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Anyone running elec fans in a hotter climate area??? Pros/Cons??
I live in So. Cal., and have run an electric fan in my 75 f250 for over 11 years. I run a dual fan set-up that is 24"x 16" iirc. It came out of a 2,000 Ford Contour/Mystique. However, since I installed a Summit aluminum radiator, it keeps the engine purring at the 192* of the thermostat and the fan hardly ever comes on.
The advantages to running an efan: Quick, efficient cooling. Less drain on the hp of the engine. You can wire the fans to shut off if you're 4x ing and about to cross a river.
Disadvantages: Cost. My system is out of the junkyard, but still I paid about $70 for the fans and relays, and the 10g wire to do the install. I also had to up-grade to a 130amp alternator, and that cost about $140. If you're going to install one of these fans, do it right the first time and you won't be chasing bad connections down the line. Soldier all connections and use shrink wrap to cover them. There is a nifty controller that came on Volvos for their fans. Get a thermo switch from a BMW and put it in your radiator top hose, and wire it to the volvo controller, and the controller will turn your 2 speed fan on low when the temp rises, then, if the temp continues to rise, the controller turns off the low speed and turns on the high speed of the fan. And, you can get that controller for about $15-20 at the junkyard. good luck.
Anyone running elec fans in a hotter climate area??? Pros/Cons??
Do it right with the proper shroud and we'll designed pulling fans and it will work fine. I suggest looking into the OEM fans as they are better then the cheap universal fans. The Mark V, Windstar and the 2011+ F150 come to mind.
In texas fe 360. I used a champion rad with their shroud and spal fans with a dakota digital fan controller. I love it! My fe would start getting to hot in places like drive throughs and now nice and cool. Runs so much cooler
I have a champion 4 core in my 79 F150 and initially I had the most powerful 16" fan that Spal offered with a warranty. The truck never once climbed over 195. The Spal fan was however, so loud that it was embarrassing (google it). I purchased a new 2007 year Ford Taurus fan $110 and carved out the 16" diameter part of the fan from the plastic shroud and installed it on the aluminum shroud that I built. Much, much quieter and temps still stay below 195. The Taurus is a 2 speed fan and I only need to use the low speed This has been sufficient at near 100 degrees but next week we'll start getting into summer and temps in the low 100's. 110 degree+ days are not that far away. The Taurus/Lincoln/Contour fans have OEM durability push big CFM's and are all much quieter than aftermarket.
Yes, all oem fans come with the shroud. The Taurus fan is famous, and there have been written hundreds of install threads about it. It moves heaps of air and will cool anything. The Volvo fan that I mentioned is also a two speed fan, but with one less fan blade and a smaller diameter. The nice thing about a Volvo fan is that the fan is removeable from the shroud so you can make your own. The oem fans are known to be better made than aftermarket fans. The issue with any of these fans is the amperage they draw. The wiring, and the relays used, have to be up to the draw and the surge when the fans first start. That is why I like to use the volvo relay pack or control with the Volvo fan. They are made for each other. Of course the Volvo controller is used with the Taurus and other fans as well.
Volvo fan that is removeable from the shroud:
Taurus fan. It is a bit larger in diameter, and it has one more blade than the Volvo fan below:
And here is one model of the Windstar dual fan system that Gashog mentioned. It is huge. I think the core of my radiator is 27" right to left, and this fan was too large. Because there is a divider that separates the fans against the radiator so they can be run independently of each other, I was able to cut the shroud and use one of the fans on a project car.
Below is one of the Windstar fans cut from the dual fan shroud. It wasn't 2 speed, but it cooled a 5.0l fine.
And to top it all off, here is a simple diagram to wire up the Volvo controller to any 2 speed fan, using a bmw thermo switch.
I hope that helps. If you're running a v8 you can use any of the fans I mentioned because you'll have loads of room. However, if you're running an inline 6, the dual Contour set up is your only choice because it is only 3.25" thick, whereas the Taurus and the Volvo are close to six inches thick. Good luck.
