Dan Wheeler's Explorer 4.0 Radiator and Taurus Fan Thread

[OX1]

I'm a little late on this I guess, but I tested a taurus radiator with an older sears ammeter (designed to test engine startup amps) and it drew 60 amps startup and about 20 running on high (20 startup and 8 running on low). FYI for the next guy reading this thread I guess.

 

[DanWheeler]

not sure if anyone is still watching this thread but I figured I'd start here. Over the weekend I had a rough time with my Taurus fan blowing fuses on high and low mode but mostly on high.

I think I went through (2) 50 amp fuses and (1) 60 amp fuses running it on high and I blew (1) 50 amp fuse on low. I replaced the 50 amp fuse for the low speed and made it home so the low speed has issues but not as bad as the high speed.

Anyone have ideas what the problem could be? I couldn't find any shorts or any bad wiring. Could it be a bad motor? If so, is there any way to test this?

I replaced the motor with a newer one from the junkyard last year before tearing things apart for the 3-link. I swear I had a few trips on it last fall though with no blown fuses.

thanks,
Dan

 

[Viperwolf1]

Motor may have a short in the windings. Also check alternator output voltage. If voltage jumped up it will push more current to the motor.

 

[DanWheeler]

Motor may have a short in the windings. Also check alternator output voltage. If voltage jumped up it will push more current to the motor.

thanks, is there any way to check for a short? I have my old resistance numbers somewhere in this thread - would comparing them then and now show anything?

 

[Viperwolf1]

thanks, is there any way to check for a short? I have my old resistance numbers somewhere in this thread - would comparing them then and now show anything?

Maybe. Resistance is pretty low on those motors so it might be tough to see a difference.

 

[DanWheeler]

I'm getting all kinds of weird numbers comparing my old numbers with my current fan with 2 spares I have here in the garage.

what is the scale I'm supposed to be using on the meter? 200, 2000, 20k, 200k, 2000k?

 

[DanWheeler]

ok just guessing the meter should be at 200. here's what I have:

Old Motor
Low Speed 14 / .6 = 23 amps
High Speed 14 / .4 = 35 amps

Current Motor
Low Speed 14 / .8 = 17.25 amps
High Speed 14 / .5 = 28 amps

Spare 1
Low Speed 14 / 2.9 = 5 amps
High Speed 14 / 1.2 = 11 amps

Spare 2
Low Speed 14 / 13.2 = 1 amps
High Speed 14 / 5.8 = 2.4 amps

something wrong with spare 2? in any case, there is a huge difference between 4 different Taurus motors unless I'm doing something very wrong.

 

[Viperwolf1]

Lowest scale is correct.

The old and current motors look as I would expect from good motors. The spares are both a little resistive. May need to run them a little to blow out the cob webs before measuring.

 

[DanWheeler]

just an update - I replaced the fan that was blowing fuses with another I had sitting in the garage and it has been fine so far. I've got it set up so its extremely easy to replace Taurus fans but I'm starting to wonder about their reliability.

I'm on my 3rd fan now. Who knows how long this one will last. I'll need to carry a spare or a mechanical fan to prevent being stranded yet again. Could it be the radiator is too small which is causing the fan to run past the duty cycle it was designed for?

 

[OX1]

just an update - I replaced the fan that was blowing fuses with another I had sitting in the garage and it has been fine so far. I've got it set up so its extremely easy to replace Taurus fans but I'm starting to wonder about their reliability.

I'm on my 3rd fan now. Who knows how long this one will last. I'll need to carry a spare or a mechanical fan to prevent being stranded yet again. Could it be the radiator is too small which is causing the fan to run past the duty cycle it was designed for?

Well, is it running all the time, or repeated on-off?

If on-off alot, I'd say you might need a soft start controller. I have dual torti on my 79 crawler for 8 years now. They spend quite a bit of time at close to full tilt when I am on the converter messing on an obsticle (a 400/C6/6000 lb combo can make a lot of heat at times). Both came out of wrecked tauri that had over 100K on them already. I think the secret to their life is they start dead slow and only run @ the speed they are needed, not on-off, repeat......

Anyway, you could upgrade to the MK VIII fan.

Also, the reason the tortus fan is so good, was because the radiator was undersized on those.

 

[DanWheeler]

If I'm wheeling in 4lo climbing it will cycle on and off. I'd say it runs maybe 30% in traffic or when climbing. Not too bad. It takes about a minute for it to go from 210 to 190 which is about where the Derale controller keeps it.

what controller do you have?

there's this one which I think is pretty popular for running the Taurus fans
http://www.dccontrol.com/fancontrol.htm

I guess if I got a controller that adjusts voltage based on temperature, I could get rid of my 3 way switch and just have an on-off switch.

