routier1642
Member
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2014
- Messages
- 320
- Reaction score
- 3
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- Age
- 64
- Location
- Australia
- Members Ride
- 2005 Adventra LX6
Ever since my radiator blew up, I've never been happy with the cooling system on my VZ Adventra.
The radiator fans are powerful enough, but I don't like the way the ECU controls them.
Basically, it does *absolutely nothing* with the fans until everything is TOO BLOODY HOT - ****! (like 109 degrees plus) Then turns them on full blast to bring you back from the precipice.
If it's too late, too bad. You'd think Holden would have programmed some better smarts in, like earlier intervention, gradual cooling etc., but apparently not; they prefer a dramatic panic mode. Interesting design decision.
I'd like to be able to determine my engine temperature & have some more control than the ECU's "catastrophic response".
So I have a Davies Craig 0444 Fan Controller & was going to install that to control another fan. A 14" fan that I can use to stop things getting too bloody hot in the first place in stop-start traffic or when parked after an uphill run.
And maybe cut down a little on the heat-soak when I stop. (I could wire it up to run after engine off) If I want my engine to run no higher than 95 C, I should be able to do that.
It's going to be a job squeezing that extra fan in front of the condenser, especially since I now have the trans cooler there, and it does seem a bit silly to have 3 fans on the radiators, especially when it's on the premise that if the new fan does its job, the other 2 fans will never get a look-in. Besides, I've added too many things to this car already.
So my question is:
Is it possible to use a 0444 controller to control the factory fans, leaving the existing control wiring there as well? (cos I don't want to the ECU panicking)
Or will any attempts I make to patch in another layer of control of those fans just upset the ECU & make it throw coders or worse anyway?
Has anyone tried this?
Informed opinions welcome!
The radiator fans are powerful enough, but I don't like the way the ECU controls them.
Basically, it does *absolutely nothing* with the fans until everything is TOO BLOODY HOT - ****! (like 109 degrees plus) Then turns them on full blast to bring you back from the precipice.
If it's too late, too bad. You'd think Holden would have programmed some better smarts in, like earlier intervention, gradual cooling etc., but apparently not; they prefer a dramatic panic mode. Interesting design decision.
I'd like to be able to determine my engine temperature & have some more control than the ECU's "catastrophic response".
So I have a Davies Craig 0444 Fan Controller & was going to install that to control another fan. A 14" fan that I can use to stop things getting too bloody hot in the first place in stop-start traffic or when parked after an uphill run.
And maybe cut down a little on the heat-soak when I stop. (I could wire it up to run after engine off) If I want my engine to run no higher than 95 C, I should be able to do that.
It's going to be a job squeezing that extra fan in front of the condenser, especially since I now have the trans cooler there, and it does seem a bit silly to have 3 fans on the radiators, especially when it's on the premise that if the new fan does its job, the other 2 fans will never get a look-in. Besides, I've added too many things to this car already.
So my question is:
Is it possible to use a 0444 controller to control the factory fans, leaving the existing control wiring there as well? (cos I don't want to the ECU panicking)
Or will any attempts I make to patch in another layer of control of those fans just upset the ECU & make it throw coders or worse anyway?
Has anyone tried this?
Informed opinions welcome!