On the passenger side of my engine, towards the rear, I have discovered some device that looks like an electric air pump or squirel cage blower. I cannot find any hoses or tubes running to it, but there is some square-ish ducting that runs up over the side of the engine and then splits into a Y and both ends of it open up over the top of the engine.

Is this something to keep the top of teh engine cool or something? It doesn't look like it would displace much heat. Its right up against the block kinda between the starter and alternator.

 

It's the injector / intake manifold cooler.... all fuel injected 280z's & 280zx's had it. It only comes on after the car is shut off, if at any time during that run, the car got above about 210 degrees. It comes on 1 minute after turning off the car, and runs for 17 minutes.

examples:





A lot of people take them off, for various reasons.

 

If it only comes on after the engine is halted, whats the point? I'd think a slow cool-down would be better for the components would it not?

maby we just found what keeps draining my battery :/

 

And this isn't a slow cool down?

Is yours always coming on? I put a lower temp thermostat in mine, so it never comes on... thas why I took mine off.

 

blowing cool air over it doesn't sound so slow to me... oh well.

I dunno if its always coming on, I've actually never noticed it running.

How do you remove it? I couldn't locate any mounting bolts in my dimly lit parkinglot, and my Chilton's manual doesn't seem to have it... or I jus can't seem to find it, lol.

Thanks.

 

If you think the fan keeps draining your battery, then you need a new battery and find the real culprit that is draining the battery.

 

#1... Blowing cool air onto a hot engine, doesn't instantly make it cool...

#2... If you've never heard it running... there's a good chance it's NOT draining your battery.

#3... Yes, there are bolts holding it on.

#4... Dunno about the Chilton manual, but there's info on it in the Haynes manual. The part is called "Auxiliary Cooling Fan." Look it up in the table of contents.

#5... As Darrel said, keep looking for the REAL culprit that's draining your battery.

 

The purpose of the fan is not really to cool any components. it's meant to prevent vapor lock in the fuel lines. After driving and getting the engine nice and hot, you shut the engine off. Well that exhaust manifold is just sitting there exuding all that excess heat. That heat can cause the fuel in the rail to turn to vapor if it gets hot enough. The cooling fan is meant to keep the rail cool enough to prevent that until the majority of the heat from the hot compartment has been dissipated.

It doesn't draw enough current to kill a healthy battery.

The fan itself is held to the engine block by a single bolt through a bracket near it's base. The ducting has two (maybe 3) screws holding it to the valve cover.

 

Yea, the ducting screws were sitting out there all easy to get to. Its that bracket bolt that I was missing. Thanks jfz

 

on my Zx it never worked so I rigged up a switch for it, simple on & off for autocross cooldowns & such...

 

It's not exactly "cool" air, since it's coming from your engine bay...

 

originally they had a weird plastic pipe on the intake of that fan that pulls air from the bottom of the engine compartment. Most of the 280ZX's I have seen do not have that pipe... or maybe that was only added later on... 1982/83? anyway, still not all that cold of air but at least it is moving air.
I took mine completely out too... I had to in order to install the traingular strut tower brace

 

i still have my fan, except for i put it on a switch so its always on when the motor is running.

 

Mine is long gone as well. It just gives the engine a little bit of a cleaner look, makes it easier to work on as well.

 

I still think that calling it the "Electric Turbo" and using it to scare the caca out of the Honda kids is the coolest.

Rod.