I am getting rid of my stock fan and switching to an electric but I'd like to know if there are any pros or cons to mounting it in front of the radiator, as a pusher instead of in the engine compartment. I would kind of like to do this to free up a little space in front of my engine but I wasn't sure if any cooling problems would be caused by this.
My fan is 3300CFM pull and I believe it's 3000CFM push.
Ivan, you won't have cooling problems going with a pusher, provided its big enough. Pushers have to work harder than pullers...which is why you have to go with a more powerfull pusher to do the same job. One problem with pushers though, is that they have a tendency to eat debri and shatter their blades when you offroad due to their placement and extra vulnerability.
Don't know if this will help but I had to mount two fans on the radiatior, (with a 360 cid engine) both pulling. I originally mounted just one, as a pulling fan, and the engine would overheat at idle. The two fans I have on it now more than do the job. I think you'll really like the electric fan setup. I would also recommend an automatic fan rheostat ( start's the fan automatically at the temp you want, assists in quick warm up times, and keeps you from having to worry about making sure you have a switch on.)
Me? . . . debri? . . . never! I was a little worried about junk hitting it which it why I'm going to set up a screen in my grill and a grill block-off for offroad. It may even leave me enough room for that tranny cooler in the engine compartment or if I need to I can add a second fan, offset on the backside. The one I have is 16" diameter.
Btw Pro, I'll take that cooler next week if that's okay. If you still have my addy just shoot me an e-mail for shipping.
Hey F100, so far I've been very lucky and never had any problems with the truck heating up even with a demolished shroud. My thermostat is @185 I think which helps a bit too, it never gets over 200. I was supposed to receive an adjustable thermostat with the fan but the seller forgot to ship it (doh!) but I'm going to install that as well. I have a switch for turning my fan off when I'm running in mud and muck or for any time I just want to turn it off. Think I'll just try the 1 and see how that goes, then if needed I can add a second. One thing too that I think will help even more is I pulled the AC unit off of there, which was resrticting a little bit of air flow to the radiator.
Cool, you've got mail Ivan. One more thing off my shelf.
I think the screen in front of your puller fan is smart. So is the on/off switch for submarine action. I have mine wired up that way too although I don't really ever use it.
Hmm, your radiator under water . . . that I'd like to see.
I don't know why but my radiator is awfully close to the engine, the bracketry on it sits back about 1.5" farther than it needs too, probably to leave clearance for the AC setup. I have a Zirgo electric fan which is only 3.25 inches deep and it still won't clear the fan pully if I center it. Will experiment and see what I come up with.
How does it attach to your radiator? Kinda curious since I did not see any support brackets when I visited their website. If it is the type which uses a zip tie running through the radiator, make sure you keep an eye on it as I had one similar. Can't remember the name, but it eventually sawed its way through my new 4-core.
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Retired from USN and back to work.
Actually, this is a little out there but I was planning in putting a 1/4 hole through my fins, and running a 2.5" bold through the radiator, careful not to hit the core, and then a large washer on the back side. The fan does come with brackets but they won't really do a lot for me. My thoughts are if the fan sits right on the radiator that will eliminate any need for a shroud and will also keep the fan housing from flexing.
Do you forsee any problems with this? I have a new radiator that I haven't put in the truck. Plan was to mount the fan on my trashed radiator tonight and drive it for a while to make sure there's no problems before I go punching holes in the new one.
I am certainly no expert, but, I would bet that your idea will still cause damage to your radiator. Even though you snug it up real tight, there will be noticeable wear on the fins. You would be much better off going with a fan such as flex-a-lite. Their mounting system causes no stress to the fins.
Additionally, if you have no shroud, the fan will likely not produce much cooling for your radiator. The shroud provides a means for the fan to draw air (heat) from the radiator---if it is a puller or push air through it if the fan is a pusher.
You would be money and trouble ahead to get something like a flex-a-lite.
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Retired from USN and back to work.
I wouldn't use steel bolts through the core, the steel is harder than either Aluminum or Brass Radiator tubes, so if something is going to give.... Also if you have any threads of the bolt on the core, it wont take long for those to saw through the tubes.
Most companies provide a plastic threaded rod for their fan kits. You didn't get those?
You can get replacement fan mounting kits from Flex-a-lite.
Call 800-851-1510 and ask for Dave in Customer Service and ask him for a Trimline fan mounting kit.
I was a little worried about junk hitting it which it why I'm going to set up a screen in my grill and a grill block-off for offroad. It may even leave me enough room for that tranny cooler in the engine compartment or if I need to I can add a second fan, offset on the backside. The one I have is 16" diameter.
