Altima fan vs. Taurus fan

[Rittmeister]

I am currently running a set of Altima fans on my car, with a Koyo radiator. SR power, stock boost, front mount, blah blah. The fans are activated by a Pivot fan controller.

Thus far I have been pretty happy with their performance, but recently I re-wired them (just to clean up my original ghetto wiring) and am having issues with the high-low speed setup. I got them going again the way I wanted, but I've read that it seems there are different versions of Altima fans, where different wire colors and combinations equate to different speed settings...

This got me wondering about whether there was another equally effective fan out there with simpler wiring. I got the Altima fans on the recommendation of this test: http://home.satx.rr.com/nissanweb/RadTest/RadTest.htm and had essentially the same results; the Altima fans cooled my engine much more quickly than the Flexalite setup I had previously.

So, in my searches here and on Freshalloy I ran across a number of mentions of the Taurus fan. My question is this: has anyone run both the Taurus and Altima setups, and can compare them? Or two people with similar engine setups, one with Taurus and one with Altima fans, who can comment?

Any input appreciated.

[ComptonAssDaniel]

Thought you were talking about "fans" as in people that liked the cars. LOL. Whoops.

Sorry, I'm not much help. :P

[JohnC]

I have the taurus fan and all I can say is,
make sure you do not have little animals infront of your
car when it gets going. Even on the low speed it crazy
fast and cools the water in 10 sec. give or take a sec or two.
This is with a koyo racing alum radiator. Getting it to fit was
easy and wiring is a piece of cake. temp have never gone over
200fr and that is in autox's and drift events.
Water temp is usualy around 180f.I can not comment it being better
than the altima fans since I never had them.

John

[TipStylez]

the taurus fan works way better then the altima fan. i had one and a friend had one. You can tell easily by the diffrence of size and blade count.

The Altima fan only had 4-5 blades, where the taurus fan has like 1millionseventy11 haha.

And the Altima fan has a small shroud where the taurus is huge.

[DrtyRat]

I currently have the altima fans on my s13.(C&R alum rad) but I wouldn' t mind something better if the taurus fans are what you say. However, what year taurus fan do u use?

[JohnC]

1990-1995 3.8L taurus
Install link is here: (you have to register)
http://240sxforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60261

[DrtyRat]

Thanks for the info ^^^^

[240trainee]

Yea, I have the taurus setup in my car, low speed is pretty quiet, but holy hell, I have high on a switch, and when you hit it, the idle changes b/c it draws too much power off the battery and the alternator has to kick it up a notch, an within a couple seconds you hear a tornado of air, lol.

[JohnC]

Yea, I have the taurus setup in my car, low speed is pretty quiet, but holy hell, I have high on a switch, and when you hit it, the idle changes b/c it draws too much power off the battery and the alternator has to kick it up a notch, an within a couple seconds you hear a tornado of air, lol.

+1 for the switch/ I tested the high speed about a month ago just to make sure
it is still operational since it never seems to come on and I swear my engine
is now 1/2 inch further back :D. oh well better weight distribution I guess.

[Rittmeister]

Do you guys consider the hi-speed power drain to be a bad thing? Does it have any adverse effects? I'm running a little Miata battery, and with my current Altima fan setup the idle kicks up when they come on too...

Another question I thought of - my car still has air conditioning. Does the Taurus fan have any trouble clearing the A/C receiver/dryer on the passenger frame rail? I've got a Koyo rad, so there's already a bit less space there due to the thickness of the radiator.

[TipStylez]

For the guys that wired it up to a switch.

How did you do it, and can you give me a quick writeup on how you wired up the high low switch?

Thanks
-Q

[MOUNTAINGARAGE]

I have the Altima Fan assembly on my s14. Did not like that I had to cut the ends off of it. Not sure what year it was from but I made it work.....Great GoogallyMoogally it gets cold quick. My a/c dropped like 20 degrees. I thought I saw Ice forming on the vents....:D

I have 1 fan on a switch that always turns off with ignition. 1 fan controlled with the a/c. Runs direct to the batt. with a 30 amp relay toggle switched on the ignition hot lead.

