I thought you guys would find this funny/interesting.

Yesterday I took out my PS fan to make sure it actually wasn't working and low and behold it wasn't. I noticed it looked a lot like a computer fan and me being a techie have fans laying around all over the place. Picked up a bunch of different sizes till I found out the perfect size is 92mm.

Now to mount it you have to use the screws that come with the computer fan not the PS fan which means you will have have to open up the hole on the mounting bracket just a tad. From there you cut the connector off the PS fan and splice it onto the wires for the case fan. *note: most case fans have 3 wires: ground, power, and speed. Most of them don't tell you which is which but almost always the center one is speed so with the battery figure out which wires are which. The power and speed wires will have to be intertwined so it runs at full speed at all times*

Once your done connect it all up and watch it run! Now the one I have in right now is a shitty 1600rpm fan just to test it out while I get a "tornado 92mm fan" that is a double bearing fan that runs at a whopping 4800rpm and comes with a protective grille!

I'll have a video up later

Hope this helps people and if you need help just let me know!

 

Is this “computer” fan rated for wet environments?

How many amps is it drawing?

Are the bearings sealed for a wet/corrosive environment?

IMO I’d just stick with the factory solution as imperfect as it might be. At least if my garage starts on fire I can point the finger at someone else.

 

Good point!
Sometimes saving a buck can be costly..

 

Way to blow his dreams!

That fan isn't meant for the outdoorsy lifestyle. It will likely die the first rainfall or carwash.

 

If your PS fan is bad and or your PS pump you might want to make sure you don't fall under the campaign recall notice. My fan was stuck and they updated it with a new pump and fan for free from dealer.. check it out!

 

LOL not at all, i have the protective tubing so its get minimal contact with the enviorment. if a computer fan set my mini in flames i would gladly eat my own underwear lol. notice how the first thing i said was that this was funny. i knew most people would be on board with it, but if in six months the fan is still running strong well see whos laugh then!

 

i have an 06 unfortunately:( that wouldve been my first choice

 

Props, can't argue with results. Please keep updating your progress.

 

thanks, will do! the most forseeable problem i have is that i live in south florida and am lowered quite a bit so puddles will be my worst enemies. i have been reading up on how to make the fan mostly water proof so well see how that goes. i did it as a fun little project with no real goal, but hey you never know

 

so 2 month in and its still running. mind you about 5 days after i installed it i had to remove the the shield because im too low lol. ive encountered plenty of rain storms and puddles being that im in south Florida. also this is a crappy $7 fan from my job. i havent upgraded to the premium high speed fan due to laziness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-Et...ature=youtu.be

 

My factory PS fan has been running for over 10 years......knock on wood. I would probably just replace it with a factory fan if it ever dies.

 

Just guessing....
Since you (the op)don't have road salt, sand, cinder, and de-icing liquids, you fan leads an easy life....
Still....

 

It does deal with extreme rain and puddles tho so its not a walk I'm the park for it

 

All for hobo remedies but why experiment w/ uncertainty & risks when you can sub an identical $50 Spal fan in w/ very little work & terminal tweaking.

http://www.a1electric.com/Merchant2/..._Code=30103018

 

Yes, I was thinking the same thing. Just buying the Spal fan is much cheaper than the whole assembly, and you don't have to wonder if it's going to hold up over time.

 

what are these risks that everyone is so concerned about? and where is the fun in buying a fan you already know is gonna work lol?

 

Hmm...
Having to pay $500-650 PLUS INSTALL for a new PS pump....add the inconvenience of the afternoon at the shop, and the HUGE arm muscles you will have driving without the pump for a few days waiting for the appointment....
Guess you could diy it...install a used one....or a no name rebuild save a $, but those threads usually don't end well....
Simply spend $50-100, have the right part, be done with it....
At the very least, get a sealed ball bearing fan (like the spal)....stealing a computer casecfan from work....er...OK maybe you bought it from them? ....but the designs are radically different....sure it is a fan...
Never before has somebody tried so hard to spend $800 by saving $75......

 

The reason I did this is because the fan stopped working. For quite some time for a while I suspect so putting this fan in isn't going to increase my chances for pump failure. Was accusing me of stealing a fan I bought necessary? I was trying to show people they didn't have to pay butt rape prices for BMW parts. But if you like taking it in the *** so much, be my guest. No judgment here lol

P. S. Please learn how to type. Reading your posts make my eyes want to bleed

 

Chill, guys. We all mean well. I, like you, enjoy experiments/tinkering & find fulfillment in new discoveries, too. Fires caused by faulty electricals including the PS are well documented. The proper & proven replacement Spal may cost 7x your computer fan, but it's still pretty hobo at 50, way less than the OE assembly. Zippy was just magnifying the premium we all should put on safety.

 

Javskies.....is this the "Tornado Fan" you are running? It's a PC fan right?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811999613

It's $16....vs. the correct SPAL fan you can get for $50? To me that's a no brainer......a fan that was designed for a home PC to be used in a clean and dry environment vs. a fan that was designed and selected by the OEM to be installed on a car and deal with moisture and dirt.......I think I'll spend the extra $34 and by the SPAL.

 

Not trying to slam the op....
Just was trying to state something in a firm enough way to make a point...
It was not meant to be an attack of any type.....
Just for some backgrounds...there is an old mini on fire thread...burning mini...etc...mini added a small box (that is thought to be a thermal fuse of sorts) to the spal fan in about 2005...the fires ended....then more recently, the spal fan mini is selling is stronger, with better seals on the bearings.... So if you do buy it from a 3rd party, bare, reuse the box on the wires, and get the part number from a person/source who got it off a fan in the last 3 years or so...the older fan is still around bare...but mini moved on...
Just trying to make a point.... Sometimes it is worth saving a few $$, but when the risk of $$$ (especially in a hot environment) exceeded the savings several HUNDRED TIMES OVER....it becomes a dubious undertaking at best. The PS pump is stressed in hot areas, especially with big 17+ inch rims....running with an iffy fan tropical heat.....just cannot end well...and you are not covered by the extended warrenty....so double ouch.

 

I wish my mini had a power steering fan.

 

Every MINI from the factory came with a power steering fan. But if yours is missing for some reason, the first post explains how you can use a computer fan.

 

i feel like he has a classic mini lol

 

Oh yea mines missing as were a lot of parts. The motor and tranny were in boxes. With parts missing from them as we'll. how do you mount that fan with no original bracket?