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Removing fan for winter

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Old Jan 14, 2012 | 01:07 PM
  #16  
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Originally Posted by lhud
John2001,

Where's home with the cool temperatures?
You appear to have guages, but can you monitor the coolant temps other than the coolant switch on the dash?
This would likely mean a different serpentine belt - true?
No, you can unscrew the fan and clutch from the WP if I remember correctly, that would leave the pulley in place
 
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Old Jan 14, 2012 | 02:06 PM
  #17  
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Originally Posted by white Buffalo
yep, some of the colder winter days I wonder if the gauge is broken since it doesn't move......
I was thinking the same thing today. I know my gauge works because it climbs to 150 when plowing, but I do wonder sometimes.
 
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Old Jan 14, 2012 | 03:26 PM
  #18  
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Camodown,

Duh, had one of those moments - you're correct.

Thanks
 
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Old Jan 14, 2012 | 05:10 PM
  #19  
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I was planning on pulling it today but wayyyyyyy to chilly. I wish I could pull the truck in the garage but this is all I can do with it
 
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Old Jan 14, 2012 | 06:53 PM
  #20  
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Originally Posted by rwdfan
How about just installing an electric fan? I havent heard of this on a diesel, but its done all of the time on racing applications.
If you tow or live in a hilly area electric fans dont push/pull enough CFM compared to a stock fan.Stock fan is around 10,000 and a electric fan is around 6500.
 
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Old Jan 28, 2015 | 05:37 PM
  #21  
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Wanted to drag this to the top. I have read and see on amazon an electric fan kit for SD

http://tinyurl.com/nvhfy5q

according to reviews someone used it towing a 5th wheel and temps stayed cooler than with regular fan. He also stated the MPG jumped from 18 to 25 MPH.

it expensive at over 600 bucks but if the MPG numbers are right teh pay back could happen in 3-5 yrs which is not a ROI.

I was going to remove my fan this week if possible and see.. I remember when driving a OTR truck we has a front shield on radiator of truck with less than a square foot opening. this is covering a 12 to 15 sq ft radiator on a cummings 290 diesel engine.

any new info on this..??
 
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Old Jan 28, 2015 | 06:11 PM
  #22  
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Originally Posted by carl2591
Wanted to drag this to the top. I have read and see on amazon an electric fan kit for SD

http://tinyurl.com/nvhfy5q

according to reviews someone used it towing a 5th wheel and temps stayed cooler than with regular fan. He also stated the MPG jumped from 18 to 25 MPH.

it expensive at over 600 bucks but if the MPG numbers are right teh pay back could happen in 3-5 yrs which is not a ROI.

I was going to remove my fan this week if possible and see.. I remember when driving a OTR truck we has a front shield on radiator of truck with less than a square foot opening. this is covering a 12 to 15 sq ft radiator on a cummings 290 diesel engine.

any new info on this..??
A guy at work has one on his 99. I don't know if the one on Amazon is the one he has or not. I think he paid close to $1k for his. He swears by it.

He said his fuel mileage went up and a Horsepower gain by 20. All I know is he says its the best thing he's done.

His will continue to run when the truck is off in the summer for a few minutes. We just tell him to move that Honda because that's where the Trucks Park.

I will ask tomorrow the Who, What, Where, And Why and post the information.
 
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Old Jan 29, 2015 | 10:28 AM
  #23  
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Originally Posted by carl2591
Wanted to drag this to the top. I have read and see on amazon an electric fan kit for SD

Amazon.com: Flex-a-lite 272 SuperDuty Fan for 98-03 Ford: Automotive

according to reviews someone used it towing a 5th wheel and temps stayed cooler than with regular fan. He also stated the MPG jumped from 18 to 25 MPH.

it expensive at over 600 bucks but if the MPG numbers are right teh pay back could happen in 3-5 yrs which is not a ROI.

I was going to remove my fan this week if possible and see.. I remember when driving a OTR truck we has a front shield on radiator of truck with less than a square foot opening. this is covering a 12 to 15 sq ft radiator on a cummings 290 diesel engine.

any new info on this..??
I recommend you search for threads that details what engine damage occurs when these things overheat. It gets expensive in a hurry. Trying to tow heavy with an electric fan is like trying to cross the ocean in a rowboat. Anyone that has installed a coolant temperature gauge and watched it while towing would never consider removing the stock fan. According to some of the manuals that I've seen, the stock fan draws about 25 hp when fully locked up at reasonable pulling RPM. A comparable electric motor necessary to move the same amount of air would be quite large and require quite a bit of power.