[WILDACEX187]

which of these is it?
http://i21.ebayimg.com/05/i/08/15/7c/3a_1.JPG
http://i9.ebayimg.com/02/i/08/0c/de/35_1.JPG

[Id RaThEr DrIfT]

that one ^^ looks similar to mine i have a ford tempo fan and works great!

[TipStylez]

most people use the top one.

[boosteds13]

Here is my Taurus/Koyo setup--

http://www.escic.com/240sx/taurusfan.jpg

The assembly was flipped upside down prior to install so the fan is closer to the inlet/outlet. I don't think it really matter though. I just sealed up the gap on each side of the shroud with a little adhesive weatherstripping. All I have to say is that this combo makes the engine run COOL. 90+ here everyday and when the thermostat opens, the temp drops to around 170 as the cooled coolant flows through the motor. The altima shroud/install was just too ghetto for me.

Oh, and here is a pic of it installed--
http://www.escic.com/CAinstall/ca-47.jpg
http://www.escic.com/CAinstall/ca-64.jpg

[JohnC]

ritmeister, high never comes on, and I ge mad hig temps here.
I wired it in just incase something really bad happend, if that will help or not,
I hope I will never know.
Tpstylez, sorry nut I do not remember and it is now part of my harness.
read the post I lined to I believe I got the info from there butt just added a switch.
Not much help I know but thats all I have now.

[slideways2004]

i am thinking about running a taurus fan. but i want to put the fan on a switch. how would i do this if i want high and low speed controlled by me? would i have 2 switches?

edit: or would it be easier to have the low setting on when the ignition is on and have 1 switch inside for the high setting. but in this case it would be hard to start b/c so much power is being drawn while starting

[JohnC]

I would suggest getting a fan controller.
SPAL has a good solution that can even be caliberated to
work with the OE temp sensor. I think it is the best choice.
there are other fan controller like HKS, Sard MFC etc..
A switch for both speeds? IDK. I am not really good with electric
stuff, not by a long shot.

[slideways2004]

I would suggest getting a fan controller.
SPAL has a good solution that can even be caliberated to
work with the OE temp sensor. I think it is the best choice.
there are other fan controller like HKS, Sard MFC etc..
A switch for both speeds? IDK. I am not really good with electric
stuff, not by a long shot.

i am not either. that's why i asked

[Rittmeister]

Boosteds13, how is the fan secured to your radiator? And do you have any more pictures?

[Gnnr]

The altima fans blowing on high dont even come close to the Taurus fan on Low. Trust me. I have taurus fan in my car now and the altima fans sitting in the trunk. BTW, no cutting of any plastic is needed in the S14, it may be a close fit in the S13 but I think no cutting is needed either.

[boosteds13]

The altima fans blowing on high dont even come close to the Taurus fan on Low. Trust me. I have taurus fan in my car now and the altima fans sitting in the trunk. BTW, no cutting of any plastic is needed in the S14, it may be a close fit in the S13 but I think no cutting is needed either.
Nope, no cutting for me on the S13.

[TipStylez]

So, anyone wanna tell me how i can wire it up to a switch?

I want to turn it on manualy...BUT, wire it up so that when the car turns off i dont have to turn the switch off, it turns off with the car. YADANAMEAN?

[boosteds13]

So, anyone wanna tell me how i can wire it up to a switch?

I want to turn it on manualy...BUT, wire it up so that when the car turns off i dont have to turn the switch off, it turns off with the car. YADANAMEAN?
30-amp auto relay?

I actually used (2) 30-amp relays that are paralleled so that each handles half the draw. The taurus fan can draw some heavy current on startup so I wanted to play it safe.

Basically, I just used an "ignition on" source wire to trigger the relay with a toggle switch in between. Does exactly what you're looking for.

[Rittmeister]

Boosteds13, how is the fan secured to your radiator? And do you have any more pictures?

Answer please? :D

[SkeetFaceJeff]

What, No one likes the stanza dual fans that "almost" perfectly fits 240sx radiators?
http://imagehost.vendio.com/bin/imageserver.x/00000000/dieselcafe/9225416E3Qi01.jpg

[TipStylez]

^I had a stanza fan..yes the junkyard is fun...and they arnt as strong when i tested them.

