The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop Where to install temp control unit

I have a ford 289 and I was wondering where to install my temperature sensor for my electric fan? Can I install it where the old temp sensor was for the dash gauge (in the intake manifold)? If I install it there, can I still run a wire for the dash gauge? Should I install it near the thermostat where the circulation fitting is?

I don't know about using old sensor. Do you mean using it as a switch? I have the old sensor for the temp gauge but am running a adjustable sensor with a pickup poked thru the fins in the top intake on the radiator.

I bought an electric fan that mounted on the engine side of the radiator. With it came a temperature sensor that needs to be mounted somewhere. It looks like its pipe threaded fitted would mount in many different spots. I was wondering if I could take out the old temperature sensor, put the new one in from the kit, and still be able to run wires to the fan and to the dashboard gauge?

I would think so. Point of information, If you reverse the wires to the fans they will run backwards(pushers) then you can run them in front of the radiator. a lot cleaner look if you have room.

You do not want the fan switch anywhere on the block before the water goes through the thermostat. Any where after the thermostat and before the mid point of the radiator is fine. Your fan will come on uselessly before there is any water circulating in the radiator if you put it in the block and the fan will do too much cyclying and your temperature gauge will go crazy with the rapid closing and opening of the thermostat.

I installed my electric fan temperature sender in the intake manifold. I have a seperate sensor for the water temp gauge. I watched the water gauge temperature to see if my fan was kicking off and on at the correct temperature. You must have 2 seperate senders. That's the way I did it on my 350 engine. The intake manifold should be accurate for both sensors. But can't use one for both.

Thank you for the information. I am not running any heating or cooling system, so can I put one of the sensors in intake manifold where the thermostat bypass is and just plug up where it would go into the water pump?

I guess that if you are not running a cooling system, you would have no need for a thermostat or a water pump, or a fan or temperature gauge for that matter. On a more serious note, you do not want to plug the bypass to the waterpump.

What I meant was that I will not have ac or a heater in the truck. The line that runs through the system starts in the intake manifold, just before the thermostat, and returns into the water pump....right? So, what I am wondering, can I put the fan temperature switch in where the line starts just before the thermostat and then just cap off where the line would return to the water pump?

I don't know if Ford used that line to keep water circulating in the block before the thermostat opened. If that is the line that normally goes to the heater core, and if Ford had a water shutoff valve for the heater, it could work. I still prefer to have the switch after the thermostat for the reasons given.

See Houston's post on the same subject.

I suppose I'm treading on someone else's ground as I am running a conventional fan instead of electric. gazim suggested something about reversing polarity on the wires and making the fan run in reverse. I have never heard of this. If it works this is great. I do wonder if in doing this you would need to install a reverse fan blade like you run on a serpentine system.
Just wondering... :hammering:

You wouldn't want to reverse both the fan motor and fan blade angles as that would be a net gain of zero. If you reverse the fan motor rotation, you just reverse the existing fan on the shaft to retain the original airflow efficiency.