550 engine cooling improved! | FerrariChat

550 engine cooling improved!

Discussion in '456/550/575' started by AVIMAX, May 26, 2020.

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  1. AVIMAX

    AVIMAX Formula Junior

    Aug 5, 2014
    686
    Toronto
    Full Name:
    Ryan
    I have successfully improved the cooling capability of my 550. My car has never overheated since I've owned it, but sitting in traffic in the middle of summer has always been a bit uncomfortable. I've had no issue with coolant temp when the car is moving, no problem running on the track on very hot days, but when standing still and the outside air temp is high 80s or more, the coolant temp would creep up to just before the last line before the red zone on the gauge with both fans working. It always stabilized just before that last line, and as soon as I would get the car moving the temp would drop quickly, so it seemed to me I had an issue with airflow when stationary. Over the winter I installed a 575 radiator shroud which has better coverage, 2 new fans, p/n SPAL 30102113, and had the water pump rebuilt with OE bearing, seal and impeller. I made a wiring harness to wire the fans directly to the battery using 12 gauge wire, relays mounted under the RH headlight and used the original wiring to signal the new relays (an attempt to protect my fuse box). The wiring harness I made is plug and play, so I can always remove it and plug in the original harness to the fans if I wanted. Coolant is Zerex G05. The change in cooling is dramatic. Yesterday in Toronto it was 90F+ (32C) and my drive home from work was the first real test. The coolant never passed the 190F mark on the gauge, in fact most of the time it was lower because the fans were on. The fans turn on just before the 190F mark and even when the car was stationary, the fans had no trouble bringing the coolant temp down to somewhere around 170F, and that's with the AC on and sitting in traffic with an outside temp of 91F. Hard to say if the new shroud or the new fans are what helped most, I suspect the old fans were getting tired and new fans account for most of the improvement. Maybe some power is lost through the fusebox as well and wiring the fans directly to the battery gives a bit more power as well. Whatever did the trick, I couldn't be happier! Photo showing temp sitting in traffic yesterday.

    By the way, in case anyone is curious, you cannot fit 575 fans and the 575 shroud on a 550, not enough space. You can fit 575 fans with the 550 shroud, or 550 fans with a 575 shroud. I found out the hard way. If anyone needs some new 575 fans with electrical connectors changed to work with a 550, I have them!

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  2. hwyman

    hwyman Formula Junior

    Jun 25, 2015
    329
    Canada / Los Angeles
    Great job Ryan. Always cool (no pun intended) when someone finds a way to incorporate newer parts into these cars
     
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  3. Rex71

    Rex71 Formula Junior

    Mar 24, 2007
    349
    Jeddah,Saudi Arabia
    Full Name:
    Majd B.
    +1
    A few years ago, I replaced the fans of my previous 550 with the ones made by SPAL (30102113) and the result was excellent during slow speed traffic in the summer of the middle east.
     
    F456M likes this.
  4. dannyg

    dannyg Karting

    Oct 25, 2016
    53
    sport mode in the city, you're a naughty boy
     
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  5. ///Mink

    ///Mink Formula Junior

    Sep 5, 2006
    808
    Fair Oaks, CA
    Full Name:
    Tom Mink
    Your airbag light is on.
     
  6. AVIMAX

    AVIMAX Formula Junior

    Aug 5, 2014
    686
    Toronto
    Full Name:
    Ryan
    Yup, fried the airbag ecu. Bought a used one off eBay a few weeks ago, no more light.
     
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  7. ///Mink

    ///Mink Formula Junior

    Sep 5, 2006
    808
    Fair Oaks, CA
    Full Name:
    Tom Mink
    Curious how you fried it. I've heard trying to start it with a low/dead battery will do the deed.
     
  8. AVIMAX

    AVIMAX Formula Junior

    Aug 5, 2014
    686
    Toronto
    Full Name:
    Ryan
    Not really sure how I did it, but SD2 could not communicate, so I replaced the ECU with a used one and the light when away.
     
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  9. F456M

    F456M F1 Rookie

    Jan 8, 2010
    3,665
    Oslo
    Full Name:
    Erik
    Great to see your results! I have the same problem on mine. Just curious, why is it so that these parts are not interchangable? I fitted my old 550 fans to my new 575 shroud. It helped quite a bit, but I still need more powerful fans. Did you feel any difference in AC performance meaning that the AC blows colder? I am interested in buying your 575 fans and put them into my 550 with 575 shroud. How are your new Spal fans compared to the 575 ones you want to sell? Should I fit same as you got instead?
     
