Fitting Bolt on Bits electric fan

JokerUK said:

Hi all,
Finally getting around to fitting an electric fan to my 200TDI Defender and appeared to have failed at the first hurdle….
The kit is from bolt on bits and includes:
-Fan
-4 small plastic brackets
-2 large metal plates
-Electrics cable with top hose T-piece, switch etc
-Lots of tie wraps
4 nuts, bolts and washers

View attachment 255795

The problem is, ‘fit brackets to fan and fit fan to radiator frame’
It’s not clear which slots on the fan to push the plastic brackets, but I’ve had a go, and bolted to the two brackets to the plates (not really mentioned in the instructions) see pic and there are a number of options on where to fit the clips

View attachment 255796

Then there is the question of ‘fit to radiator frame’. The instructions don’t mention drilling holes or draining and removing the rad.
I see no holes….rad pic is attached, wouldn’t display


So I’m hoping someone will have fitted one of these fans and can provide me with some clues as what I thought was a nice Sunday morning job has so far failed.

all advice really gratefully received

steve

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flat said:

I had exactly the same setup.
You know how your plastic cowl fitted to you radiator? It sat it 2 channels at the bottom of the frame the radiator sits in, then bolted up with 2 nuts on the top?
The bolt on bits fitted on the same.
I fitted the mounts first then the fan.

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JokerUK said:

Ahhhhh- now I’m beginning to see. I took the plastic cowl off about 6 years ago when I bought the vehicle, as it was loose an flopping around.
looking really closely and with a degree of imagination I think I can see where previous bolts may have sheared….groan!
Looks like I need to drill and tap

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Turboman said:

I have fitted them. Kenlowe, not Bolt On, but they are similar, and the same in the way of completely meaningless and rudimentary instructions.

The easiest way to go was to make up some brackets, with the bottom fitting into the two channels at the bottom of the radiator frame, and two brackets hooking forward from the fan, right over the radiator, and screws through the holes where the standard fan cowl went.
I used steel strips, but you might be able to modify plastic brackets the same.

I took the electric fan off after a year or two, I couldn't detect any benefits, and it was more fiddly than standard, so I went back to viscous and cowl, which is what most people I know who have fitted them do at some time.

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flat said:

I did the same. The viscous is a much better setup imo and works much more reliably. I had issues with the switch failing and the fans seizing so eventually junked it all.

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flat said:

I did the same. The viscous is a much better setup imo and works much more reliably. I had issues with the switch failing and the fans seizing so eventually junked it all.

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JokerUK said:

Hmmmm- I’m feeling talked out of the effort- although I still need to fix the sheered bolts

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