Electronic fan control

[MoePo]

Is there anyway to add electronic cooling fan control to a Cooling fan that spins based on RPM?

[Dav L]

What cooling fan? an Interior / roof fan? Or an engine radiator fan?
What do you mean "spins based on rpm"?

The general answer is certainly it's possible to add fan speed control.
But need what your application is to give you specifics.
If you have a Make / Model of the fan, that would be helpful too.

[MoePo]

Originally Posted by Dav L

What cooling fan? an Interior / roof fan? Or an engine radiator fan?
What do you mean "spins based on rpm"?

The general answer is certainly it's possible to add fan speed control.
But need what your application is to give you specifics.
If you have a Make / Model of the fan, that would be helpful too.

I’m talking about the engine radiator cooling fan. The higher the engine rpm the faster the fan spins. With all this down time I’m looking into adding a electronic fan control like some newer coaches.

[Dav L]

And is the engine coolant fan an electric fan? Most I am aware of are hydraulic or direct coupled. Since you are saying it spins faster with the engine, I suspect it is not electric.

What's the reason you want to mod? For noise reasons? Fuel economy?
Thermostatically controlled would be a popular method. ie: and electric fan turns on when the coolant temp exceeds a pre-set temp. Are you saying you want to fan to change speed based on engine rpm?

Quick search finds similar topic
https://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/hyd...an-255284.html

[MoePo]

The fan is currently hydraulically driven. A Hydraulic pump drives the power steering and and cooling fan. My fan speeds up as in my engine RPMs increase. My reasons for wanting to change it are exactly what you said. Better fuel mileage, more horsepower, less noise, etc. Newer Coaches are set up similar still hydraulically driven but only go into full speed if there is a failure or a certain temp is reached. Once the engine has cooled down the fan turns more slowly.

[Dav L]

http://www.phtruck.com/download/Syst...e-Training.pdf

Some info that might relate. I think you are going to have to get very specific on what motor, what hydraulic pump and what fan motor you have to get any additional insights on what might work.

[Gasman 2]

Originally Posted by USMC_1345

The fan is currently hydraulically driven. A Hydraulic pump drives the power steering and and cooling fan. My fan speeds up as in my engine RPMs increase. My reasons for wanting to change it are exactly what you said. Better fuel mileage, more horsepower, less noise, etc. Newer Coaches are set up similar still hydraulically driven but only go into full speed if there is a failure or a certain temp is reached. Once the engine has cooled down the fan turns more slowly.

I would think your Dutch Star would have a modulated fan speed control. I had a 2000 Dutch Star and it had a modulated control fan base on engine temp and if you were using the chassis AC.
How long have you own the coach? If you are not the original owner perhaps the previous owner has by passed the controller and the fan will run at full speed.

Those controllers were known to go bad, I had two that failed.

Hope this helps,
Richard

[MoePo]

Originally Posted by Gasman 2

I would think your Dutch Star would have a modulated fan speed control. I had a 2000 Dutch Star and it had a modulated control fan base on engine temp and if you were using the chassis AC.
How long have you own the coach? If you are not the original owner perhaps the previous owner has by passed the controller and the fan will run at full speed.

Those controllers were known to go bad, I had two that failed.

Hope this helps,
Richard

Richard I thought the same thing but according to Spartan is doesn’t.

[Gasman 2]

Originally Posted by USMC_1345

Richard I thought the same thing but according to Spartan is doesn’t.

That’s strange, if it was never equipped with a variable fan I think it would be difficult to add as it is controlled by the engine’s ECM through a control module.

The module is was what failed on mine but that was on a Freightliner. I just can’t think anyone would want it to run at full till all time.
Does it have a viscous drive on the fan hub? If it does that may be the problem but I think they mostly fail in running to slow causing the engine to over heat.

Richard

[MoePo]

Originally Posted by Gasman 2

That’s strange, if it was never equipped with a variable fan I think it would be difficult to add as it is controlled by the engine’s ECM through a control module.

The module is was what failed on mine but that was on a Freightliner. I just can’t think anyone would want it to run at full till all time.
Does it have a viscous drive on the fan hub? If it does that may be the problem but I think they mostly fail in running to slow causing the engine to over heat.

Richard

No sir, no viscous drive. Coach never overheats. I can run in the desert Southwest in July and it’ll never break 205. There was a guy on this forum who took his coach to spartan and had the mod done. It was an older thread. Reached out to him but never got a response. There is a way to adjust fan speed using the priority valve but I could never find the sweet spot. I cruise between 60 and 65. At that speed RPMs are between 1650 and 1700. The fan has a slight roar. God forbid I downshift to 5th. A 747 is taking off. I know some owners dread the electronic fan control and have since switched to wax valve. I like simple. Full speed at a certain temp and a reasonable speed at 180.

[Gasman 2]

Originally Posted by USMC_1345

No sir, no viscous drive. Coach never overheats. I can run in the desert Southwest in July and it’ll never break 205. There was a guy on this forum who took his coach to spartan and had the mod done. It was an older thread. Reached out to him but never got a response. There is a way to adjust fan speed using the priority valve but I could never find the sweet spot. I cruise between 60 and 65. At that speed RPMs are between 1650 and 1700. The fan has a slight roar. God forbid I downshift to 5th. A 747 is taking off. I know some owners dread the electronic fan control and have since switched to wax valve. I like simple. Full speed at a certain temp and a reasonable speed at 180.

Don’t know what a wax valve is . A few years ago trucks used a shutter stat to open and close the radiator shutters.
Perhaps Spartan is the best course to follow up this issue with.

[RV Wally]

I am reading your old thread and you said you adjusted the priority valve, is that on the relief valve on the bottom of the valve and did oil run out when you pulled the cap out.

[MoePo]

Originally Posted by RV Wally

I am reading your old thread and you said you adjusted the priority valve, is that on the relief valve on the bottom of the valve and did oil run out when you pulled the cap out.

Yes remove the cap a little oil should come out. Use your Allen key and adjust.

[capt fast]

any way you go about it is going to add a lot of heat into your hydraulic system which is a bad thing. pushing oil thru an orifice generates heat. heat kills seals and hoses. in any case, it been a big reason the existing hydraulic flow control valves for controlling fan speed fail.
ideally, one could retrofit a variable volume pump to the supply side of the system which to me is a viable idea or a variable volume hydraulic motor to the fan side of things. pricey either way, because then you need to add a controls system for the variable volume pump/variable volume motor.
I see the system the factory went with for fan speed reduction with a flow controlled dump valve to reduce motor speed as the least complex/expensive choice. a thermal switch on the cooling system to a relay/controller to a servo valve bypassing some fan motor flow thru a flow control valve back to the reservoir/cooler seems quite simple. of course with an electronic engine, things get complicated. trouble is always in the details.