What I have found with the bmw switches is that they activate about 10* hotter than they are rated. That means that one of their switches rated to turn on the fan when the coolant temp reaches 200* actually turns on the fan when the temp reaches 210*. That works for me. The fans won't be spinning while I'm cruising the highway. But when I pull off the highway after a drive, and am sitting in traffic, the temp climbs and the fan turns on, dropping the temp to 185* in less than a minute. I explain the difference in temp actuation and it's rating by the location of the temp sending unit. The gauge sending unit is at the rear of the block. The bmw switch is on the upper radiator hose, so the readings are a bit off, but it works for me. I suspect that the coolant at the back of the block is hotter than coolant exiting the thermostat housing into the upper hose.
If you're going to use a two speed fan, then the Volvo controller works well. However, if you're going to use the Contour dual fan set-up, it is two single speed fans. Ford made it a two speed set-up by running the low speed through a resistor that funneled off some of the current. High speed by-passed the resistor and gave them full juice. Most guys run the Contour fans with a simple relay that turns them on and off. That means they jump to full power, and the current drain can cause MSD boxes to stumble. It is possible to run the Contour fans through a Volvo relay controller, giving the fans low and high speed.
There's also a ma and pa shop that makes the soft start controllers in their garage, and they have a great reputation for being reliable. Autocoolguy.com I believe. Good luck.
I use a OEM fan assembly from a Chevy Traverse. It has two fans, one 40 amp, one 30 amp. It fits the core of our radiators perfectly, covers all the core. I have one on each of my dentsides. Mine are controlled by Fitech computers.
I have used the Volvo BMW controller route, it does work well.
I use a OEM fan assembly from a Chevy Traverse. It has two fans, one 40 amp, one 30 amp. It fits the core of our radiators perfectly, covers all the core. I have one on each of my dentsides. Mine are controlled by Fitech computers.
I have used the Volvo BMW controller route, it does work well.
Jess
Hey there, Jess.
I don't know much about that fan system. What year Traverse? Can you share some info? So it's a dual fan? And when you say one fan is 40 amp, and one is 30 amp, what are you referring to? Surely you can't mean that they draw 40 and 30 amps when running? The most powerful fan that I know of, the Lincoln mk V111, only draws about 27 amps on low, and that thing will suck a cat to the grill, ha ha. Are the fans single speed? Low turning on one fan; high operating both? I'd love to see a photo. Thanks.
Hey there, Jess.
I don't know much about that fan system. What year Traverse? Can you share some info? So it's a dual fan? And when you say one fan is 40 amp, and one is 30 amp, what are you referring to? Surely you can't mean that they draw 40 and 30 amps when running? The most powerful fan that I know of, the Lincoln mk V111, only draws about 27 amps on low, and that thing will suck a cat to the grill, ha ha. Are the fans single speed? Low turning on one fan; high operating both? I'd love to see a photo. Thanks.
That looks very much like the Ford Contour/Mystique fan system I use. What is the size of the fans, from fin tip to fin tip, or diameter?
Can't remember the year of the fans, late 2000's early 2010's? Primary fan had a 40A fuse and the secondary fan had a 30A fuse in the vehicle I pulled them from. I just went with that. Fans are single speed, I have the 40 one come on first then the second one if the temp goes higher. All done in my Fitech. I'l try to find a picture of it on my computer.
i'm looking to do this as soon as i can afford it, but got other priorities for now
pros as said you can tune and customise your fan on/fan off settings,
no more issues with clutch fan on the front of water pump
i've had water pump killed in the past from unballanced clutch fan
can move to sweet gilmer belt if you want
cons
cost of upgrade and extras (controller, alternator)
need to make sure whatever mounts you're using fit your radiator
possible issues if crossing deep water
make sure its fused in case you have a front ender
I'm running dual spal electric fans on a Griffin radiator in front of a built 428 fe. It can idle in 105* traffic all day long and stay at 180/190. When the winter came around I had to wire the second fan on a toggle switch because it would never get past 150* with both fans running.
