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View Full Version : Electric cooling fan for a C Class



JAY4
03-06-2004, 08:38 AM
Pondering somthing here, Has anyone heard of someone replaceing thier crank driven cooling fan with a thermostatically controlled electric fan? It's my thinking that tossing the old fan for an electric one will shed weight from the crankshaft or rotating assembly, thus causing increased throttle response and free up horsepower for the rear wheels. It's entirely possible anyone have any insight?

MrSpace
03-06-2004, 09:13 AM
I heard about that but don't remember if it was the cooling fan or something else (like oil pump I don'T remember)

ithink speedybenz could answer

Etienne

Renn 208
03-06-2004, 09:45 AM
speedybenz talked about this a while ago, but I don't know if he ever got around to it...

speedybenz
03-07-2004, 08:06 PM
I removed the clutch fan on my C43 which is attached to the water pump and it helps free up a little Hp. The C43 already has 2 electric fans attached to the radiator, so it did not effect cooling.

If you have a clutch fan on your C280 I would look into removing it and installing an electric fan. It should free up some Hp on your engine also. If you already have an electric fan, then remove the clutch fan and monitor your water temps to see if you can get by without it.

Jeff

mystarzk
03-22-2004, 08:25 AM
What is the procedure involved in replacing Clutch Fan with Electric Fan ? I have a 94 C280 and one of the fan does not turn on when A/C is on !

Thanks for the help...

MRP Motorsports
03-22-2004, 06:01 PM
Originally posted by mystarzk
What is the procedure involved in replacing Clutch Fan with Electric Fan ? I have a 94 C280 and one of the fan does not turn on when A/C is on !

Thanks for the help...

Check that both fans are plugged in. If any work was done in the front end of the car they are sometines disconnected or removed for repairs or service. They should have a connector on each side of the fans between the radiator and headlights.

I think if you are noth or the Mason Dixon line you will be fine with out the crank driven fan. If you are in the south or south west I would not sacrifce the added cooling for a few hp.

An alternative is a third fan mounted in the engine bay behinnd the radiator that has a variable feedback control loop that is temperature dependant so to the car is cool and quite.

speedybenz
03-22-2004, 07:16 PM
I know when removed my clutch fan I was worried about water temps as the summers in Sacramento, CA often see 105F during the day. But I have not seen any increase in water temp on the gauge or a decrease in performance due to high water temps.

I know Kleemann and others remove the clutch fan in the Supercharger installs.

Jeff

hajami
06-17-2004, 04:40 PM
Anyone have a write-up on replacing the clutch fan with an electric one for a C280? Maybe some part #'s.

I think my fan's clutch is gone (fan spins freely for 10 sec after shutting car off and the cars been heating up alot) so this might be the time to swap it out.

C280Sportster
07-15-2004, 02:02 PM
Originally posted by speedybenz
I know when removed my clutch fan I was worried about water temps as the summers in Sacramento, CA often see 105F during the day. But I have not seen any increase in water temp on the gauge or a decrease in performance due to high water temps.

I know Kleemann and others remove the clutch fan in the Supercharger installs.

Jeff

Hi speedy,

You removed the hole fan ? It's driven by the crankshaft, correct?

I have 2 electric fans outside the radiator, I'm guessing one is for the AC and the other is for cooling.

Seems like Mercedes went overkill again putting in a crank driven fan.

Crank driven fans are something you see on 4x4s. Most of my cars have had electric fans that kick on at certain temps.

Please check out my thread on a underdrive crankshaft pulley.

After I get that done, I'm going to start thinking about this fan issue.

adamt
07-15-2004, 02:32 PM
hello,
i installed a flex-a-lite fan in my 95 c280. it was the slim line model. the space you have when the fan and clutch are removed is only like 3.5 inches. i even had to remove the metal shield from the new electric. it went in with about 1/4 inch to spare, and it never rubs. i installed the new electric fan withought the stock shrowd. the fan was a kit with an electric thermostat. it places a temp probe in the top of the radiator. there were 5 wires to hook up, power, ground, fan wires, ect.. the electric fans in the front are for ac. they provide cooling when the condensor is pumping out heat. i installed a relay to activate the front electrics when the new electric fan comes on. setting the temp for fan activation was easy, let the car warm up to just below the 80 mark and turn the nob on the thermostat until fans come on. i have drivin the car in 100 degree outside temps with the ac blaring and the car temp sits at 87-90c mark. the kit was summit part number flx-110 it cst $144.85 shipped 2nd day air. install took about 3 hours. the fan clutch on the old fan was stuck on, after driving the car with the new electric installed, performance was noticably better. (no dyno proof).

hope this helps

sorry for bad grammar, i am not an english major like my mom.

MrSpace
07-15-2004, 07:42 PM
wow thanks for this detailled info

a dyno would have been nice;)

But if you feel it, and since the sound isn't changed, it must make a difference!

Etienne

Paul
07-21-2004, 06:45 PM
[QUOTE]Originally posted by C280Sportster
[B]Hi speedy,

Seems like Mercedes went overkill again putting in a crank driven fan.


as far as I know the crank fan is primary cooling,the two front fans are for A/C,and they act as a backup if the engine reaches
over 105 'C.
105'C is well above efficient temperature.
those be the words of a mechanic for MB for 30 years.

