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Electric Fan Conversion on my 2002 Nissan Frontier SC
Where I got it?
Summit racing has a Perma-Cool 2,950cfm 16" fan for $88.95 +
an adjustable probe thermostat for $49.95. Shipping is free and there is a $7.95
handling charge (I call it a shipping charge). The total comes to $146.85
shipped.
store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=10634
store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=11228
Why do this?
By removing the stock fan, you are taking a couple pounds of weight off the engine load, plus the resistance of the fan pushing air. This makes the engine runs easier. I have heard claims of 10 - 15 more horsepower, 1 - 4 more mpg, and .1 - .2 seconds off quarter mile times. Plus you don't need the fan on when the engine is warming up. On a really cold day you might not need it at all. An electric fan should cause it to warm up quicker because it only turns on when the engine reaches a set temperature. It hooks up straight to the battery so your alternator will be working a little harder. Since it is running anyways, I don't think it'll matter. The first thing I noticed after doing this is that my engine revs up much quicker now. And I can feel a definite difference in acceleration. But be aware that the fan is a little noisy. I only notice it when I am stopped though with the windows down. This may void your warranty, but you can always put the stock fan back on if there is a problem. Perma-Cool recommends a minimum 2000 CFM fan for a 6 cylinder and this one is 2,950 with only a 9 amp draw. I believe the supercharged Frontiers run a little hotter so I am hoping this is enough for the Phoenix 115 degree heat. Read all of this page before you do this. I learned that it wasn't enough cooling for a hot climate like Phoenix.
The Install
When your truck is warmed up, check the temp gauge to see about what temperature it runs. Mine seems to run right in the middle of the C & H. Then let the engine cool down a bit. Make sure you disconnect the battery or you may lose a limb. Then remove 2 bolts that hold on the radiator shroud. The bolts face the engine. Loosen the tension pulley bolt and tensioner for the fan belt. Unscrew the four nuts on the radiator fan pulley. You will probably have to remove one side of the top radiator hose and the fan to remove the shroud. After removal of the fan, bolt the four nuts back onto the pulley. Use threadlock and don’t tighten them too much. I did and snapped one in half. Remove the 2 nuts from the top radiator brackets to simplify installation of the fan.
Center the electric fan on the back of the radiator with the fan pulley. I chose to move the fan down about an inch and a half so the bottom brackets rested on the radiator. This will lessen the weight of the fan on the radiator. The fan includes plastic zip ties for mounting the fan. Follow the instructions for mounting to the radiator. I used 4 extra zip ties to double the strength. Or you can scrap the plastic hardware and purchase a heavy duty mounting kit from Perma-Cool or buy metal straps from Home Depot. I don’t plan on doing too much four-wheeling so the plastic should suffice.
Find a nearby place to mount the Perma-Cool thermostat. Push the probe into the radiator and secure it. If this falls out the fan won’t turn on. Ground the thermostat and the fan to the frame of the car. The yellow wire goes to the red power on the fan. The blue wire plugs into the A/C relay but I didn’t use it. And the brown wire is for a second fan if you have one. Make sure the total draw from both fans doesn’t exceed 20 amps. I plan on adding an 8” fan before the summer hits. I may wire it to the thermostat or buy another thermostat and set it 10 degrees higher. Then wire the red to your battery. I set the thermostat to it’s lowest setting (turn counter-clockwise) then backed it off an 1/8th of a turn. We’ll see if that works for me. Rebolt everything and make sure there aren’t any tools laying on the engine. Double check the fan is secure and all wires are routed away from the moving fan. Perma-Cool recommends leaving the shroud off. Start her up and stay close to the ignition just incase you did something wrong. It took 10 minutes for my fan to start up because it was cold out. When I shut the truck off, the fan comes on sometimes and will run for 2 - 4 minutes.
I plan on rechecking the mounting and wiring every 6 months. Total install time was about 3 hours including replacing the broken stud which took 35 minutes. If I had these instructions I guess it would have taken 2 hours. And if you are good with a wrench, which I am not, it may take less time. The Thermostat and wiring kit included all the hardware that I needed and I highly recommend it. Have any questions? Feel free to email me. greg@mrski.com
Since I live in Phoenix, I'll probably add another 8" pusher fan on the front of the radiator. I want to make sure that my truck never overheats when it's 115 degrees and I am in rush hour stop and go traffic.
I am still testing this and plan on doing some 0 - 60 runs with the G-tech...
12/18/02
1st run - 7.71 seconds (I had a bad launch and a full tank of gas so I know I can beat this)
6/2/03
Well, the truck started overheating last weekend. I loaded up my truck with camping gear, a trailer and 3 dirtbikes and headed off to Mexico for Memorial Day Weekend. 1 mile flippin mile from my house it started overheating according to the gauge. So I turned off the A/C and it went back down. Once on the freeway it was fine, but once I stopped it got too hot. We're talking 105-111 degrees outside. The border crossing was fun. 40 minutes of bumper to bumper traffic. I must have stopped and started the engine 50 times. Those of you in cooler climates won't have any problems. Looking back, I would recommend the 18" fan. It'll fill the shroud better. Oh yah, I put the radiator shroud back on and it cooled a lot better. So I bought an additional 10" Perma-Cool fan from Summitracing.com and it helped. But I am still overheating today at 113 degrees. However I noticed with the extra fan, my A/C works a lot better, especially when I am at idle. I wired it to be on when the car is running. So tonight I may take off the muther ******* fan and put the other stock one on. I'll leave the 10 incher on to keep the A/C cooler and for protection. I'll add a switch so I can turn it in the winter off later.
6/3/03
My truck runs really cool now with the stock fan back on
and the 10" Perma-Cool. Maybe 3/8ths to the first line on the temp gauge.
Here is what I learned:
A 2,950 CFM 16" fan is not enough for 100+ degree temperatures. Add another 10"
1,000 CFM fan and it is still not enough. There are probably more expensive
higher CFM fans that would work fine. the 16" fan really didn't fill the shroud
up like it should I think you'd want an 18" diameter fan.
Those of you in cooler climates (less than 100 degrees) shouldn't have any
problems and can enjoy the benefits of an electric fan.
2002 and newer Frontiers could use an additional 8"-10" condensor fan in hot
climates to make the A/C cooler. I wired mine On with the ignition. I'll add a
switch later.
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