  10. F456M

    F456M F1 Rookie

    Jan 8, 2010
    3,665
    Oslo
    Full Name:
    Erik
    Hi again Ryan.
    When I Google SPAL 30102113, these fans show up... Looks exactly like 550 fans... Are these the same fan as fitted to a 550 as when they were new? My question translates to if you did install new fans, but same as original 550 fans, because if that is the case, then your wiring harness might make s lot of difference! I might start there and make new wiring so my old fans are in still while I check if the new wiring is doing the trick. My fuse box is seriously hot when the fans are on continiously... not good. One more question: did you cut the old connectors off your original wiring to be fitted to your new, or did you buy the same connectors and put them on bigger gauge wires? Thanks a lot. I have my car home in Norway in these Corona times, and I plan to take it down to south of France later this summer if there are no more restrictions. It can be 90-100 degrees down there, and my 550 can’t go down there now without fixing the overheat problem. During the winter, it is no problem, but now it is impossible! As long as the temp keep raising above 190, I considder it overheating as I have to turn the heat on full if I have to wait long enough. And that is every day in that horrendous traffic.
     
  11. F456M

    F456M F1 Rookie

    Jan 8, 2010
    3,665
    Oslo
    Full Name:
    Erik
  12. AVIMAX

    AVIMAX Formula Junior

    Aug 5, 2014
    686
    Toronto
    Full Name:
    Ryan
    Hi Erik,

    You are correct the Spal fan 30102113 is the same fan as the original, but the motor housing is now sealed and so the motor housing is a bit bigger than the original fans. The 575 fans will not fit with the 575 shroud because the 575 fans are not as low profile as the 550 fans. The added height of the 575 shroud and the 575 fans means there is not enough room. The ABS pump is in the way, and the suspension accelerometer is in the way. I managed to trim a little off the fan housings to squeeze the 575 fans in, but then there was absolutely no room for the downpipes off the airboxes. I see the 575 does not have those downpipes off the airboxes.

    I think as the fans age, they become less efficient and may even draw more current on start up resulting in overheating in the fuse box and reduced performance. The wires for the fans in my fuse box were starting to turn brown near the connector, luckily no melting yet. I've since replace the pins in the connectors for the fan wiring to ensure good contact. I added new fans and new wiring at the same time, therefore I cannot be sure what made more of an improvement, the fans or the wiring, but I'm happy to not have that high current going through the fuse box every time the fans start. I did not cut any connectors, I bought new matching connectors so that I could plug the car's harness into my harness and my harness to the fans. It is plug and play. I can disconnect my harness and plug the fans back into the car's harness if I want.

    Once thing to note. When I put everything together, I used 30A fuses in my wiring between the battery and the new relays to the fans thinking that since these fans are supposed to be the same as original, and the fusebox has 30A fuses, I should be good with 30A fuses. This was not the case. The fuses blew right away when the fans turned on. I checked with SPAL, and they confirmed to me that the 30102113 fans require 40A fuses to handle the startup current, so I swapped in some 40A fuses and no more problem. I guess this means that maybe I cannot just plug the new fans back into the car's harness, the 30A fuses in the fuses will blow. It's been a hot summer in Toronto and so far the fans are working great. Coolant temp is never more than 190F and AC is blowing ice cold even when sitting in traffic.

    Good luck Erik.
     
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  13. F456M

    F456M F1 Rookie

    Jan 8, 2010
    3,665
    Oslo
    Full Name:
    Erik
    Ok thank you. It sound like the newer Spals are much more efficient than the original ones that were fitted by the Ferrari factory. The fuse that blows would in my opinion confirm this. No way it can be the same fan even though they look the same. Then all the 30A fuses would blow too. I an very very thankful for doing this change as it is a real problem for me to drive the Ferrari i south of France when for example going in a meeting During a 35 deg day and I need to turn on the heater and heater fan to maintain a «safe» temp for the engine... What kind of relays did you put in? Did you lengthen the wires of the fans or are they long enough to reach a relay that is accessible from the inside of the wing? I will get some new fans aswell. Maybe someone here can tell Us how many amp fuse a standard 575 has? If it is less than the 40A of the new Spal fans, then the new «550-style» fan should be more efficient than a standard 575 fan.... Thanks again! Erik
     
  14. hwyman

    hwyman Formula Junior

    Jun 25, 2015
    329
    Canada / Los Angeles
    My thoughts would be that the positive wire would run from your battery through the 40Amp fuse into the positive terminal on the relay, the wire would be spliced to also power the acc terminal on the relay, the third relay input normally reserved for the temp switch would come from the current positive trigger from the ecu (aka the positive input currently on your fan) then the line out of the relay would go to the positive terminal on the fan. The negative line could be grounded or run to the battery. This way the flow through power +ve on the relay would be switched by the ecu signal. That's just my thoughts I could be wrong
     
  15. F456M

    F456M F1 Rookie

    Jan 8, 2010
    3,665
    Oslo
    Full Name:
    Erik
    Hi Majd B.
    Interesting observation.
    If you changed the fans only and not the wiring, and they are the exact same fan as Avimax / Ryan just bought and put in, then indeed the old fans are either seriously worn and are much less efficient, or the Spal factory have «upgraded» them ro be more efficient... I guess you do not have the issue with blowing 30A fuse? Can it be so that the new wiring of Ryan is making more current go through and that causes the fuse to blow? What is the milage of your 550? also, which temperatures are you running your car in? Do you also have a 575 shroud around your fans? Thanks for some valuable info.

