Wings-B-Cool Vs. McKeen Electronic Otterstat

[DMCJosh85]

For those that have gone with either of these I'm really interested in hear your opinions and how the systems have worked out over time with driving on hot/warm days (think 90 F+).

I've purchased from both sources and have seen the great quality in their products but I was curious what others may think as owners of either. I currently don't have overheating issues but on those long red lights I'll see the needle start getting closer to 220 before the cooling fans kick on. As a matter of my preference I want better control at keeping the engine closer to the first quarter segment line as I find my default kick on temperature for the fans to be too high.

the DPNW system looks to replace the otterstat switch in the engine bay where as the Mckeen solution if im not mistaken takes the reading from the data that the gauge would display and use that to determine your settings to select a time to close the circuit and start running the fans. So 2 different ways to get the same result. Thank you all

[Nate88]

For those that have gone with either of these I'm really interested in hear your opinions and how the systems have worked out over time with driving on hot/warm days (think 90 F+).

I've purchased from both sources and have seen the great quality in their products but I was curious what others may think as owners of either. I currently don't have overheating issues but on those long red lights I'll see the needle start getting closer to 220 before the cooling fans kick on. As a matter of my preference I want better control at keeping the engine closer to the first quarter segment line as I find my default kick on temperature for the fans to be too high.

the DPNW system looks to replace the otterstat switch in the engine bay where as the Mckeen solution if im not mistaken takes the reading from the data that the gauge would display and use that to determine your settings to select a time to close the circuit and start running the fans. So 2 different ways to get the same result. Thank you all

I just installed DPNW's adjustable fan switch about a month or so ago. Unfortunately, haven't been able to test it on hot days yet (have to wait until next year) but I'm happy with the way it works so far.

Pretty easy install, it uses the same wires as the otterstat, just unplug from otterstat and plug into the adjustable fan switch. The only slight issue I ran into was getting the hose over the temp sensor on the hard line. Ended up completely removing the hard line to get the silicone hose over everything. Very easy to adjust what temperature you want the fans to come on. I have it adjusted a bit earlier than the stock otterstat.

I have some of Mckeen's other relays and I also agree the quality is great. I *think* there is some wiring changes you need to do for his otterstat in the relay compartment and that was a bit more than I wanted to get into right now. The nice thing about his though is the original otterstat can stay in play and act as a backup. But DPNW's adjustable fan switch works great with Mckeen's solid state fan relay that I've installed as well.

[CFI]

A manual fan switch is another option. Cheap, easy to install, and full control over when the fans come on.

[Ethan Rode]

After servicing a few cars with Wings B Cool, I wouldn't recommend.

-The thermostat looks suspiciously similar to the ones I used to replace when I worked on pressure washers. They would get dead spots, or fall apart regularly
-There isn't any sort of scale to show what the setpoint on the thermostat is. You'll need to experiment to find what works for you.
-The installation of the probe is in-elegant, and hard on the hose and pipe.

As much as I like Dave's products, The system works just fine as designed. In my opinion the best upgrade for the fan switching is DGo's pipe with the threaded switch.

The fans are only meant to assist the cooling system in shedding heat, they won't compensate for problems elsewhere in the system.

If you're looking to improve your cooling performance, I'd suggest an aluminum radiator/fan shroud from DPI or DGo, along with good soft rubber or silicone hoses. I've done four cars with DGo's parts, and they stay around 180 F in the summer with the AC blasting.

Cheers

[Nate88]

After servicing a few cars with Wings B Cool, I wouldn't recommend.

-The thermostat looks suspiciously similar to the ones I used to replace when I worked on pressure washers. They would get dead spots, or fall apart regularly
-There isn't any sort of scale to show what the setpoint on the thermostat is. You'll need to experiment to find what works for you.
-The installation of the probe is in-elegant, and hard on the hose and pipe.

As much as I like Dave's products, The system works just fine as designed. In my opinion the best upgrade for the fan switching is DGo's pipe with the threaded switch.

The fans are only meant to assist the cooling system in shedding heat, they won't compensate for problems elsewhere in the system.

If you're looking to improve your cooling performance, I'd suggest an aluminum radiator/fan shroud from DPI or DGo, along with good soft rubber or silicone hoses. I've done four cars with DGo's parts, and they stay around 180 F in the summer with the AC blasting.