 

[G's Baja Bronco]

I am running the mark vii, looks the same as the t-bird and my 01 gt stang fan. I have owned it for 4 years since I bought it from Rock auto ($150) and it still works perfectly, I am using a napa continuous duty 100 amp relay (golf cart $50) and a painless thermal sender plus manual switch. I had it on my ramcharger for 3.5 years and crossed the san Ysidro border 2 hours at a time every other weekend, would cycle on and off 210 down to 190 in about a minute.

I kept the radiator and fan for my EB and plan to run it the same. I will probably get a spare motor at the bone yard to tale with me on long trips, especially sice that is what My brother runs in his 73.

 

[OX1]

If I'm wheeling in 4lo climbing it will cycle on and off. I'd say it runs maybe 30% in traffic or when climbing. Not too bad. It takes about a minute for it to go from 210 to 190 which is about where the Derale controller keeps it.

what controller do you have?

there's this one which I think is pretty popular for running the Taurus fans
http://www.dccontrol.com/fancontrol.htm

I guess if I got a controller that adjusts voltage based on temperature, I could get rid of my 3 way switch and just have an on-off switch.

That does not sound too taxing to me. ?:?

Thats the one I have, works great. I also got the adj pot that you can get with it, to dial in the desired temp from in the cab. It's nice when the fans just run @ 25-50% most of the time, you pretty much forget about them.

One note on ordering that controller. The guy makes a great product (best, IMO), but he is kind of a jerk and takes forever to ship. Sometimes upwards of months.

 

[SC74]

Any pros / cons on the exploder radiator. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and do the conversion myself now if you have good feedback.

Thanks!

 

[DanWheeler]

the radiator has been great. The only con I can think of is that you have to move at least the top of the core support forward.

The pros are that is extremely cheap and seems to have enough cooling capacity as long as your fan situation is good.

 

[SC74]

the radiator has been great. The only con I can think of is that you have to move at least the top of the core support forward.

The pros are that is extremely cheap and seems to have enough cooling capacity as long as your fan situation is good.

Core support is no issue.. it will be in my bruggy with a tubed core support. Would you go with a 4.6L or 5.0L Explorer radiator if space were no issue? I have the space (I think so at least from looking at dimensions on auto zone website).

 

[DanWheeler]

bigger is always better when it comes to radiators.

so you have a carb'ed 5.0 with passenger side upper hose and driver's side lower?

yeah, i'd go 5.0 Explorer radiator if you can. Let me know how it goes. I moved my steering box recently and have been wondering if the 5.0 radiator would fit.

 

[HGM]

Core support is no issue.. it will be in my bruggy with a tubed core support. Would you go with a 4.6L or 5.0L Explorer radiator if space were no issue? I have the space (I think so at least from looking at dimensions on auto zone website).

5.0L will not fit between the frame rails... The steering gear is on the way on the left side. I've seen a picture of someone who cut and moved the right side frame horn to make one fit, but I'm not fond of it..

LMC Truck has a pretty good breakdown on the dimensions of various Ranger/BII/Explorer radiators and it appears the early Explorer('91-94, 4.0 only) is the best option.. There are also a couple of core options, I'd stay away from the 1-core.. Now, has anyone re-cored a radiator, adding a row ot two???

 

[SC74]

bigger is always better when it comes to radiators.

so you have a carb'ed 5.0 with passenger side upper hose and driver's side lower?

yeah, i'd go 5.0 Explorer radiator if you can. Let me know how it goes. I moved my steering box recently and have been wondering if the 5.0 radiator would fit.

It's a mustang 5.0 with the explorer serpentine and stock bronco radiator now.

My core support is a tubed hoop that fits tight into the contours of the grill so I've got a little room to work with front/back and a little body lift is helping me in height so getting between the frame rails isn't a must. My stock radiator is about 2-1/2" below top of the frame rails now. I need to take some more measurements and go to the junkyard to see what will and will not fit.

 

[KyleQ]

Has anyone gotten the 4.0 Explorer radiator to clear the Explorer front dress with a Taurus fan?

Just jambing the radiator in and it seems very close to fitting - although I've got some complications due to my custom engine cross member being int he way and my orbital being too close. It looks like I might be able to hack the threads off the front of the water pump to get the addition clearance I need.


I just want to avoid hacking up the core support and figuring out how the hood will latch without pins. I am planning on moving the radiator to the rear, but that is a project for the summer when I'm not so busy.

For the people who moved the core support forwards, what did you do to get the hood to close?