124 electric fan - Page 6 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

VaiFanatic · #76 10-20-2021, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roncallo

How big is the Mark VIII fan especially how thick is it. Fan thickness its what is driving this whole fan selection process for me. I even had a separate thread on finding the thinnest fan. I need thinner than 3.2" at the center and even thinner further out.

It's a pretty beefy fan. The stock clutch fan had to make way for it, and after making sure that the module was wired up to the AC to kick the fan on when the AC was on to keep the pressure down, it's been great. I'm looking for some photos, but you'll have to give me some time to get some with the fan installed. The stock radiator in the '98 Durango with the 5.9 is laughably thin, approximately 65% of the thickness of the unit on my 500SE. There's a reason Chrysler redid it all for the 2001 model year, and actually included an auxiliary fan this time.

You'll have far more clearance in a 126 (can't say for sure on a 124, as I've never been fortunate enough to own one, just wrenched on and driven a few times), but you'll still need to ditch the clutch fan. I'll do some measuring tomorrow after work. It's a super tight fit in the Durango, barely any space between the fan motor and the water pump threads where the stock clutch fan mounted.

I will say it flows far more air the stock clutch fan ever did, holy cow. I'd wager that it's one of the best flowing electric fans out there. However, the unit I grabbed was a single speed (high only) and these do come in two-speed variety. I had hoped to get a two-speed unit, to have both a low and high since my Dakota controller supports two speeds, but the unit I pulled at the yard had a single speed (high speed) replacement motor. It still worked out as it now keep that vehicle cool even on the hottest of days, but it would have been nice to have a low speed.

VaiFanatic · #77 10-20-2021, 11:43 PM

Just walked out and eyeballed it, and it's just a ways over 5", so probably too thick for your intended purpose.

Will work fantastic in a truck or anywhere you have at least half a foot of clearance between the pulleys and the rad.

Roncallo · #78 10-21-2021, 01:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VaiFanatic

Just walked out and eyeballed it, and it's just a ways over 5", so probably too thick for your intended purpose.

Will work fantastic in a truck or anywhere you have at least half a foot of clearance between the pulleys and the rad.

Thanks for taking a look.

VaiFanatic · #79 10-21-2021, 02:09 PM

Absolutely!

I had originally swapped in a Flex-a-lite 180, but it could not cool the truck in hot temps, the radiator thermistor gave false readings, and there was no "run for X seconds after key off".

That unit would probably do just fine in an MB, let me see if I can get a measurement of that one for you. Think it's up in the attic. I've been toying with replacing the electric clutch fan in the 190E with this one, and getting the same Bluetooth Dakota controller to control it, and plumbing in a temp sensor into the heater core inlet for the hottest temp reading.

Roncallo · #80 10-21-2021, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VaiFanatic

Absolutely!

I had originally swapped in a Flex-a-lite 180, but it could not cool the truck in hot temps, the radiator thermistor gave false readings, and there was no "run for X seconds after key off".

That unit would probably do just fine in an MB, let me see if I can get a measurement of that one for you. Think it's up in the attic. I've been toying with replacing the electric clutch fan in the 190E with this one, and getting the same Bluetooth Dakota controller to control it, and plumbing in a temp sensor into the heater core inlet for the hottest temp reading.

Don't wast your time the Flex- a lite 180 is an inch too thick. I already have the Flex a lite 239. Its a good fan but doesn't work good enough since I installed AC.

VaiFanatic · #81 10-21-2021, 04:11 PM

Ah, got it.

Once of the issues with AC in the 190, is that the aux fan will not flow enough air to keep pressures down, and fan on the motor hardy flows any air at all unless the electric clutch engages it when it reaches the temp to do so.

Roncallo · #82 10-22-2021, 06:20 PM

About as far as I can go until I take the car down for the winter. Samson is entered in Legends of the Autobahn East on November 6 at Hilton Head SC. I expect to start taking it apart after that. So the last thing I did was make a mock-up fan disk and a board to find where I can place this behind the radiator. The picture is shown with it placed on a 560SL radiator, which should be an easy installation but while I have this assembly, I might as well evaluate it for the stock 560SL. It should greatly increase the AC performance on the stock 560SL so it's worth considering. The stock 560SL will require a larger alternator to be installed. I found that the early R129 115 Amp alternator will bolt right on although it will require a new alternator harness, or at least run another heavy gauge wire to the battery terminal.

The board on the right side of the picture is fit for Samson's radiator. If I can get that disk mounted to the flat board with the total height of the disk 3" high the project will work. That is still a big if on Samson. There are areas where 3" is too high on Samson so the board will need to be cut out in those areas. But that is nothing new as Mercedes had the same problem with the 211 and scalloped out an area of the annular ring. See the second picture where the 211 annular ring portion of the shroud is cut down on the 211.

The mock up fan motor mount is 10mm higher than the annulus so that will be placed in the center of the disk and I will be able to spin it on the center hole to get any orientation I need.

So that's all until early November.

Roncallo · #83 10-22-2021, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VaiFanatic

Ah, got it.

Once of the issues with AC in the 190, is that the aux fan will not flow enough air to keep pressures down, and fan on the motor hardy flows any air at all unless the electric clutch engages it when it reaches the temp to do so.

You will probably find the 203 or 211 fan to be an easy mod for the 190 at least with the 4cyl. If you have a 190 with an M103 its probably just as difficult as it is for me with the V12 in the 107. But the fan is 3 times the power of my current flex-a-lite.

VaiFanatic · #84 10-22-2021, 06:48 PM

I've got the M102.983, so the 16-valve 2.3. Plenty of real-estate if I needed it.

Roncallo · #85 10-22-2021, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VaiFanatic

I've got the M102.983, so the 16-valve 2.3. Plenty of real-estate if I needed it.

If the AC in that car sucks as bad as it does in the 107 then you need it. Go back and read the OP's assessment of the 203 fan performance installed in his 124.

VaiFanatic · #86 10-22-2021, 09:04 PM

Sucks so bad that the compressor actually short cycled itself to death, so either need to see if I can rebuild the unit, or replace it to the tune of about $300 at the cheapest.

I'll give it a look. 203s aren't all that common here in the yards, but I'll look next time I manage to head out that way.

Roncallo · #87 10-22-2021, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VaiFanatic

Sucks so bad that the compressor actually short cycled itself to death, so either need to see if I can rebuild the unit, or replace it to the tune of about $300 at the cheapest.

I'll give it a look. 203s aren't all that common here in the yards, but I'll look next time I manage to head out that way.

I pulled three of them in September from Pull A Part.

VaiFanatic · #88 10-22-2021, 09:32 PM

How's your luck been with regard to AC comps from the yard? Never tried one myself.

Roncallo · #89 10-22-2021, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VaiFanatic

How's your luck been with regard to AC comps from the yard? Never tried one myself.

I tried a used compressor from E-bay several years ago. It worked fine for about 5 years. I do use new ones these days.

Pull A Part list the cars by date on the yard. If they just got it the compressor is probably good. And you can return them.

They also have locations in Corpus Christi and El-Passo Texas

https://www.pullapart.com/

Roncallo · #90 11-28-2021, 01:41 AM

OK driving season is over for Samson. So back to work. Removed the radiator and now working on fitting the mock up shroud. So far everything is going as planed running into interference as expected but so far all looks like it can be addressed. Biggest concern is getting clearance for the thermostat housing.