Yep. Plenty of room for another if I need it, but I think one should do it. Yeah, you're right, but I'm tryin' really hard to avoid that... I know the option is there and that will pretty much solve everything, but it really bums me out every time I have to compromise in the direction of "de-hotrodding" it. I'm already one of the few who install AC when most people seem to snatch it out, I've added weight where I'd rather be removing it, I had to get rid of a good underdrive pulley setup a while back because of charging problems... I know this is all part of it. You want a fast car you have to make some driveability compromises. You want a daily driver you have to make some performance compromises. And as far as that goes, the fan's not a big one. I know there are a lot of fast cars out there with engine driven fans, and mine's not going to be hamstrung just because I put one on, but it's just one more thing, you know? If I have to I'll do it, but I hope I won't have to. I may be alright. I haven't really tested it since I got the mix right and got the air out of the radiator, and I haven't even backed it out of the garage since I put the extra fan on. We'll see, fingers crossed. The good news is with the AC off the radiator apparently cools as well as it ever did, so I have high hopes for that condenser fan. And another thing occurred to me regarding the alternator thing... I don't really know if my problem is that much of a problem. Last year when the ammeter would drop into negative numbers for a long time, I would lose cooling, lights would go dim and I couldn't crank it again. BUT, I didn't think about this - that was with a defective battery. That hasn't happened again even though under certain conditions at idle the alternator isn't putting out as much as the car is using. I wonder... Most cars don't have an ammeter. Perhaps a lot of cars have this "problem" and nobody knows about it because the battery handles the load at idle and car acts just fine. And maybe that's perfectly ok. I had a 130 amp alternator on it for a little while and it did the same thing, so I'm starting to think I am chasing a solution for a problem that doesn't exist. I'll run it the way it is for a while and see if I'm right... If I'm not, 3g alternator here I come.
I think the condenser fan was the ticket. I drove it on the interstate with the AC on full blast to get it all warmed up. Made it to about 200 degrees before I got off on Germantown Rd. That's a long, heavily trafficked road with a lot of stop lights. AC still on high, I drove about 7 miles down that, punching the gas between lights and got up to 210. Then down another highway at about 60 mph I quickly got it back under 200. I stopped and idled in a parking lot for a while, hit 205, then back under 200 all the way home. That's more acceptable, especially since the radiator cools as well as ever when the AC is off. The best part though... The condenser fan made a dramatic difference in the AC performance. I highly recommend doing this if you have AC! When I first turn the car on, there is no waiting for the AC to start cooling off. Don't have to wait for the engine fan to turn on, and don't have to wait until I can get some wind on it. The vents just blow blow cold right away, and a noticeable amount colder than they were without the fan.
Thanks! I'll hopefully have a tech article put together soon, just need to find the time. Y'all know me, it's going to be lengthy and detailed...