Cheers

This is the first time I've heard of anything negative about the Wings B Cool setup. Did the cars you work on have any of the issues you've listed? Did the thermostat stop working? While I agree there isn't a scale, the instructions state to use the temperature gauge as your guide and set the dial to where you want the fans to come on. I would suspect once you get the thermostat set to where you want you hardly, if ever, adjust it again.

I would agree it was a bit difficult to install the probe and hose on the hard pipe, but I have checked it almost every time before I've driven the car and haven't had any leaks.

Not trying to be difficult, just want to get more information for others and myself as well.

[andyo]

I put in a second hand Wings B cool set up. Its worked fine for me so far. I've left it idling in my full sun driveway in the hot Florida summer for hours with no issues. It isn't pretty, so if a neat and tidy engine bay is important to you, you may want to consider another option.

I started out just buying a replacement otterstat which was bad from the vendor, so i decided i wanted something else.

should also mention, my entire cooling system is new from the water pump to the all aluminum radiator. only things i reused were the aluminum pipes.

[Ethan Rode]

This is the first time I've heard of anything negative about the Wings B Cool setup. Did the cars you work on have any of the issues you've listed? Did the thermostat stop working? While I agree there isn't a scale, the instructions state to use the temperature gauge as your guide and set the dial to where you want the fans to come on. I would suspect once you get the thermostat set to where you want you hardly, if ever, adjust it again.

I would agree it was a bit difficult to install the probe and hose on the hard pipe, but I have checked it almost every time before I've driven the car and haven't had any leaks.

Not trying to be difficult, just want to get more information for others and myself as well.

Yes, great questions.

The first car I encountered with Wings B Cool had an issue where the fan wouldn't turn on. I traced this issue to a dead spot or oxidation in the thermostat, the contacts were not closing, even up to the point of overheating. A little DeOxIt, and a few sweeps of the knob and the issue was resolved. We did end up replacing Wings B Cool with DGo's threaded otterstat, since the owner had lost confidence in Wings B Cool.

The second car had a coolant leak where the probe wire was clamped into the coolant pipe. This owner was using the hard White or Yellow Stripe hoses that already don't seal well. We replaced this section of hose with soft rubber, and added some rtv to aid in keeping the joint leak free in the long term. Did it work? Yes. Does it look homemade? Yes.

My experiences are anecdotal, and probably don't represent the majority of owner's experiences with the kit.

The people that engineered the car had sufficient knowledge and resources to determine the proper operating temperature range of the engine. While I think it's totally appropriate to increase cooling efficiency (aluminum radiator) and reliability (silicone hoses, modern coolant), I see no reason to mess with the set points of the engine operating temperature.

Hope this helps.

[DrWin]

I strongly recommend Daves Electronic Otterstat. I haven't tried the Wings-Be-Cool system.
I have all of Dave's relays on my cars and I am very fond of the elegant solutions he offers.

With regards to the Electronic Otterstat itself: Yes, som minor wiring mods are required. A few of his relays requires that, so I'd recommend getting all of them at once and installing them in one go. If the original Otterstat is left in place Dave's Electronic Otterstat will function as a backup. Also The Electronic Otterstat is adjustable. Further, it will alert you if the engine is overheating or if the alternator isnt' charging properly.

I've had the good luck of being saved by both alerts. Once when the alternator belt was loosening and once when the car was overheating b/c of a coolant leak. Very handy alerts!

[Chris4099]

It seems the otterstat is a prime candidate for an upgrade, regardless of which solution you go with. The stock switch just seems to be very fragile. I've seen lots of people with the DPNW switch and they seem very happy with it, but I find it to be a bit too mechanical for my taste (I'm more of a solid state kind of guy). So I went with the electronic one from Dave. The installation is more complex and can be more tricky if you aren't good with wiring (versus the DPNW which is just plug and play from an electrical perspective). However, after installation it's got some great features which brings the car into a more modern time (having audible alerts for temp/voltage issues).

I still have the stock switch wired in as backup, but honestly I'll probably just remove the whole thing at some point. I don't like how it can crack and possibly lead to a coolant leak. So whenever I can get around to replacing the pipe with one without the otterstat hole, I will. I still have my defrost switch wired up to manually turn on the fans which will work as a backup solution.