Cooling fans - electric or mech?

T

TxAgs66

Well-known member
Ok, got a good question for the group.

Currently I have a 5 blade fan that flexes a bit. I can still hear it which means it is making quite a bit of drag on the engine. Has anyone tried an electric fan setup. I tried a few years back, but the motor of the fan had to be offset due to hitting the water pump pulley bolt heads. I gave up and found the 5 blade at a swap meet.

I thought maybe 2 small ones would work as well. You could set up one to run full time and the other to run only when needed.

Any suggestions? Just trying to save a bit of power where possible.

Thanks,

Jason
 
8) i would look for a thin electric fan. with the six you only need about 2500 cfm of air flowing through the radiator to maintain proper temperature. start by measuring the distance between the water pump pulley and the radiator, and the check with summit racing and see if they have a fan that fits the bill. you can also move the radiator forward a bit to give a bit more room.
 
Isnt there something out of some late model Lincoln that works great? I tried a search but it must be mixed in other topics. Maybe Im thinking of another board/ make.
 
the mentioned taurus fans are popular (they are 2 speed) as are the Mark VIII fans (also a 2 speed) they draw alot of power though just as a warning. never looked at the mounting on them.

I am thinking of going to a E-Fan here shortly. I want to get the new motor in the car first and see how much room I have left.

I also need to convert my S10 to a pusher out in front of the radaitor for the V8 swap.
 
Jason-
I have a pusher electric 14" fan, electric temp switch plugged into the T-stat housing, variable temp control for the switch, and LED dash light to see when the fan kicks in, and an aftermarket temp gauge. Works nice on my 250- no room for a conventional fan or a puller electric since I installed a 3 row (EDITED oops I mean a 2 row) aluminum rad and the water pump on the 250 is longer than the 200.

Here is a link to some pics:

Marc's Alum Rad Pics

Good Luck!
 
MercuryMarc":35juq1gm said:
Jason-
I have a pusher electric 14" fan, electric temp switch plugged into the T-stat housing, variable temp control for the switch, and LED dash light to see when the fan kicks in, and an aftermarket temp gauge. Works nice on my 250- no room for a conventional fan or a puller electric since I installed a 3 row aluminum rad and the water pump on the 250 is longer than the 200.

Here is a link to some pics:

Marc's Alum Rad Pics

Good Luck!
Click to expand...

Can I have some specifics on the "adjustable" part of this set-up? You and I have the same set-up with the exception of the adjustable part and my fan doesn't shut off when I'd like it to. On a hot day doing 80mph down the freeway it turns on and causes the engine to run even hotter as it blocks natural air flow. My temp probe is a 210°-195°. IIRC my stat is a 185°. ANyway, my car keeps running too hot.
 
I just checked out your pics. I guess that gives me the specifics I asked for. I really don't want the capillary tube type of probe. Does anyone know of any other "adjustable" type of probe set-up?
 
LaGastra, I installed a set-up (I believe it was an idea from FordConvert) for my electric fan that uses a bathroom timer (used for lights or fans) that you can turn on your auto electric fan for however long you set the timer for. I do have to turn on the electric fan manually though; it is not an adjustable set-up! I keep an eye on my temperature gauge and "if" I feel I need the extra cooling of the electric fan (I still have a mechanical fan installed as well) I manually turn on the fan. What I really like about this set-up is that I can set the timer for about 10 minutes or so when I turn off the engine to go somewhere (like into a store or something) and I will know that the electric fan will keep the engine cool enough not to encounter a carburetor problem (vapor lock) when restarting. Note: The timer is used in 120volt set-up for the bathroom, but does not seem to have any problem being used in the 12volt system. Just thought I would throw this into the discussion. Jim
 
MercuryMarc":29y9bhb4 said:
Jason-
I have a pusher electric 14" fan, electric temp switch plugged into the T-stat housing, variable temp control for the switch, and LED dash light to see when the fan kicks in, and an aftermarket temp gauge.
...
Click to expand...
One question; why the bridge rectifier / diode? Doesn't the relay effectively do the same thing (stop the fan from becoming a generator)?
 
james singleton":1db9mqrb said:
LaGastra, I installed a set-up (I believe it was an idea from FordConvert) for my electric fan that uses a bathroom timer (used for lights or fans) that you can turn on your auto electric fan for however long you set the timer for. I do have to turn on the electric fan manually though; it is not an adjustable set-up! I keep an eye on my temperature gauge and "if" I feel I need the extra cooling of the electric fan (I still have a mechanical fan installed as well) I manually turn on the fan. What I really like about this set-up is that I can set the timer for about 10 minutes or so when I turn off the engine to go somewhere (like into a store or something) and I will know that the electric fan will keep the engine cool enough not to encounter a carburetor problem (vapor lock) when restarting. Note: The timer is used in 120volt set-up for the bathroom, but does not seem to have any problem being used in the 12volt system. Just thought I would throw this into the discussion. Jim
Click to expand...

That is a really interesting idea. Thanks for sharing. Hmmmm.
 
I installed the LED light between the switched power supply going to the fan and ground- in parallel but not in series (see the schematic above on my link). On the freeway at night the fan was a little generator and my dash light LED would go on! I used a bridge rectifier since it was cheaper and easier to mount than an single resistor. Now the light does not go on on the freeway at night.
Good luck!
 
I put a efan on mine and it is adjustable. I sit there and watch it getting hot with the radiator temp gauge stuck in and when the temp gets to 195 and 200 i set the fan to come on. After the temp drops back below the temp settings it goes off. Even after I stop and shut off the engine the heat will build up just sitting and it will come on if not already on and run till the temp drops again. My efan I had to put between the AC condenser and radiator as I didn't have enough room between the radiator and engine pulley. That was mine so good luck. Hope some of this helps.
 
I put a efan on mine and it is adjustable. I sit there and watch it getting hot with the radiator temp gauge stuck in and when the temp gets to 195 and 200 i set the fan to come on. After the temp drops back below the temp settings it goes off. Even after I stop and shut off the engine the heat will build up just sitting and it will come on if not already on and run till the temp drops again. My efan I had to put between the AC condenser and radiator as I didn't have enough room between the radiator and engine pulley. That was mine so good luck. Hope some of this helps.
 
HgMarc,

Where did you get the three row Al radiator? I thought they only were available in 2 row!!

tanx,
Mugsy
 
Where did you get the three row Al radiator? I thought they only were available in 2 row!!
Click to expand...

Oops- you are correct- I have a TWO row aluminum radiator that is supposed to cool like a 3 row brass radiator.
 
Here's my million dollar question... What is better a capillary tube in the radiator or a thread in sensor in the block??? I recently tried out a 195* thermostat and it seems to keep a better stable temperature. But I need a new aux fan control. ( I currently have have a 185*)
 
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