The fan depicted is at left from an early to mid-eighties Buick Century, Pontiac Grand Am, Olds Cutlass, or other General Motors mid-sized car with a front-wheel-drive 4 cylinder or V-6.   It is made by AC Delco and is designed to be the primary fan for the car it originated in.  This fan will likely be plentiful in any self-service auto salvage yard and should cost between $10 and $30.

Dimensions for this fan are as follows:
Height and Width: 17 inches at shroud edges
Depth at shroud housing next to motor: 3 1/8 inches
Depth at rear of fan motor: approx. 4 1/4 inches
Fan blade diameter: 14 inches.
NOTE: While not specifically used for this "how to" page, I have discovered that this fan also comes in a 16" blade version... same shroud style, etc.  Click thumbnail pic at right.  I have been told that this larger fan may be found on some Buick Park Avenues (and likely other larger front-wheel-drive General Motors cars).  If this is what you're looking for, then a little more research may be in order for you.

Since this fan will be mounted to the radiator, you'll need some mounting hardware.  The simplest method will be with sheet metal screws, washers and these funny little sheet metal nuts.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

The photo to the left shows an existing hole in the top flange of the radiator.  All Volvo radiators will have these holes for mounting of the original fan shroud.  The sheet metal nut can be used here.  You will then need to drill a small hole in the new fan shroud directly over the original hole.

The plan is for the new fan shroud to be fastened to the radiator by four such screws, two at the top and two at the bottom.  You may need to drill the holes in the bottom flange if there aren't rlready suitable holes.
 
 

The installed fan can be seen here in my 245, attached to a 3-row Nissens radiator.    

When remounting the water pump pulley, you may use the old studs and original nuts, however you will have a cleaner look if you remove the studs and use some short bolts in their place.

My own conversion uses a Hayden adjustable temperature relay, Hayden PN 3647, adjustable switch (160 to 230 degrees).  Comes with its own relay and an external temperature sensing probe to install in your radiator fins.  An AC or manual override-on feature can be hooked up as well.  The price is around $40.  http://www.haydenautomotive.com/index.html. It is available at many auto parts stores.

A standard type radiator temperature sensor can be used to trigger a fan too.

But are there other options available?

The following information was borrowed from Brickboard posts by Fitz Fitzpatrick

I would recomend reading the following posts before starting an electric fan conversion.  The first is a transcript of a discussion with a Volvo Technician at a local Volvo dealership and it covers some material on an electric fan conversion (and reasons not to do it).
http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=639874   Shop talk with a Volvo Mechanic

Should you still decide to go ahead with the conversion, this second link covers a lot of relevant information and some material on how to perform an electric fan conversion using a GM puller fan (behind the radiator, towards the engine), but much of the information is relevant to a pusher fan as well.
http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=692614   Electric Fan info for GM 4-cylinder engines

No matter what, make sure that your fan is capable of turning itself on if your engine starts to overheat. Since the Red-Block engines found in our 240 Volvos use an Iron block and an Aluminum head, the expansion rates of the metals are different. At overheat temperatures, the expanding head will literally push against the end head bolts (at cylinders 1 and 4) and warp itself, bowing upwards. This will cause a loss of compression, head gasket failure, and an expensive repair bill to have the head machined (assuming it is still within correctable tollerances). Before you chastise Volvo for using an aluminum head, they chose it with a reason. Valve temperatures are greatly reduced by the thermal conduction properties of the Aluminum head, and given proper cooling system maintance, the head should last as long as the block.

With that said, there are two primary reasons for performing an Electric Fan Conversion. The first is to reduce the engine drag at highway speeds. I don't think anybody has any actual Dyno-tested measurements, but in theory you should gain at least 1 to 2 horespower at highway speeds. (Remember, the fan does not match engine RPMs unless your radiator is overheated. The viscus clutch keeps it at lower speeds when additional cooling is unnecessary.) The second reason would be to
reduce the amount of stress on the waterpump. 240s tend to go through water pumps faster than a typical car (about 60,000 miles on average, and it's a good idea to change them at every other cooling system flush as preventative maintenance). The loads placed on the water pump bearings by the alternator and the huge fan shorten its potential service life.

God bless,
Fitz Fitzgerald.
'87 Blue 245, NA 229K

On Replacing or Upgrading the Viscous Fan Coupling (Clutch) in a Volvo

In early 2003 I purchased a rather pristine 1984 242 Turbo from a friend.  My intention was to keep this car as original as possible, so when it started to show elevated coolant temperatures in the summer while running the A/C, I decided to try the more traditional approach... OEM parts.  After some searching I located Volvo PN 1357433, the tropical (heavy duty) version of  fan clutch made by Aisin.  Surprisingly, it was only slightly higher in price than an original (standard) Aisin part.  It performed wonderfully, keeping temperatures well within check during the hottest climate.  I think it probably does make a little more noticeable "whooosh" sound during acceleration, which I think that is expected.

If you're interested in one of these, I have made them available here.

Back to Dave's 245 Turbo Page