[boosteds13]

Answer please? :D
Oh, I used those zip-tie like things. I just poked a small hole in the shroud and ran them through the core. I used a bunch of them as not to put too much strain on the cooling fins/tubes.

[DrtyRat]

So, anyone wanna tell me how i can wire it up to a switch?

I want to turn it on manualy...BUT, wire it up so that when the car turns off i dont have to turn the switch off, it turns off with the car. YADANAMEAN?
http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=87949&highlight=altima+fans
bunch of schematics for wiring up the fans to a relay and I think there's one for a manual switch. Mine is on a 30a starter relay iirc

[Rittmeister]

Last question I can think of (though no-one addressed the amperage draw issue) for now :D :

I understand that of the three wires on the Taurus fan, one is ground, one low-speed and one hi-speed. On the powered wires, is it:

1. One for low, the other for high,
2. One for low, BOTH for high, or
3. One for low, the other for high, and both if you want to fry the motor.

Thanks for all the info so far!

[TipStylez]

^Thanks.

-Q

[boosteds13]

Last question I can think of (though no-one addressed the amperage draw issue) for now :D :


I did...
I actually used (2) 30-amp relays that are paralleled so that each handles half the draw. The taurus fan can draw some heavy current on startup so I wanted to play it safe.

Basically, I just used an "ignition on" source wire to trigger the relay with a toggle switch in between. Does exactly what you're looking for.

msg length

[BigVinnie]

I don't know why people never bring up the Nissan Stanza fans. They run just as good as the ultima fans.... FYI all 240sx's that came with AC have secondary electrical fans, with a thermostatic switch added they run fine.

[Rittmeister]

Is hi-speed ONLY the single (hi) wire and ground, or both power wires and ground?

[Rittmeister]

Um, pretty please?

[articdragon192]

I don't know why people never bring up the Nissan Stanza fans. They run just as good as the ultima fans.... FYI all 240sx's that came with AC have secondary electrical fans, with a thermostatic switch added they run fine.

Because the Taurus fan is better, and the stanza fan was brought up on the previous page.

[JohnC]

Um, pretty please?
Pretty sure it is both but you can just give it
some juice straight from the batt and find out
whats what.

[Gnnr]

Rittmeister, for the Taurus its 1 wire for the Low setting, 1 for High, and 1 for Ground. 3 wires in total. And yes, this thing can draw some major amperage. A 30amp fuse is fine for the Low setting, but I kept blowing the 30s with the High setting so I switched to a 50 amp one that I had, and its fine now. But the wires get real, hot. Leaving it disconnected for now 'till I get better guage wire. Need to buy a 40amp fuse and see if that will work.

Check this out:
http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2003/02/electricfan/index.php

[Rittmeister]

I've got two 30 amp relays for my current Altima setup; I'll run them in parallel, should give me the capacity I need.

[caneman8]

Has anyone used the 3.0 L Taurus fan?

[riznuki2]

hey what years of the taurus fan works best?

[DrtyRat]

hey what years of the taurus fan works best?
I currently have the altima fans on my s13.(C&R alum rad) but I wouldn' t mind something better if the taurus fans are what you say. However, what year taurus fan do u use?
1990-1995 3.8L taurus
Install link is here: (you have to register)
http://240sxforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60261
Here you go....Post #5 & #6 of this thread

[Rittmeister]

Well, I got a Taurus fan and installed it in place of the Altima fans. I've only driven on it for 1/2 hour or so, but I'm not sure it's really a huge change, even on the high setting. If it cools better than the Altima setup, it's not a lot.

My $.02 - I'll post back again after I use it for a few days. I may also clean up the wiring on my Altima fans, re-install them, and see how that goes again.

[TipStylez]

Anyone want to sell me one? My local junkyard is closed down because theres road construction keeping them from bringing in more cars...

[umsports]

my brother has several of them for sale if anyone wants one just PM me

[ryan hagen]

i used fan from a 99 grandam, dual fan set up, pulls a ton of air, i had to rivit a piece of alumium angle metal to the top and bottom and drill a couple holes and it mounted on my koyo.

