Elect. Fan Opinions Wanted

W

Williboy

Well-known member
Supporter 2018
I decided to install an auxillary elect pusher fan and was wondering which brand to buy.
Flex-a-lite??? Derale??? Perma-cool?? Etc...
I'm looking for a thin high CFM 14''
Straight or Curved Blades??
Suggestions??? Opinions??? Other considerations???

Thanks,

Glen
 
FWIW,my experience with the pusher fan was that it was more of a hindrance than a help. It actually blocks air from the rad causing it to have to run more. Best thing for me was fixing what was wrong in the first place, which was my 2 year old rad. I replaced the rad, moved it forward so the same fan would fit behind it and my overheating problem went away. The only time it climbs above 160 now is if I'm idling with the a/c on. The only time the fan ever comes on is when I am idling.

Don
 
Not to go against anything Comet said,
I took my metal fan off and installed a 16" electric fan and it is awesome. I have it in front of the radiator, and my motor NEVER overheats, nor does it really get much over 160*. I cant tell you which company to go with, I dont even know what mine is, but I recomend the swap!
Matt
 
I would go with one of ours of course. Best bet is to the use the fan as a puller if you have the room. You get more CFM that way. I would use our 16" High Performance one as that is the best fan we have. If space is an issue use the 14".
 
My experience is the same as 66Sprint6. I have a 16" pusher Mr. Gasket brand. I had to do some fab work to make it fit though. Removing the mechanical fan is one of the easiest ways to gain hp. Always remove as much as you can off the crank shaft.

Ideally, I would have liked to do what Okefenokee Comet did and install my fan as a puller. As it turned out though, my fix worked and was cheaper as I didn't have to invest in a new radiator.
 
Remove the mechanical fan and install an electric, and have an
increase in HP. Think for a minute. The current needed to run the
fan must come from an added load to the charging system. The
altenator or generator is going to produce more of a load to the
engine, a trade off at best.
Just my two cents worth.
Art
 
The alt is turning anyway so the fan isn't going to add a whole lot. Plus, unlike a mechanical fan, electric fans only runs when needed, at idle usually. And at idle, hp doesn't matter.
I always thought the hp gain was insignificant, but I just read on high hp engines, it can be as much as double digit percentages.
 
While doing a search for electric fans myself I found this article....
http://www.mustangandfords.com/howto/25858/

Also from another mustang board found something very interesting...
I was reading the May 2000 'Car Craft' and I came across something very interesting. They did a dyno test on a 496 horsepower chubby, {yes, I know -- but we can still get some useful info on this...} and they tested different cooling fans to see what kind of drag each different type has.

Check this out;
Alternator, no fan: 496 hp
Black Magic electric fan: 494 hp
Thermal clutch fan: 487 hp
Nonthermal clutch fan: 485 hp
Heavy duty thermal clutch fan: 476 hp
High performance flex fan: 476 hp
Stock four blade fan: 473 hp
Low profile flex fan: 466 hp
One piece plastic flex fan: 460 hp
OE replacement six blade rigid fan: 449 hp

They found the alternator alone, a 63 amp unit, only sucked 1 horsepower.
Click to expand...


http://www.mustangsandmore.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/004276.html

Alex
 
Yeah, mine only runs when it gets really hot...idle, in traffic. When driving around, the motor cools down drastically on its own, and when your driving is when you need the power. Its not a trade off at all unless your motor runs hot all the time or you dont know how to set your fan temp switch. You can also turn it off with an override switch if you REALLY thought you needed the power that you supposively loose from the current it draws.
Matt
 
im running two 10" fans side by side ,which has the thin edges of the electric fan in the middle of the rad providing clearance for my waterpump pulley .Plus you get a added saftey factor if one breaksdown
youve still got one .

cheers Dave
 
Thanks everyone for the info and advice. I thinking about going with the perma-cool in front. Don't have enough room between the rad and the water pump to get anything worthwhile to fit.

Glen
 
ford37nut":1yn6gbtl said:
Remove the mechanical fan and install an electric, and have an
increase in HP. Think for a minute. The current needed to run the
fan must come from an added load to the charging system. The
altenator or generator is going to produce more of a load to the
engine, a trade off at best.
Just my two cents worth.
Art
Click to expand...

Your logic is correct if you are going to operate the EXACT same fan at the EXACT same CFM under the EXACT same conditions. It will actually require MORE power to run the electric fan because the mechanical energy has to turn the alternator and then the electric motor has to turn the fan. There are efficiency losses every time you convert from one energy source to another. But, as several members have pointed out, the electric fan when controlled by a thermostat, actually uses less total power in the long run. Another trick is to install a cutout switch to disable the alternator for short periods of time.
Joe
 
This " added load" talk got me thinking. How can you compare the load difference between a fan that is run off a pulley moving air, to that of a magnetic field that is produced in the alt. True the more draw asked of the alt is going to cause more load. But that should be fractional of the power need to move a 15" fan. I think MandarinaRacing post shows that. The fan's used more HP than the alt with an elect fan load.
Years ago I had a clutch fan go out on a old Cutlass I had. I swapped it out with a OE rigid fan that a friend gave me. What a difference!!! it felt like I was towing a trailer. Huge power loss. Went out and bought a clutch the next day.
Ok, need coffee

Glen
 
That was my point, we are comparing apples to oranges. But if you tried to drive the stock fan with an electric motor that was powered by the alternator, it will require MORE power due to the energy losses.
Joe
 
How much CFM do these 200's need? I need to replace my fan I've been thinking electric as well.



-Chris
 
i have an extar fan if you need it chris...I just have to remove it...
 
I fail to understand how more electric draw from the addition of electric pumps and fans is going to change the resistance the alternator puts on the engine.

The RPM's of the engine don't change, the wiring and field inside the alternator don't change, the output of the alternator isn't going to change. If anything your battery won't get charged because of all the extra draw from the addition of electric fans and pumps. The alternator isn't going to produce more or less juice. The only thing that will change is where the juice goes.

So what get a new alternator that puts out the juice required to run your electric system and charge your battery at the same time.

There is a reason why people convert to electric pumps (fuel and water) and fans. More power and the results from May 2000 Car Craft prove it.
 
Thats what I was thinking too. The Alt is putting out "X" amount of amps. The regulator is determing how much volt/amps is going where depending on the load. The only time it could be a problem is at a long idle with everything elect running.
On a simular note I once had my GEN light go out and wasn't energizing the alt. But when I would touch the field wire with 12 volts you could hear the RPM on the motor drop by the alt kicking in.
 
When you put a larger load on the alternator, the resistence goes up because the magnetic fields that push the electrons do have more resistance...

Think of trying to push two magnets like poles together.

however, the increase in draw because of this resistance is insignificant compared to the resistance of a mechanical fan on the engine

going to an electric fan from a mechanical will definitely net you more useable horsepower
 
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