C280Sportster
07-22-2004, 01:31 PM
Originally posted by Paul
[QUOTE]Originally posted by C280Sportster
[B]Hi speedy,

Seems like Mercedes went overkill again putting in a crank driven fan.


as far as I know the crank fan is primary cooling,the two front fans are for A/C,and they act as a backup if the engine reaches
over 105 'C.
105'C is well above efficient temperature.
those be the words of a mechanic for MB for 30 years.

All we would have to do is make one of those fans upfront come on sooner (or stay on all the time). The second one could come on when you turn on the AC.

I'd love an easy way to replace my crank fan with an electric fan, but it seems like a lot of trouble, too bad there isn't a kit out there for this.

kameraguy
07-22-2004, 02:10 PM
For the w202 (at least the inline 6), it seems the engine runs typically between 85-95 degrees as "normal" accoriding to the temp guage. If the fans are removed, would they hinder keeping the engine below 100 degrees? I heard the fans kick in when the engine approaches 100 degrees.

By removing the fans, would you expect the engine to run over 100 degrees? Because wouldn't that be too hot for everyday driving?

At least for me, I'm more comfottable seeing my temp guage closer to 80 than 100.

Paul
07-22-2004, 06:02 PM
My 230k temp is around 80-87'C in traffic,but has been up around
95 before,there is a noticable increase in engine noise,ie thinner oil,more engine wear.I think it is fine to remove the crank fan as long as it is replaced with other means of keeping the engine at the correct temperature.

C280Sportster
07-23-2004, 05:52 AM
Originally posted by Paul
My 230k temp is around 80-87'C in traffic,but has been up around
95 before,there is a noticable increase in engine noise,ie thinner oil,more engine wear.I think it is fine to remove the crank fan as long as it is replaced with other means of keeping the engine at the correct temperature.

Man, there must be something wrong with my car or it's working very well. My temp guage stays slightly above 80 and never really moves (at least not in the summer, I'll monitor it this winter and see it if drops when I'm on the highway).

I hear my fans turn on/speed up, etc, but my temp never really changes...I hope everything is working ok.

When it comes time to change my coolent, I'm going with a 55/45 water/coolent mix with "wetter water" in there.

Paul
07-23-2004, 06:15 PM
Originally posted by C280Sportster
Man, there must be something wrong with my car or it's working very well. My temp guage stays slightly above 80 and never really moves (at least not in the summer, I'll monitor it this winter and see it if drops when I'm on the highway).

I hear my fans turn on/speed up, etc, but my temp never really changes...I hope everything is working ok.

When it comes time to change my coolent, I'm going with a 55/45 water/coolent mix with "wetter water" in there.

I noticed today mine sits at 79'C almost all the time,it sounds like
yours is running fine?,mine will jump to about 87 on a hot day in stand still traffic,iv had it in the 90's after thrashing it then coming to a standstill for 5mins on a hot day,the engine had noticibly louder lifters.as for your fans turning on,you must have AC on,unless your temperature is very high (over 100).hope that sort'v helps.

mrjones
07-24-2004, 03:28 AM
http://www.stierado.com/pics/benzsport/4019.jpg

I'd be interested in other/better fans simply because my car runs very hot.
In summer it'll always hover around 100C.
"Completely normal" were the words of 2 different MB workshops.

C280Sportster
07-24-2004, 06:16 AM
Originally posted by mrjones
http://www.stierado.com/pics/benzsport/4019.jpg

I'd be interested in other/better fans simply because my car runs very hot.
In summer it'll always hover around 100C.
"Completely normal" were the words of 2 different MB workshops.

Judging by the posts here, it seems the inline 6 runs hotter.

mrjones
07-25-2004, 01:32 AM
Originally posted by C280Sportster
Judging by the posts here, it seems the inline 6 runs hotter. So I've been told as well, and I've also been warned against driving in "bergwind" conditions, i.e. hot desert winds. Apparently a few M104's have met their end that way.
The old 48-valve V12 supposedly runs quite hot as well.

Paul
07-25-2004, 11:53 AM
must be very hot over there!!:) ,out of 7 benz's iv driven for years they have never run that hot.but if they say thats normal,its all good:cool:

C280Sportster
08-21-2004, 10:17 AM
Originally posted by Paul
My 230k temp is around 80-87'C in traffic,but has been up around
95 before,there is a noticable increase in engine noise,ie thinner oil,more engine wear.I think it is fine to remove the crank fan as long as it is replaced with other means of keeping the engine at the correct temperature.

Question for everyone:

Are there any Mercedes out there that use an electric fan (maybe some of the newer models?).

If so, then it would be easy to make the switch. I'm looking for a better solution than the flexfan option.

V1Dreamer
11-11-2007, 09:32 PM
the slk230k has an electric fan. and uses the same m111 motor as the c230k.

ive been thinking about getting the fan assembly from an slk and swapping them, but the slk fan is controoled with a controol module.

my co-worker informed me that the slk's computer is the same one in the c230k. and is just a matter of version coding and putting a fuse in the main fuse box.

as soon as i get some free time at work, ill do some more research.