[Dopefish]

i used fan from a 99 grandam, dual fan set up, pulls a ton of air, i had to rivit a piece of alumium angle metal to the top and bottom and drill a couple holes and it mounted on my koyo.

Yea, we've used these as well for a few 240's. Basically the dual fan setup from any N-body GM (99+, some 98+) works really well. Grand Am, Alero, Malibu, Cutless, etc ... I'm not sure if the V6 models have different fans from the I4 ones or not but we used from only V6 cars.

[delphis]

so no one has mentioned how much better the altima fan is over the stock fan. anyone have any input on this?

thanks
tim

[sunnys14]

quest 110amp alternator + optima battery FTW!

['90RPS13]

You bumped a 8 month old thread to re-itterate what the poster above said.

My early 90's Taurus Fan kicks balls. Wouldnt trade it for the world. Never overheated and never a dead battery. Grounded it to the Rad. Support hole. Ran power to a fuse in the fuse box that ALWAYS has power when car is running (dont remember which one off hand). I also used a inline 30amp fuse. Neer popped a fuse either.


DO IT.

[BigVinnie]

I would suggest getting a fan controller.
SPAL has a good solution that can even be caliberated to
work with the OE temp sensor.

I use a thermostatic controller/switch it shaves a few points off when the knock sensor runs high and I can't always get the octane I want for hot summer weather . Lower temps are always better. The standard A/C relay switch isn't enough when the engine demands colder coolant immediately. Just adjusting the switch to run cooler coolant sooner I dropped 5 knock points off the SAFC (just the other day it was up to 50, I dropped it to 45). This is in 95 degree cali weather and 91 octane.
A lot people disagree that a switch isn't needed but when the weather changes 30 degrees between winter to summer it definitely makes a difference for many adjustment.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c166/BigVinnie/30AMPignitionfuse.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c166/BigVinnie/FALinstall3.jpg

I bumped this old ass thread for useful opinionated info...

[Vision Garage]

Okay just to settle everything altima fans will work for most basic sr swaps. Taurus fans have crazy potential. What does the most cooling would be a shroud for the radiator. Cooling panels on top and on bottom also reduce temperatures greatly.

Check the link

http://home.satx.rr.com/nissanweb/RadTest/RadTest.htm

[BigVinnie]

The only thing that people should be concerned about is the AMP draw to the CFM output that the fan delivers. Altima fans wins hands down at drawing 30 AMPS, and draws more CFM than my FLEX-A-LITES. Now I don't know for those that do SR swaps if the alternator is a stock 90 AMP like the KA's, but in any situation, if I wanted a high output fan with a 25-30 AMP draw I would start to think that I would need a 120AMP alternator upgrade, so that my lights wont dim at night.

[drkidd22]

Anyone Tried the Fan from a Taurus V6 3.0L?

[omnikron1307]

i'm bringing this back from the grave, maybe someone will know....

I have the 3.0 V6 taurus fan with only the one fan speed setting.

Thus, i only have two wires coming out of it, a ground and a power.

Just curious if anyone else has wired the 3.0L fan up cause the only walkthroughs that i can find are for the 3.8L.

I've personally been working on wiring the fan up with a fan controller, the same way that it says in this post, http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2003/02/electricfan/index.php . Does anyone know off hand if this will work or if I'm just asking for trouble.

Thanks!

[pbcstylez]

itll work just fine

[omnikron1307]

awesome, thanks for the quick reply!

[mjr321]

bringing this thread back one more time...i have a 96 zenki sr20 in my 93 with a pretty much new koyo radiator..NO FANS but i did pick up what shows to be the stanza fans from the first page..looks pretty much identical but the guy said it came off an altima (im pretty sure theyre altima dual speed ones)that was rear ended will they be sufficient for daily driving? and since i just got my swap done you should figure there will be alot of high rpm driving ; ) and keep in mind im on a budget so please anyone with any experience with these fans? keep it relevant to these fans since i would like to get my car running right tonight

[upsdude]

i think it was ka-t.org or nico that mentioned stanza fans...iirc they're pretty much the same as altima fans.