My $0.02...
 
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Old Jan 29, 2015 | 01:23 PM
  #24  
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Taurus or sable fans are still the best bang for the buck if you're will to invest a little time in fabbing and wiring. You can get the fans from a junk yard.

At 6200 cfm they might just be Taurus or sable fans. Iirc there isn' t much out there that competes with the price and cfm rate. It's also been a while since I've looked into it.
 
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Old Jan 29, 2015 | 01:40 PM
  #25  
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To me the question remains, Is 6200 cfm enough? I'd love to have more HP and less noise.

What does the stock fan flow?
 
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Old Jan 29, 2015 | 02:21 PM
  #26  
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There's a good thread on this subject just have to search for it. I don't have time to
 
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Old Jan 29, 2015 | 02:52 PM
  #27  
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Ok, I'll be the one to say it .... 25mpg in a superduty, your friend is stretching the truth.

I hit 25mpg once hand calculated, it was. 200 mile trip all highway with the cruise set at 40mph due to road conditions. I stopped to fill up because I had been in the truck 5 hours and the fuel gauge hadn't moved.

Then add in the fact he claimed he picked up the 7mpg because he removed the fan......

With a properly functioning cooling system and your fan will rarely go to full lock. I have put over 400k miles on my truck and predict pretty accurately where and when the fan will engage. I don't think it has ever gone to full lock empty and towing heavy will sometimes go to full lock on a few of the mountain passes leaving home if the outside air temps are high enough and I am in a big enough hurry.

If you are having issues with the fan engaging often and unnecessarily ( for the circumstances) take a look at your radiator and fan clutch. The both can and do fail but still function well enough to allow you to drive in most conditions without issue.
 
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Old Jan 29, 2015 | 04:54 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by jhl3
To me the question remains, Is 6200 cfm enough? ....
It depends....how much heat do you need to manage? If you plan on working your truck near it's max capacity then that isn't going to be enough airflow.

Originally Posted by jhl3
...
What does the stock fan flow?
Depends on the percentage of clutch lockup and RPM. I don't remember for certain, but I thought I read the 7.3 fan at full lockup flows about 10,000 CFM @2500 rpm and the 6.0 fans flows 14,000 CFM @3000 rpm.

It's your call.....electric fans may be fine depending how you use your truck. From my perspective, the initial cost and loss in capacity do not outweigh the marginal mpg gain. Plus you would reduce the value of your truck by removing the stock fan because it would be less capable of towing compared to an unmodified truck.

The mpg claim of 18 mpg increasing to 25 mpg is a falsehood so don't count on that sort of economy gain.
 
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Old Jan 29, 2015 | 06:29 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by Shake-N-Bake
It depends....how much heat do you need to manage? If you plan on working your truck near it's max capacity then that isn't going to be enough airflow.



Depends on the percentage of clutch lockup and RPM. I don't remember for certain, but I thought I read the 7.3 fan at full lockup flows about 10,000 CFM @2500 rpm and the 6.0 fans flows 14,000 CFM @3000 rpm.

It's your call.....electric fans may be fine depending how you use your truck. From my perspective, the initial cost and loss in capacity do not outweigh the marginal mpg gain. Plus you would reduce the value of your truck by removing the stock fan because it would be less capable of towing compared to an unmodified truck.

The mpg claim of 18 mpg increasing to 25 mpg is a falsehood so don't count on that sort of economy gain.
Got ya! This beast is a work truck, tows up to 14k on a goose, and doesn't move if it isn't earning money.

Yep! I never believed the 7mpg gain claim but even 1mpg more would be nice.

Still, I can't afford to take the risk.

Thank you for the info.
 
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Old Jan 29, 2015 | 07:22 PM
  #30  
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The MPG claim is not mine or anyone i know. It in a review on amazon like was stated above along with the link to the product.

I am going to try and call the manf on fri if i get the chance. They are west coast so I might be when i get done for the day. I also found a could of local places that sell them, a 4x4 accessories place, and another off road diesel place.

might see if they have any input on them.This time of year and not towing it would not be a problem for me. I drove a Chev chev V-8 without a fan for 2 yrs.. just have to know when and where to drive and not be afraid to shut it down if stuck in traffic.

I generally go out after rush hr in AM and before rush in PM or take the back way with a couple traffic lights.

will report back later with more info i HOPE..
 
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