I've been on a never ending quest for an electric cooling fan that WORKS. There's no telling how many fans I've had on the hot rod over the years. I've tried pushers, pullers, pushers and pullers, cheapies, expensive fans, and everything else you can think of. The extra heat from the turbos and associated plumbing really dumps a BUNCH of heat under the hood.
This time, I think I've got it right.

** IF YOU WANT TO TRY THIS BE SURE TO READ THIS POST **

I installed the Mercedes cooling fan today. It's a quickie install and nearly drops right in.
The fan is from a 2001 to 2006 C-class Mercedes. There are a couple styles out there but they're all the same size and shape. Mercedes used both Temic and Brose as vendors. They are designed to move LOTS of air. From the factory, these cars can have as many as 7 heat exchangers/radiators in front of them. They have to keep all that stuff cool.
You can pick up the fans from internet vendors as well as junkyards like LKQ at a reasonable cost. If your wallet is feeling frisky, you can go straight to Mercedes but don't be surprised if they ask for your first and second born in exchange.

The fan shroud measures 26-3/4" across and 16-3/4" tall. Mounted to the radiator, it sticks out 2-3/4" from the lip on the upper radiator tank. That's about 3-1/4" if you're measuring from the core of the radiator to the water pump.

The motor is rated at 600 watts. That means it will pull a maximum of 50 amps on start up and 40 amps while running. The motor is a beast!



A stock alternator from the 60's won't handle the current but there are lots of drop-in upgrades to get the required output from stock alternators. The alternator upgrade is quick and easy.

If you can't get the wire plug from a wrecked car, you can pick up the pieces at a Mercedes dealer. You will need the plastic plug, two heavy wire leads, and one small wire lead.



These fans have a start up relay and capacitor built in. When looking at the wire end of the plug the heavy wire on the left is the positive. The other is obviously the ground. The little wire is the trigger. When it sees 12 volts, the fan will slowly come up to speed. When power is removed, the fan takes a couple seconds to respond and then shuts down. Here's a video of a bench test. These monsters move some air!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGylouOxVL0

I have a 26" radiator with a trashed core. I kept it around for mocking up all those cooling fans. It came in handy again today. Here it is with the Mercedes fan sitting on it. A sharp eye will find the broken mounting tab. That's why I got this one. The insurance company had to buy a new one for the wrecked car.



It fits the radiator core like it was made for it. A view from the top shows that the fan bulge does not stick up above the tank. You can get a better view of the fit between the shroud and the core.



I trimmed off the mounting tabs since I wasn't going to use them. A little snip with some end cutters did the trick. Now it's really looking like a nice fit.



If your radiator has the factory shroud mounts on it then slip some clip nuts over the radiator tabs and pop some 1/4" x 20 bolts in the shroud and it'll bolt right up.

I did have to snip the risers going up to the back of the fan bulge.



This is where I had to take a path that's a little different from everybody else. My radiator had the shroud brackets trimmed off years ago. I had to make my own brackets. Due to my turbo plumbing, I had to flip my fan upside down. Pretend you don't see any of that and your life will be happier.

Now, back on course...

I dropped the radiator and fan assembly into the car. It goes in nicely as an assembly.



Early B bodies have an engine compartment that is tight to say the least. It's almost on par with the 60's A bodies as far as length. Still, I've got plenty of extra room in there. The left side of the shroud is below the turbo down pipe. It really doesn't make contact.



My battery is in the trunk so I ran a lead off the back of the alternator. Heavy fuse blocks are hard to find at the parts house so I picked one up from a car audio store. This one has a 60 amp fuse.



Again, it only takes three wires for this fan. Since the relay is built in, you don't have to worry about that. It's all wired up and ready to go.



The little wire is the trigger. I ran it around to my fuel injection computer and programmed it to turn the fan on and off. You can run it to a manual switch if you like, or grab a fan controller like the Imperial 226203 ($20) and have it control the fan automatically.

[img]http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/wcsstor...03_pri_larg.jpg[/img]

The car is ready to rock 'n roll! It's that easy. Total install time shouldn't take more than 2 hours if you're taking your time.

My car has a mangled radiator support. Someone played bumper cars years ago and didn't fix it properly. The bottom of the radiator is almost 2 inches farther back than the stock location. A sharp eye will notice the angle on the radiator. Still, I have plenty of room to service the engine.

[img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-a...9_2521071_n.jpg[/img]

[img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-s...6_4298220_n.jpg[/img]

These fans work! I installed a similar fan on Andrewh's '65 Coronet with the 5.9 Magnum. It works like a champ! The fan only has to run for a minute or two before the radiator cools off enough to shut the fan down.

This fan will suck a terrycloth towel against the grille and hold it there. It appears that my air flow issues have been resolved.

I wonder how well the aftermarket replacements hold up. It would make it a little easier to source the part if you don't have access to a Mercedes junk yard.

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=mercede...3286.m270.l1313

Nice and simple hook up.How much was the wiring plugs from mercedes?Do i need to get a loan from the bank?

Feets, thanks for all the research and the pics, that looks great! Would you mind giving out the part numbers for the Mercedes plug and wires?

The Mercedes plug and wire part numbers are in the picture of the plug and wires. I don't have the bag from the little wire but a parts guy can find it in about 5 seconds using the number for the plug.

I should know. I'm a Mercedes parts guy.

I don't remember the cost of the parts. I think it was around $20.

Would the fan assembly be the same for the 4 and 6 engine or do they only have one size engine in the C230 mercedes?

Here's the same style fan installed right side up in a friend's 360 powered Dart. He bolted the fan to his factory shroud mounts. No hacking required.
Click the link to the pic. It's pretty big. You can see how it's mounted.

Why not use the ground as the trigger with an OE type switch? Why trigger with the +?

Thanks for all the info Feets.You're my hero.Now i can throw that hhr fan away and get a real fan. Be back on the road.

thanks for the information and write-up.
my question is: are the 2000 c230 fans the same or only from 2001 on up? i ask because theres a 2000 c230 available for parts locally.

The 2000 C230 was a different chassis. It's fan is totally different.
You can always contact LKQ and see if they have a car with the correct fan in your area. I have no idea what they charge for the fans. It will vary by state and wholesale vs retail.

http://www.lkqcorp.com/home/home.asp

Thanks again!

Feets, is your radiator a 26" in a 22" core support?

Feets box is cleaned out.