temps? I've read that 230* is about the highest temp you want to see before you shut the engine down. Does this sound reasonable to you all? And I think 180-190* is a reasonable coolant temp during normal driving conditions?
SO...can anyone tell me what temp sensor(s) they are using (ie model number, donor vehicle, or the like), what temp they switch at and what NPT thread side they require? Thanks so much.
Originally I was just going to try and find the PN's for the two switches I need but after spending all day yesterday looking for this information on the net and at local autoparts stores, I would really like to begin compiling a list of sensors that we can post for anyone who needs this info in the future. Here's an example of the information I am hoping to collect:
Donor vehicle: Closing Temp (*F): NPT size:
Pontiac Fiero 235 1/2"
Ford Mustang (4 cyl) 200 ?
'86 Buick Grand Nat'l 190 ?
etc.
I will post any additional information I find as well. For my 351C I'm trying to find a switch that has 3/8" NPT threads as well. Thanks again.
Mike
PS Here's a company I found that sells the switches I'm looking for, but I really wanted to buy OEM switches that could be replaced at any auto parts store:
http://www.electricfanengineering.com/dyno-tro.htm
Coolant Temp SWITCH questions...
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