apex1

So I diagnosed a failed coolant fan on my RX8. Something was jammed in the passenger fan as I heard it fall out after rotating the blade. Jumped relay 1 and no movement, jumped relay 2 and the drivers fan only turned on at high speed. Then I put 12v to passenger fan and got nothing. So I need a new fan.

After searching the FAL 420 seems to be a popular upgrade, however it is not a direct fit. I was looking for a more OEM solution. It appears I can buy replacement motors for the OEM at significant cost. This seems like it could be an advantage if the motors can be replaced in the car but it appears to be a tough fit. I have also noticed aftermarket OEM style replacement fans from Rock Auto or others. I could not find any feedback on these. Has anyone used these, are they any good?

So to summarize my options...

1) Custom fit a performance FAL 420.

2) Replace the motors in the current fan. (maybe in the car)

3) Buy an OEM style aftermarket fan.


Pretty sure prices for all three options are $200-300. Appreciate your thoughts. Thank you,

Shaozhou Zhang

https://www.rx8club.com/assaultech-1...-known-245738/
Post #6
9k said that it was a direct fit.

apex1

That’s not exactly what he said. He said it fit well but required radiator pins to mount it. it requires wiring plugs at a minimum. I am sure it fits well but does not utilize the original hardware, nor is it plug and play.

RastaRx-8

i have some stock fans i can gut if you just wanna buy the motors

apex1

Thanks, but I can do the same to the fans I have already.

RastaRx-8

maybe i misunderstood.. are you not looking for replacement stock fans?

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

well why start a new thread here rather just asking all that in the existing fan thread?

dang noobs always thinking they’re special and unique, if 9k was still on here you’d get an an even bigger earful over it. Nothing that’s a direct bolt-on will come close to the FAL fan performance and cooling is one area where the factory parts fall a bit short. That’s the way to go even if it requires finding or paying someone to help you. Nothing indicates where you are located though.

apex1

Central Ct, high temps around 95+.

Any forum stays alive with a combination of the initiated and the newbs. Notice how 9k is not around and newbs like me are? That’s better than 9k and others leaving and NO newbs coming in to keep the forum alive. Otherwise the forum becomes a dead archive. Something I am sure you don’t want.

That said, I take your point and will try to merge my topics with existing threads going forward. Appreciate your and others feedback...

apex1

looking for advice on which option to go with. New motors, new aftermarket oem style fan or aftermarket performance fan.

if the motors can be replaced without removing the fan that may change the dynamic. Team seems to think the work of adapting a fal 420 to fit is worth the performance gain.

RastaRx-8

ok well if you go the stock fan motor replacement route let me know i have two extra sets i can sell. i dont know much about the aftermarket fans but i would say getting the old fans out is the hardest part of that job. i am 99% sure you can replace the motors with the shroud still in the car

apex1

Appreciate the offer, will let you know. Thanks

RastaRx-8

no problem i checked yesterday you can easy get the driver fan out with them still in the car but the passenger side is a maybe. you might have to loosen or remove the lower brackets and create a little room to get that one out , after your intake box and battery box are out of the way

apex1

So I confirmed the drivers fan works. The passenger fan is shot. Can someone confirm it can be changed in the car?

if so @RastaRx-8 , I may take you up on your offer if you have a good passenger side motor available. Will let you know, thanks.

RastaRx-8

mine atm you can see from there mostly.. worse case you drop the lower brackets but no fluid loss needed i dont think

rob babicki

what is the CFM rating on S1 and S2 fans?
seen many upgrade posts, on multiple threads, haven't found the OEM CFM ratings

sonicsdaman

iTrader: (3)

oem fans are around 1235cfm

rob babicki

thx,

much less than i would have thought

apex1

I have a used fan motor, and looked to swap it out but it looks near impossible in the car. Maybe a special tool would help, but I do not want to damage any radiator fins. I will try unbolting the fan and radiator and see if I can get enough room to take the screws out from the bottom.

If that doesn't work, I guess I will drain the fluid and plan to pull it all out.

RastaRx-8

like i said its pretty much impossible lol. you may be able to drop just the bottom brackets and keep fluid in but otherwise real hard to get that 8mm on the fan from under . thanks mazda

apex1

This is the weirdest car to work on. Everything is linked to something else that requires removal. The undertray is a perfect example. There are three different kinds of hardware, bolts way up to the frame, wire looms anchored to everything... I mean what the hell?

Don't even get me started on the T-stat....

apex1

Ok, so I tried extremely hard to not drain the coolant but to no avail. Coolant drained, radiator and fan out. So other than a stripped drain plug and a few bent fins, the radiator is in good shape. I will replace the bad fan motor and reinstall. Two questions...

1) Is it better to assemble the fan to the radiator and reinstall all at once, or radiator first, then fan.

2) Is this the time to upgrade the radiator? Yes I plan on doing some track days in the future. How good is the OEM Calsonic radiator?

RastaRx-8

I would say if you are gonna replace anything yes do the radiator get a megan racing one probably thats what i have i think is the best oem style upgrade. it will still fit all the stock bolts and holes.. if you know you are gonna take it all apart anyway i think its easier to remove together.. if you try to move just the fans out you end up with a lot of fin damage on the radiator

peloponisios

I would suggest a bigger al radiator if you plan on taking it to the track. Especially if you are going through the trouble of taking it all out in the front. Prices are going up so find a good one on stock.

RastaRx-8

you have to consider your class for track use. most radiator or fan changes will take you out of stock class obv. The oem radiator is too small in most peoples opinion and breaks the plastic nipple easy which is the only reason ive changed. The most cooling benefit is gonna be gained from the cooling fan mod (making oem fans come on sooner ) get a OEM style radiator that will fit like stock and be more durable/lighter otherwise it doesnt matter. Still Megan IMO

apex1

I have no plans to race the car, but plenty of track days. Maybe an auto-x.

So I don’t think the oem setup was optimized. 1st both the condenser and radiator had a decent amount of crap in the fins. Also there was no foam around the radiator and big air gaps. Obviously the fan was shot.

My thought is to fix the oem stuff to figure out what we’re the issues first before throwing aftermarket parts on it. The car should be able to drive and idle with the a/c on on 95* day without overheating.