    Erik
    Oslo
     
  16. AVIMAX

    AVIMAX Formula Junior

    Aug 5, 2014
    686
    Toronto
    Full Name:
    Ryan
    Below is how I wired it. Note that the two connectors highlighted in yellow would be connected together normally, meaning the car's harness to the fan, and of course since there are 2 fans, I did this for each fan separately. I am posting this as a reference only, please be sure you know what you are doing before messing with your wiring!

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  17. Rex71

    Rex71 Formula Junior

    Mar 24, 2007
    349
    Jeddah,Saudi Arabia
    Full Name:
    Majd B.
    Hi Erik,

    Honestly, I don’t remember all the details because I sold the 550 several years ago and currently driving a 599.

    I do remember the workshop's electrician saying he had to do some external wiring /relays/fuses.

    I also instructed him to make the new relays operate utilizing the signal from the original wires, most likely similar to what AVIMAX posted above.

    This is because the fans should stop if the car exceeds a certain speed where the natural air flow is enough to cool the radiators and this will prevent overloading the electrical system.

    Also one thing to keep in mind is to bleed the air properly from the cooling system.

    Hope you find this useful.
     
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  18. hwyman

    hwyman Formula Junior

    Jun 25, 2015
    329
    Canada / Los Angeles
    Hey Ryan Im assuming its a positive trigger on these cars?
     
  19. hwyman

    hwyman Formula Junior

    Jun 25, 2015
    329
    Canada / Los Angeles
    Im working with a company in AZ to make a high quality plug and play dual fan relay kit. No cutting
     
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  20. AVIMAX

    AVIMAX Formula Junior

    Aug 5, 2014
    686
    Toronto
    Full Name:
    Ryan
    Not sure what you mean, but it doesn't matter which way you hook up the wires to trigger the relay, it's either current or no current to activate the solenoid inside. If you mean the fan side of the relay, it is closed when energized, open when not.
     
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  21. F456M

    F456M F1 Rookie

    Jan 8, 2010
    3,665
    Oslo
    Full Name:
    Erik
    Thanks for these clarifications. I sent an e-mail to Spal USA, and asked if they had something a bit more heavy duty that would have the same dimentions.... this is the answer I got:


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  22. AVIMAX

    AVIMAX Formula Junior

    Aug 5, 2014
    686
    Toronto
    Full Name:
    Ryan
    Funny thing is, they say it's unsealed and the original 550 fans had openings in the motor housing, but when I received the 30102113 fans, they certainly seemed to be sealed to me. The fan blades and surrounding housing were identical, but the motor housing a bit changed and a bit bigger.
     
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  23. F456M

    F456M F1 Rookie

    Jan 8, 2010
    3,665
    Oslo
    Full Name:
    Erik
    Are the 575’s cooling fans also powered by two relays on the fuse boards? I do remember that the 575 fans are more powerful, or at least another design.

    Ryan, do you hear any difference in the sound from your bew fans? Like they are more heathy and run faster... When I bought my 550, I remember that my previous car, a 456M, also from same year 1999, had more noisier fans than my new then in 2013 550. Like they were more powerful. Might be other type of fans. But remember, the 456M came in 1998, but the 550 came in 1996/7.... So they might have had a problem already from the start in 1997 and updated the fans next year when the 456 came out.
     
  24. AVIMAX

    AVIMAX Formula Junior

    Aug 5, 2014
    686
    Toronto
    Full Name:
    Ryan
    The new fans are a bit louder but not much.
     
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  25. F456M

    F456M F1 Rookie

    Jan 8, 2010
    3,665
    Oslo
    Full Name:
    Erik
    I just found out that there is a motorsport equipment store here in Norway that have new SPAL fans in stock.

    Some special observations...: Fans that suck in air from the radiator have straight fins, but fans that push air in from the front side, have curved fins/vanes/blades. On a 550 it is opposite... The shop have two 14 inch fans that have a housing that look identical to the 550 one. However, the one that such have straight blades. Original Ferrari 550 have curved... But when looking closely, it appears that the original 550 blades are curved the opposite direction! As he had a different type of part numbers, it appears difficult to make a straight comparison. But no question that there is some more to it than just the diameter. The sucher and the pusher have the same fan motor design and measurements, but the sucker are rated as lower capacity! 2400 M3 vs. 3100 M3. I considdered to buy the sucker version with the straight blades. But with less capacity, I got confused.

    when looking closely at the Eurospares parts cataloge on their website, I found the following:

    1) 550 Maranello have small area curved blades and Ferrari part number 160910

    2) 550 Barchetta have the same 160910, but with an *alternative* is a fan with bigger blades and number 181604 in combination of what looks to be a 575 style shroud (see 575 picture).

    3) 575M Maranello have a third type. 208819... Looks to be same shroud as 550 Barchetta, but not same fan!

    I told the guy that I want the absolute most powerful fans availible for my car that is a direct fit. So now he is going to get an answer from Spal in Italy! Will be i teresting to hear what they say.

    their price is around 250 dollars so very convenient for me. And quite a lot less expencive than Eurospares too.

    Erik

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