Hi all, great forum for lots of information.

I’m looking to remove the mechanical puller fan and electric pusher fan on my 87 300td and just go with electric puller fan(s).

I have it all apart right now while working on a cylinder head swap, the available room on the back of the radiator is 23” wide and 20” tall.
Original fan is 18” diameter and the fan shroud is 19” ID.

Depth is 2” to the AC pulley and 3” to the crank damper.

I need to gain space on the front of the radiator for a FMIC, so needing to ditch the old pusher electric fan.

What are peoples go to for electric fans on these?
Something I can raid off something readily available at an Indiana junkyard would be perfect.
Minimum CFM needed to keep a OM603 turbo cool in a humid Midwest summer?

Thanks!

I did an electric fan conversion many years ago, so my info is a bit rusty. I installed a Slimline S blade 20" fan with built-in shroud. It's about 2" total depth from the rad face to the back of the fan motor, opened up the working room considerably on the front of the engine. IIRC, it's rated at somewhere around 2200 CFM. Haven't had a cooling concern yet. It's wired to an adjustable theremostatic switch.

I left the factory pusher fan in place for AC purposes, I live in hot and humid Florida, so the puller by itself is not sufficient for the AC in standing traffic where I live, maybe okay for you in Indiana? Either way, I also used the Antenna Up/dwn switch and some relays to add full control of the pusher fan both in low speed or in high speed. While the HVAC controls still automatically set the pusher fan speed, I can override these with the manual switch, either to boost airflow and cooling, or primarily as a backup to the puller fan. The pusher fan moves a lot of air, more than enough to cool the engine by itself should your puller ever fail.

The slimline fan was purchased at Summit + thermostat switch for about $100 combined, yeah years ago, so prices have likely increased. The key was published CFMs, which is nearly impossible to find on Auto maker OE fans for a junkyard find, thus the aftermarket approach. I would say anything in the 2k or more CFM, and you will be fine

Regarding the IC, I also tinkered and installed one about 9" square in the passenger side in front of the wheel. Similar to the location of the factory oil cooler that sits in the same spot on the driver's side. I have some posts on this if you search. In the end, after several years, I ended up removing the IC. Namely, the space in front of the engine gained from the puller got occupied by the IC plumbing, negating the benefits of the working space. IIRC, I only saw about a 150-200 F drop in EGTs Granted, it was a small Saab turbo IC but after living with it for several years, the EGT benefit did not outweigh the extra work to get around the plumbing for repairs. If you aren't planning on jacking up the fuel, IMHO, the IC provides little gain. OTOH, if you're building a super turbo OM603 with bigger elements etc. The IC is a must.

Good luck in whatever route you choose.

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Stable Mates:
1987 300TD 310K mi (Hans)
2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee OM642 165k mi (Benzrokee)