Are 7.3 having problem with belt slip? Never heard about it, but maybe that happens at higher mileage, when my trucks have only 300,000 miles EACH
Than where did you find the info that electric fan is enough for diesel? Diesels generate much less heat per HP than gassers, but than they usually work much harder. Don't see too many V10 pulling those 30,000 lb gosenecks.

 

Some mention the early 7.3 have some belt slip (chirp) on grades. The reason being the early 7.3 had a smaller water pump pulley and when the fan locks up the belt would slip.

 

so ....anybody running electric fans on a v10 ?

 

WOW, as I was reading this thread, I was hoping to find out from the OP what engine he had.....seeing as that never happened, I've been thinking about the V10. Glad someone else was wondering the same thing.

 

thinking of swapping EF in the v10 , since the weather wormed up here the mechanical one goes on at all time , i hate the noise and the drag . feels like the truck has no power to take off . It takes a while for the clutch to go off after any take off .....so i am looking forward for a E-fan , but i want to see if anyone running it and what kind .

 

Coming from the 4x4/jeep world I can tell you the only reasons these folks run electrics is because they spend hours on the trail in low gears practically at idle with brief burst through mud/water where being able to turn the fan off is very advantageous.

Do you use your 3/4 Ton + pickup that way

 

I am actually still interested in the fans. I am almost temped to just pull off my mechanical fan, install some of my spare electric fans for one of my camping trips and wire them strait off a temporary deal just to try it out.

 

I don't see why it wouldn't work. The only time I've ever had a fan clutch engage was at our Ohio truck meets where we were WOT up a steep hill with lots of weight behind us. My F150 has e-fans and makes more power than my Excursion does, and I'll see how that works out in about a month and a half!

 

I agree it should work, the only reason I question it is they don't put bigger and bigger radiators in trucks with diesels for no reason.

Also if I did the switch to electric fans I would want to do it right. I am thinking if a guy had 4 fans at least one (maybe two) should be running any time the ignition is on. Then the other three (or two) be on a thermo switch and relay. Or would it not be worth having one or two on all the time and just have all of them on a thermo switch and relay?

 

That big radiator is working for you 100% of the time, fans on or off. Very rarely is there not enough air moving through the radiator to provide enough cooling without assistance from the fan. You could take the fan completely off and be fine ~90% of the time. It's the 10% of the time where you're idling extensively, stop and go in hot weather, and pulling a trailer in stop-and-go conditions that would cause problems.

 

How about the intercooler, trans cooler, and AC condenser?

Especially the trans cooler while pulling. I would want air moving threw the trans cooler all the time, moving, sitting still, idling, always.

I guess one fan could be mounted directly to the trans cooler off an ignition triggered relay to run any time the ignition is on. Then all the other fans be on a thermo off the radiator.

This wouldn't be to bad of a setup. Trans would be taken care of all the time and some air from the trans fan would be moving threw the radiator, condenser, and intercooler.

Will have to do more thinking about it.

 

Do a lot of thinking about it. Even better start building prototypes by the dozen and test them under all environmental conditions. Oh wait, we (Ford Engineering) already did this. That's why these trucks have engine driven fans. An electric fan(s) that is small enough to fit under the hood can't move enough air to cool these trucks when they are working. If you use your truck like a car then an electric fan is just fine.

Why would you want to run an electric fan all the time? What have you gained over the mechanical fan, other than the bragging rights to say you modified your truck?

Testing has shown that above about 40 MPH less air will pass over the coolers if the fan is running.

 

Why are all vehicle manufacturers going to electric fans then?

One small electric fan running all the time at low speeds and idle will use less fuel than the huge mechanical fan.

Also if what you say is true, the mechanical fan is just robbing fuel and power any time the truck is over 40mph.



I just don't buy it that mechanical is the way to go any more.

Personally my X is hardly ever below 40mph when towing anything. When I am city driving it is normally bare back. I don't think I have ever heard my clutch fan lock up.

Sure maybe in 120 degree Arizona heat you need all the air you can get threw the radiator but I personally don't need it.

I'll have to do more reading and research. Sorry but from what I see when working on fords, they aren't exactly the poster child of R&D. I simply see the cheapest and easiest routes taken normally in fords.

 

Having a fan running all the time at low speeds and idle is doing nothing but what you accuse Ford of doing below, which is taking the cheapest and easiest route. I'd guess ~98% of the time your cooling fan isn't providing any benefit whatsoever, and of course the remaining 2% will blow up the engine if the fan isn't there.

I would have to agree about everything going to e-fans, my F150 is rated for higher GCWR than most V10-powered Excursions and it has e-fans. It also has to cool 55 more horsepower.


As long as you have a reasonable gauge to monitor your engine temps I don't see where the risk is with trying it. Just pull over and wait to cool down if you start to get warm. I'd just keep your factory fan in the garage in the event you're not happy with them.

 

I agree but for me it would be allot of work and electrical to wire the fan for ignition, thermo, and speed sensitive working perimeters. This also introduces many more opportunities to fail. The only (on all the time) fan would be the trans cooler fan which in turn would also do a little intercooler and radiator cooling. The other fans would be the thermo switched fan to come on when coolant temp reached a determined on and off temp. Like mentioned above 40mph they might not ever run which should be just putting fuel money into my pocket every mile I drive. That is if the test results are true. From my experience incoming air into any intercooler or radiator gets slowed to nearly nothing by the time it exits the cooler.

You are also right and I obviously plan to make everything reversible in case it doesn't work out. I will just simply go back to the dinosaur fan.

I first need to run a trip with the coolant gauges in and record some readings on the stock setup.