DeTomaso Mailing List: June 2001, Message #30

A cute story Matt.  If you really believe this, I'll give you $100 for every
car on the road today with electric fans that run constantly, but you give
me one cent for every fan on a thermostat...

Guy D.

----- Original Message -----
From: Matt Bradley <mbradley@directlink.net>
To: Guy Dellavecchia <guido_detomaso@prodigy.net>; Multiple recipients of
list <detomaso@realbig.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2001 7:59 PM
Subject: Re: fans


> You might find this info useful then...in the Fall 2000, Issue 104, of the
> Pantera International quarterly, Bill Mason's Diary (Part II) excerpt:
>
> "One more good thing they discovered about the fan motors was the fact
that
> if an electric motor is turned off and on constantly it shortens the life
> span of the thing by more than half!  I had three professional type people
> from three different electric equipment companies all tell me the same
> thing.  So, contrary to the common old wives 'tale, running constantly as
in
> the case of our rewired fan motors not only keeps the engine cool, it's
good
> for the motors, too!"
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Guy Dellavecchia" <guido_detomaso@prodigy.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2001 9:42 PM
> Subject: Re: fans
>
>
> > I thought the early cars had one fan on a thermostatic switch and the
> other
> > on a manual switch, using the lowest switch on the console.  On these
cars
> I
> > believe the "fan" light in the speedo (or tach?) came on with the manual
> > fan.
> >
> > Long ago I added some wiring to my 73 to utilize the unused switch and
> light
> > in the speedo.  For a while I rigged it so the fans came on
> > thermostatically, each on its own thermostat in the radiator, but I
could
> > shut them off with the switch if I thought it wasn't necessary to have
> them
> > on.
> >
> > Later I wired both fans to the switch and did not use either thermostat.
> I
> > think this is a good system b/c the driver can make judgements based on
> more
> > than temperature.  For example, if you know you'll only be stopping for
a
> > few moments on a cool day, why wear out the fans and waste power?
> >
> > Upon my return from this year's LV event, some misguided sense of
> nostalgia
> > took hold, and I re-wired things such that one fan is on a thermostat
and
> > one is manual, just like the early cars, except the thermostat one turns
> on
> > the fans light now.
> >
> > Afterward the thought crossed my mind, "Why not put only the light on
the
> > thermostat, and return both fans to manual control?"  This way the light
> > would serve only as a suggestion or reminder to the driver.  So this
might
> > be my next move.
> >
> > Regarding fans running all the time, there does seem to be a Ford Tech
> > Bulletin that suggests re-wiring the manually switched fan to run all
the
> > time.  Again, why waste power and wear out the fan motor(s)?  I'd be
> > surprised if I run the manual fans more than 5% of the time, but I
haven't
> > done much city driving with the Pantera over the years.
> >
> > Anyone else ever ponder the fact that both early and late cars
apparently
> > came with thermostats that switched at different temperatures, but did
the
> > early (post manual switch, pre-horizontal baffle) cars have both in the
> "hot
> > water" while the later cars had one in "hot" and one in "cold"?  And on
> the
> > earliest, manual switch cars; what plugged the extra thermostat hole in
> the
> > radiator, and which one did they use?
> >
> > Currently I only have one installed, it's in the "cold" water...
> >
> > Guy D.
> >
>
>