squealing cooling fans

[HJ2]

Perhaps. I looked at them as well.

Is it the 9" and do the mount holes match the OEM?
I could not tell from the data i found...

I'd prefer a German supplier, less fuss with shipment, customs additional cost etc

[Simon_P]

HJ,

Fans come in 2 varieties cheap chinese and really expensive. The cheap ones aren't balanced and have a standard blade cut down so you might get some vibration but they only come on occasionally and they do the job and are cheap. Expensive ones are balanced and better made but are £100+ each.

Then there are suckers and blowers ours are mounted on the inside of the radiator so will need to suck - expensive ones will have a different blade cheaper ones you just reverse the polarity.

The Lotus replacement for the yellow 4 blade was a Kenlowe multiblade (expensive) but Kenlowe no longer sell aftermarket fans. In Europe you might look at Spal (Italian).

The mountings are pretty much universal - you might have to chop a bit of plastic off but the right size will fit.

[Saltire]

The Lotus replacement for the yellow 4 blade was a Kenlowe multiblade (expensive) but Kenlowe no longer sell aftermarket fans. In Europe you might look at Spal (Italian).

Spal are also available in the UK from Demon Tweeks.

[HJ2]

I still don't understand:

The WIKI speaks of 9" replacements
But when my 9" arrived, they where way smaller than the original ones?

This one sounds better now:
Axial fan SPAL 12V VA07-AP12/C-58A (225 MM)

[Simon_P]

I did have in mind when you wrote that they were 10" but read the wiki and kept my mouth shut. I have a spare set by my garage door I'll go and measure - That will be a great distraction from what I should be doing!

[HJ2]

That will be a great distraction from what I should be doing!

Always glad to help!

But I have the dimensions at hand, as per above.
But hey, you can always check so you can get your pedometer going

[Simon_P]

Measuring, it appears that the original Renault fan is metric and the same diameter 225mm as your diagram above the 9" Oem Kenlowe is slightly (a few mm) bigger and uses special adapter brackets for the mounting.

Which dimension is smaller?

[HJ2]

I am starting to think they sent me an 8" replacement...
The fan / housing diameter was a lot smaller

The mountings of the pictured SPAL looks identical to OEM to me...

[Simon_P]

Yes, they match the OEM 4 blade fan, but the OEM Kenlowe fan is 9" and has 4 small metal brackets. Your picture looks like a straight replacement.

[HJ2]

Well, that was a bit of a bitch fight... but they're in!

It was impossible to remove the fan in situ. Is this different with a RHD?
The pressure pipe from the A/C prevented the fan to slide out the narrow gap. All 4 bolts were possible to remove, but the fan assembly is just a couple of mm's too thick to slide down. Only one option left:

Slip a belt around the rad to support it's weight.



Remove the radiator support frame next.
You are now ableto slide the old fans out from below.



This is the replacement:
SPAL VA07-AP12/C-58A 12V
Made in Italy, this car is getting more and more European!
I bought them from a supplier in Poland. Cheap (relatively) and fast shipment



Side to side:



It is way thinner, giving more room for tools the next time you need to tinker at the front end. The shroud is also (filled) plastic, so no more rust!



However the connector...





It is not a straight replacement, these tabs are in the way, they interfere with the radiator support frame for instance, so they need to go:



You'll end up with something like this:



You will also need to cut the flange of the shroud where it interferes with the radiator support frame (top & Bottom) (so between the horizontal mounting holes top & bottom)

Time to swap over the old connector:







I cut standard rubber grommets to size for the mountings:







Time for a fit-check... Nice! (note: flat ends on shroud lip not trimmed yet...)



And put all the bobs & bits back