Brothers with M119 V-8s...I recently installed ItalianBenz's little piggyback harness for the radiator fan and it works super. For those of you in hot climates or just racing too much; this item really kicks the fan on nicely to keep the temps down and the hp up. It couldn't be easier to install (or uninstall if desired). I also see this working great at track events for those inclined. I could of used this before we dragged them last month. High temps robbed me of a half a second I figured. Anyway, we all know how hot the motor can get even in daily traffic. Nice job, Anthony and Jim, ya' done good. Thanx from me and the car

Jim
1992 500E

Hi Jim-

Would you help me with some detailed info on where exactly in the engine compartment I should be looking to connect the piggy tail/ or what component (got one in my hands and will do it tonight to the e500).

tks-fad

These instructions noted as Guido threw one on my car faster than I could write this:

It takes all of 45 seconds, if you don't stop to admire that shoehorned V8 after you've raised the hood. Using your hands, pull off the (cosmetic) plastic cover in front of the air cleaner housing and between the distributor covers. There's a wire harness laying in there with a connector that looks the same as those on either end of the pigtail you got from Guido. Unsnap the connector and snap the pigtail in line. Find a new nest for for those extra few inches of wire and plastic, and then snap the cover back on. Then go drive your car until the fans kick in, then try to wipe that "you know it's safe now" look off your face.

How was that, Guido?

__________________
Mark Stetson
1995 E320 Wagon Moonstone Grey/Parchment 106K mi.
2007 E63 AMG Graphite/designo 75K mi

fad,

to add to the above, the wire in question is connected to the two-pronged sensor with a blue base beside the one with the black base.

__________________
Rainmaker
93 500E, 43k mi, Pics of upgrade parts
Evo II Wheels on Dunlop FM901 235/45x17s
94 Facelift
RennTech CF Airbox
RennTech ASR Defeat
RennTech Chip
1st Gear Start
97 Range Rover 4.6 HSE Vitesse, Yellow, "Tonka" (sold)

Just make sure you route the extra wire AWAY from the motor area as best as possible...I noticed on my 127,000 mile car that the excessive heat has made some plastic parts brittle....another excuse to buy new stuff...sorry honey...we'll pay the mortgage next month!!

Jim
1992 500E:p

Jim, Ricky, Mark, and Guido- a hearty thanks for the support (and Guido thanks for the mod- haven't had a chance to give the car a spin yet)

This was the first time I removed that beauty panel- - and now...there's the opportunity to chase more dust away!

Thanks again for your reponses and have a great day, I'll post feedback as soon as possible Guido.

tks-fad

Glad you have had success with this item. I put one on my 190E 2.3-16V and have noticed NO improvement in around town engine temperature. In fact, I am not sure the fan ever comes on now. I need to do a real test on this to be sure.

Since this adapter just cpntains a resistor which parallels the temp sensor/switch, it should cause the fan to come on sooner. But I have not experienced this.


Tom Elerding

Since I designed this mod for V8s, it will work on 4.2L and 5.0L engines. This is because the ECT (B11/2) and CTS (B10/8) are separate in these engines. Thus the resistor 'fools' the sensor into thinking it's hotter than it is and the fans cut-in.

But the temp sensor is different on the straight 6's, so I'm not surprised that it didn't work.

Just a note to Jim: When both fans are going, it might be a wash in terms of getting that little bit extra. Why? Because the fans draw as much as 35amps which is quite a drag on the alternator, thus the engine. Just a thought!

__________________
Regards . . . . JimF
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'94 S500 Cpe

Visit my Mercedes Web Page

JimF--

The 190E-16 Valve is of course a 4 cyl. The temp sensor switch used to start the aux fan "closes at 105 degrees". There is no separate controller that decides when to close the aux fan relay.
So at some temperature the switch passes enough current to cause the relay to actuate.

I don't know how sharply the temp sensor switch "closes" as a function of temperature. But looking at it now, I think that the resistor in parallel will not work in my case unless the temp switch characteristic is fairly broad.

The added resistor would pass additional current and cause the relay to pull in a little sooner (at a slightly lower temperature). If the temp switch loses resistance very rapidly at 105 degrees, then the parallel resistor will have little or no effect.

Not sure how I can test the temp switch, as it is supposed to switch at 105 degrees C (239 F)--can't get there easily on top of the stove!! Maybe I will get the car real hot and measure the resistance of the temp switch as a function of indicated temperature on the gauge.

Thanks

Tom

JUST A WORD OF WISDOM. IT IS NOT A COOLANT TEMP SWITCH.
iTS A GROUND SWITCH FOR THE AUX FAN ONLY!! ITS DOES NOT HAVING ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE ECU. IF IT DIDNT WORK FOR YOUR 16V WHICH IM SURPISED SINCE ONE OF MY FELLOW TECHS HERE AT WORK INSTALLED IT ON HIS 16V AND WORKS JUST FINE. REM GUY MERCEDES HAVE BEEN USING THIS 105 AUX FAN SWITCH FOR SOME TIME SO IT DIDN'T CHANGE UNTIL THE NEW ME2 SYSTEM CAME INTO AFFECT WHICH IS THE NEW ENGINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. JIM F YOU CAN DO YOUR RESEARCH AND RESISTANCE VALUES TILL THE COWS COME HOME. BUT YOU DONT WORK FOR MERCEDES I DO IVE BEEN A TECH FOR 14 YRS.
I HAVE ACESS TO MANY CARS AND TESTED MANY CAR TO FIND OUT WHICH WORKED AND WHICH ONES DIDN'T. IVE SOLD THEM TO MANY 2.3 CUSTOMERS I HAVE NO COMPLAINTS, I SOLD THEM TO 300E OWNERS WITH 103 ENGINE NO COMPLAINTS, EVEN 300E
3.2 WITH THE 104 ENGINES WITH CIS AND HFM NO COMPLAINTS
SO KEEP DOING YOUR RESEARCH.

IB, if you ever have had a lucid thought, it would be the first!! Make sure you record it if it ever comes. We all be glad to see it!

__________________
Regards . . . . JimF
-------------------
'94 S500 Cpe

Visit my Mercedes Web Page

I put Italian Benz's harness pigtail on my 500E last week (thanks Guido!). It works exactly as "advertised". My 2 aux fans kicked in at slightly over 80C on the gauge, and the gauge temp stayed between about 80 - 83 or so, significantly lower than before.

I had concerns about the additional load on the engine and alternator as per the post above, but the proof is in the pudding, the car definitely runs cooler. Yes, there must be more load on the alternator, however not enough to affect engine coolant temp to any visible degree.

Rgds,
Chris Whitney
satisfied user