Variable Speed Control Module with Stainless Steel Temperature Probe (31165 / 123241)

I rebuilt my 2000 Wrangler 4.0 Sport cooling system. This included a high-flow water pump, high-flow thermostat housing, thermostat (stayed 195) and several hoses. I left the OEM radiator as the last thing to change if I needed too. It turned out unnecessary due to the 485.I'm using the Black Magic model 485 @3400CFM fan with this controller.The 485 fan can be found here:Flex-a-lite 485 Direct-Fit Black Magic X-Treme electric fan for '87-'06 Jeep WranglerAfter getting everything routed and configured the way I wanted I've now had several days of thorough testing. Even the first day included over 4 hours sitting in the scorching sun with the AC turned on, so it's been fairly tested already and this is just the early stages.When I say scorching, I'm talking 106+ heat index Texas. It's blazing and still climbing, the primary reason I wound up in the market rebuilding my cooling system. It's been a fun project and the results are great.At this moment I'm extremely happy with the controller. My vehicle cooling is now absolutely top notch and staying precisely where I want it at all times.The soft start is outstanding and a feature all fan controllers should implement.The build quality of the controller is simple but appears very effective. Previous revisions according to reviews had several issues. They appear to have been resolved in this latest revision. The result is a solid, more reliable controller.It's weather resistant but not weather proof. This is going to be important to people that bog their front clip through soupy mud, rivers or any other situation where moisture and corrosion can impact modules under the hood.Although I never saw anyone do this in the hundreds (yes hundreds) of reviews I've read about this controller before purchase, I personally decided to 100% avoid this potential by installing the controller inside my cab.I made room for it behind my glove box. Now it won't matter what's going on outside - this controller will not be affected by it. This should help it last for the life of the vehicle, or the life of the components inside the controller at-least.To further help keep the controller itself and all wires working long term I used heat-shrink fittings and heat-shrink tube everywhere. The wires that comes with the controller are quite good. 4 heavy 10AWG are permanently attached for the primary power, while smaller gauge wire is provided for the rest.The lengths of the wires included are sufficient for those planning under-hood installations. I purchased additional wire, including color coded 10AWG from local shop to make sure I had plenty to reach my inside target.I also added an indicator light inside for the fan. It's a variable voltage LED fed by tapping into the positive and negative fan power leads off the controller. It works perfectly, including showing the variable voltage of the controller via its dim level.This specific method of tapping into the fan power leads to feed the light is a direct response to me asking Flex-a-lite engineer the method they recommend to add such a light to their controller.Below is part of the response I got from Flex-a-lite staff on my question:Direct Quote: "Anyway, we do not have a diagram or write up on how to install an indicator light on the VSC, but I can give you a brief explanation on how it can be done. Basically, there is no way to wire 2 lights, so you will have to go with your second option. You will use an LED and wire it as follows. The positive side of your LED will tap into the yellow wire at position 3 on the VSC. The negative side of your LED will tap into the purple wire at position 2 on the VSC."It works very well and is safe to do assuming the light is a proper 12v automotive or other appropriate light.The temperature adjustment pot of the controller is the least enjoyable aspect of the controller design. It's a very simple, limited component without any proper notations. This leaves you blind to guess and experiment to dial in whatever temperature you're aiming for.To eliminate this problem I used a combination of an ODB2 scanner monitoring the engine coolant and the LED. With these I was able to precisely get the fan doing what I wanted, when I wanted it.The OBD2 scanner can be found here:OBD2 Scanner, Seekone Professional Car Auto Diagnostic Code Reader OBDII & CAN Vehicle Engine O2 Sensor Systems EOBD Scanners Tool for all OBDII Protocol Cars Since 1996(Upgraded SR860)In the end my cooling is working fantastic and this controller is a key reason. I've used cheaper fans and controller. They're far less potent, lack soft start and variable. This controller is worth it from what I've experienced so far.

I used this controller for an LS swap e fan conversion. Works great with the factory e fans in 03-06 trucks/ suvs. Wiring was straight forward and easy to understand. Tool less than one hour to complete the job. One thing that could change is the length of wire coming out of the controller. It’s pretty short and looks tacky when you have a controller with but splices immediately headed towards the fans or battery. Other than that I have used them on LS swaps, e fan conversions, duramax fan swaps. Great product and not cheaply made like the Chinese versions.

This is a nice unit. Its a little pricey but it doesn't look like the other style with just the adjustable knob. I couldn't live with that ugly thing in my engine bay.I had the unit before this one. The unit I had before had connectors all over it and everything plugged into it. What happened was that the connectors went bad and pulled out. I was able to fix it but I ended up buying another one. Also It comes with the beefy fuse. The old style, the fuse was small and I went through like 4 different fuse holders and fuses because it kept melting. Good call FINALLY.The new one for the main power has wire leads coming out of the unit, which is better because It cant break like the old one. I love the fact that this unit Powers at 60% then at 100% when the temperature goes up. It doesn't put much of a load on the engine either.This unit is for the type of person who wants a clean looking engine bay, clean wiring, and effectiveness. Its only a little bit more than the model before it, but it looks SO MUCH BETTER!

i've been using this product is very good. i've used it so far for three month and it can handle all but the most hardware fan setup. i like how i can easily add manual override-on so i can force it on, and even convert the probe style temp to NPT style ANYtime i want. the soft start feature is also excellent to reduce the effect of amperage spike for e-fans. all wiring for this kit comes with 10gauge (sometimes it almost feels like 8gauge) so i can handle the amperage.the minus: kit is alittle bulky so its not as easy to hide it. with the big fuse holder, it makes installation alittle less clean. also i did not like the temp adjustment dials, that had no temperature indicator so you have to guess what you set it for.overall i'd recommend this to anyone. i've called flex-a-lite support about three times to ask various technical questions. they are very courteous and know their product very well.

I bought this controller because it was one of the few on the market with worthwhile features that has the capability to run multiple fans off of one controller without a separate relay. Reliability is still undetermined, but the kit includes just about everything you need. The only thing I had to buy was a different size battery terminal lug from the one included. I also bought additional connectors, heat shrink tubing, and flex cable covering at Home Depot for a few bucks. Fans work terrific on this controller. I have it connected to two 16" Zirgo hi flow fans in parallel on a 98 Ford Expedition 4x4 for towing applications. It has no problem controlling the hight current fans. My ONLY complaint would be that the temp sensor wiring appears to be very small (ie. fragile). I enclosed mine in flex cable to protect it. Sensor location is also critical on this application. The best part is that if the sensor fails, I can jumper the controller to put the fans at 100% or just turn on the A/C wich automatically puts my fans at 60% rpm. It's small, good quality, and fits the bill with high end design features. You shouldn't be dissapointed.

Worked as expected although I did not have enough wire ends for all the connections. Take your time routing the wiring, this is a little more difficult to install than most due to multiple circuits to control the fan. Very good system hope it lasts.