The original A/C system in my 1971 Series 3 2+2 blows nice and cold, which is terrific this time of yer in NC. When the compressor activates, the A/C radiator fan turns on as it should, but it’s very noisy, it roars! Does anyone know of a quieter fan? Thanks.
Ferman,
You speak of “the A/C radiator fan turns on”. Are you referring to the fan inside the car that blows A/C conditioned air or on/both of the radiator fans? The inside fan (JS259) is the Evaporator fan and if that is the source of noise either the bearings may require lubrication or the carbon brushes may need to be replaced. My guess would be a to remove the fan, power it up with a battery and note any noise. The motor is easily taken apart and a small drop of oil (NOT WD40) on the solid bearings should quite down things. If one or both of the radiator fans is the noise source that may also require removal and a rebuild. Yes, A/C in NC is a very good thing!!! Ha Ha
Happy Trails,
Dick
Ferman,
In case you’re interested, there’s a NOS Evaporator fan for sale on Ebay. Just search - NOS Jaguar Daimler HVAC A/C Blower Motor Assembly. Pricey but if you’re not mechanically inclined this would be the way to go to solve your noise problem maybe.
Happy Trails,
Dick
Thanks, Dick. The fan I’m talking about is the one in front of the radiator which cools the A/C condenser. It turns on and off with the compressor. The “roaring” noise appears to be the blade noise rather than the motor noise, but more investigation is needed. I’ve seen an updated one on SNG Barrett made by Revotek, which looks promising but would like to see what others say about it.
There is no A/C condenser fan. The radiator fans are wired to come on when the A/C system is turned on.
Fenner,
I’ve never seen a radiator fan installed in front of a S3 V12 radiator. With air conditioning installed there should be an A/C condenser mounted to the front of the radiator. Can you post pictures of your fan installation. OEM fans, two of them, are mounted on a separate shroud behind the radiator. Picture(s) will make things clearer for everyone.
Happy Trails,
Dick,
1 Like
If you’re looking to upgrade your S3 radiator fans, the drop-in solution is the fan from a 80’s-90’s VW Jetta. Motor and blade drop into the shroud. Not only do they pull more air, they’re two speed, so the high speed can be set up for manual activation. However, quiet isn’t on the menu.
Heres the fans Mike is talking about. I found them for a great deal. On low Uninstalled they draw about 4 amps ea. On high about 6.5 amps.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0FKqetFoydgkZK1j7OsGzuM0Q#Sarasota_Springs
Back in '98 I had an under-dash AC system installed in one of my '70’s Chevys. Part of that system is an electric fan in front of the condenser in addition to the engine driven fan. It has a relay to turn on the electric fan when AC is on. That relay kept blowing though (see other recent thread about relay replacements). I ended up making a removable wire harness for that fan that I can plug into the connector for the heater fan. Now every May I un-hook my heater fan and plug in my AC fan harness and in Nov. I remove the harness until the next summer. You all may think this is a goofy solution but turns out I really like being able to manually control that fan in the summer by using the heater fan switch in the cabin. Most of the time I just leave it on high though. Not sure if same type thing would work well on Series 3 but looks like it might if I were ever to put AC on my 1.5. Just a thought.
David
68 E-type FHC
Here’s a photo of my A/C condenser fan forward of the radiator. It spins fast and with all those blades pushes lots of air and makes lots of noise, but it does get COLD!
Sure would be nice to eliminate this fan and let the two normal radiator fans do the work. I’ve not seen this condenser fan in SNG Barrett’s catalog nor in the official Jaguar parts catalog under either A/C or cooling fans. How about some more S3s chiming in?
Hi Ferman,
Definitely not OEM, I’ve replaced the fans on my '73 with the 2 speed VW fans only because the old fan motors were becoming unreliable. That being said my engine runs/ran cool with either fan setup.
Cheers,
LLynn
Ferman,
in addition to the aftermarket fan ,
- when the A/C comes on do the two factory fans ( behind radiator) also come on ?
- Do the factory fans only come on when the eng temp requires ie otter switch ?
Your PO rigged that up’. You won’t find that application in any of the usual’s catalogs. The fans and motors look like the Scott’s set I replaced my original radiator fans with 20 years ago.
The two behind-the-radiator fans come on only when the temperature requires it. I replaced the original temp switch with an adjustable one from one of the usual suppliers, and it works well. These fans do not come on with the compressor, only the fan ahead of the radiator and condenser. I’m glad to say that my engine has never overheated.
I like the idea of just having the two normal behind-the-radiator fans come on either upon high temperature or compressor activation, which appears to be the original setup. If that works OK with my original fans, great as I’d the originals for concours judging, If not, and I have to use the VW fans, then so be it.
I installed Meyle VW Jetta fans years ago. They work great except, the fans blades repeatedly fell off the spline…3 times. I had to return the fans 3 times and then had direct contact with the Meyle rep. When the fans turned on, the fan motors are so powerful, the plastic fans blades get eaten up by the metal spline because it is metal vs plastic. The fan is held on only by a cheap round clip. Hopefully Meyle changed the design.
To solve the problem, I took the clip off, put on a round 1/8 inch think round washer with a allen lock screw. In addition, I gooped up the washer/fan with JB Weld. Never had a problem again.
The std fans should and can be triggered by the A/C there is another relay in harness right next to , prop PO connected it to the other fan . I take pic of relay and harness when i get home tonight
as its sitting on my bench . can send wiring diag too
IIRC those VW fans move a lot of air for the amps they draw. Unfortunately the motors are slightly too large to fit in a Series II, IIRC the motor housing fouls the picture frame.
Definitely aftermarket. It’s similar to fans from Scotts, Hayden, Permacool, or Spal. If you want to keep it, measure the diameter and go to Summit Racing for a selection of brands. It shouldn’t be necessary, but it may be masking a problem. And since noise is your issue, you could try a fan from a Mercedes 124 or 201 sedan, these are quiet for their power, but draw beaucoup amps.
Ferman,
Thanks for the photo. That clears up a lot. That fan is NOT OEM to the car. Since you say the rear two fans don’t come on once the A/C system is activated then some serious tinkering has been done to the car and its electrics!!! I hope the previous owner (if that’s who did the MOD’s) left a detailed description of what was done, including an updated wiring diagram. Seen a few MOD’s that went South so trying to figure out what so-and-so did way back when is a total nightmare. Modifications are OK if you’re not into keeping the car original, but upgrading systems to make them more reliable. Make a detailed record of what’s done!!!
Does the pictured fan operate continuously or how is it controlled? I can see that fan setting up a air dam in front of the radiator!!!
Does this “Front Fan” operate only when the A/C is ON?
Again, thanks for letting us know what’s installed where. Any other modifications - alternator, ignition, heater fan motor, etc. been done to your car?
Happy Trails,
Dick
Dick, the pictured “front” fan comes on only when the compressor comes on. As info, my very knowledgeable V12 tech once wired the two “aft” radiator fans to run constantly thinking it would keep the engine from overheating. I had him undo that because they too are noisy and weren’t needed to keep from overheating.
Eric, I’d appreciate seeing your photo and wiring diagram. I plan to disconnect my “front” fan A/C wiring and reconnect the two “aft” fans to turn on with the compressor, and of course keep it turning on with the engine temperature switch. Gentlemen, all this assistance is appreciated!