[DblTrbl]

My 2005 minivan died, so I decided to convert an 89 v6 grand caravan (actually plymouth) to 4cyl, turbo, 5 speed. Cleaned up an old 2.5 and got a modified 523 from my son along with parts of a 90 harness. Had to make up the missing parts of the harness from old harnesses. Anyway, it runs well now.

Thought I might share my experience with the air to water intercooler installation. Came out very clean.

The original radiator fan had a long motor that interfered with the desired location to the air to water intercooler. So I went to the junkyard and picked up a Volvo brushless PWM controlled fan. Fits perfectly as you can see in the picture and the shroud is a big improvement over the original.

This fan is controlled by PWM, so I have a small PWM generator that is tuned on by the wire that used toground the fan relay coil. The SBEC grounds this wire when it wants to turn the fan on.

I'm going to relocate this module in the cabin, but it works great. The fan is very powerful and doesn't need to run at full tilt. I have it running at 50%.

Here's how it's wired:

I bought a brand new honda radiator. They are all aluminum, brand new, and dirt cheap on ebay. Modified it and fit it in front of the stock radiator. The honda radiator works as the cooler for the Air to Water setup.

 

[liamkelly]

Very cool and ingenious. I had to look up PWM which is new to me. How did you know it was a PWM controlled fan? Could any dc motor be controlled in that fashion? Have you used PWM in other applications? Looks like the controllers often use 555 timers.

 

[DblTrbl]

You can usually tell when a fan is PWM controlled. There are usually two very heavy power wires, one red and one black. Then there is usually one small wire for the PWM input

Some fans have a separate box that with the 3 wires and some fans have that box built in. Traditional fans only have the two power wires.

You can use a 555 timer, but these PWM generators are so cheap and very functional, that it doesn't pay to mess with them. They remember the setting even when power is turned off.

I have used many, many PWMs in my corvette project where 5 fans, 2 fuel pumps, boost, and the transmission are controlled by PWM from my DIY arduino computer.

That Volvo fan is ideal because it's brushless as well as having the power module built in. It doesn't even need a relay. There are similar brushless fans in BMWs and Mercedes. Flat and super powerful.

 

[d_snook6]

Nice work, just an fyi some of our v6 cars came from the factory with a pancake style rad fan, for example my 93 duster 3.0 auto. Though probably not easy to source these days so your route is a great option for those of us who need some clearance and a great cooling fan.

 

[DblTrbl]

Here's some more pics and info about the van.
Refreshed a 2.5 that got some water in it. Honed the bores just enough to get the slight surface rust out. Cleaned up the valves and valve seats. Added a 2 piece intake and high impedance injectors that flow like +40s.

Added a T2 Turbo instead of the Mitzu. Socketed the SBEC and burnt a 3Bar cal.

Clutch is a 6 puck. I'm not in love with the clutch, it's a little grabby. I need to fill all the engine and trans mounts, even though they are all new, cause they are super sloppy. I'm going to fill them with auto glass glue. I also plan to add a bobble strut. That may help out with the grabbyness. The trans has an OBX so I should get great traction.

Got one of those universal stainless 2.5" exhaust tube packages and made a new exhaust , including a muffler. It sounds good, not to loud or quiet.

It's a woody van. I'm going to paint the rest of it the color that I painted the engine bay, of course leaving the wood.

I added a trailer hitch.

I got the grand caravan cause I want to be able to haul bikes, windsurfing gear, engines and tow with it.

Next is paint and get the A/C working.

 

[DblTrbl]

Some more pics.

Didn't have the clutch cable adjuster, so I made my own bracket with a bolt that can be used to manually adjust the clutch position.

The van was in great shape rust wise. Only 2 spots where I welded in new metal. The hood was dented, so I pulled the dent and got it ready for paint.

 

[liamkelly]

Really nice work. Makes me want to get back to my car 👍