What kinda CFM is needed for and E-fan for the 5.4L auto in my F150

 

anyone know? or anyone with an E-Fan?

 

What's wrong with your clutch fan?

There are several E-fan kits out for the F-150. If you must have one you can buy it off the shelf and not have to design it yourself. I think they are a waste. There are lots of absurd claims out there that the fan weighs 15 lbs and all kinds of crap. I took mine off and weighed it and I think it was 4.5-5 lbs. Big deal. Before and after on the dyno you couldn't even tell the difference on the graphs. The throttle response is better, but that doesn't help get down the road.

 

Your joking right?

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/6...-searched.html
Factual information here-not assumptions.
JL

 

Actually I have thought about ripping out a electric fan from a taurus. I have no problem with doing all the wiring myself but the one thing that concerns me is how does it work with a f150 rad? What size are they and could 2 of them fit?

Questions are for Johnny BTW.

 

I have a Taurus fan I planned on using and they are too small for a V8, but big enough size wise you can only use one. Look for 3-5KCFM Really any dual 16" fans should work fine. I see that Advanced Auto now sells individual fans and controllers so you can save some money from buying a whole kit.

The Benefits are better than any other mod I have done, better mileage by 1.8 and a very noticeable increase in power. It is not so much the weight of the clutch fan that is bad, itis the parasitic drag that it has.

I also went with 2pc. UD pullies when I did the fan swap.

 

Correct. The stock fan and clutch weigh in at 9.5 lbs, not 4-5 lbs. On my truck (admittedly not a 1997-2003, but a 2006) I have dyno graphs showing a 12-16 HP gain across the RPM range.

 

No, I'm not. I got absolutely zero out of ditching the stock fan. I still have it laying on my garage floor, I can weigh it again and see exactly what they number is, but it was less than half of what was claimed by the company who was trying to sell me an E-fan.

After a few years of paying the bills by installing aftermarket parts I have learned this: When someone invests time and money on a mod they almost always get what they expect. This is the phenomenon called emotional torque. When someone expects a 15 hp gain, they feel a 15 hp gain whether it's there or not. When someone expects better mileage from a mod, they get better mileage from the mod because they drive differently after it's done. Just my observation. No assumptions involved. What I've seen from mods is what there was to see. YMMV.

Edit: Forgot to add that there's no free lunch with an e-fan. What makes the blades spin? Electricity. Where does it come from? The alternator. What spins the alternator? The crank. So you dump a fan that might be 30% efficient and replace it with another fan that's 30% efficient and gets its power from an alternator that's 50% efficient. Sounds like a winner to me.

 

Okay...so how much CFM would be good? anyone? besides Silver Streak...

 

My '98 model had an all-metal fan that weighed almost 13 lbs with the clutch assembly on it. I haven't seen many like that,but I have seen a few.
JL

 

Where to start.....
The gains for an Electric fan are real-whether you believe it or not.
I've seen it myself on dozens of trucks and cars over the last 10-15 years. Where your logic is flawed in reference to the load on the alternator:
The clutch fan is always there,and it's always a load on the crank-ALWAYS. It does vary that load as the clutch clamps firmer in proportion to heat applied, but there is always a load on the crank with the clutch/mechanical fan.
An electric fan...if setup properly,will not run unless the A/C clutch is engaged,or the coolant temp reaches a point that you set it up for on the thermostatic controller. If it's not running....it's not using any power or making any more drag at all on the crank whereas the mechanical/clutched fan is ALWAYS loading the crank. There are even ways to wire in the E-fan to the OEM PCM to function like they do on cars originally equipped with an E-fan...
E-Fan operates with the A/C to exchange heat for the condenser.
E-Fan operates as coolant temp rises above the desired setpoint,and shuts off after it cools down lower than a secondary setpoint.
E-fan shuts off above 40-45 mph to conserve fuel and prevent drag on the crank,thereby increasing power.
Efan comes back on if under load and the coolant temp reaches a high setpoint-even if travelling abve the mph setpoint to shut it off.
Etc,etc,etc.
My truck picked up 14rwhp and 12 ft-lbs by changing out to the E-fan,and also picked up 2-3 mpg depending on conditions.
JL

 

Ignore the aftermarket fans and their claimed CFM ratings-they're all a joke,and cannot be duplicated in the real world.
You really want to build your own fan to get the best setup,and not buy a cookie cutter fan unit that uses substandard motor assemblies with inflated cfm ratings.
JL

 

I run the dual e-fans on mine and have no problems. The benefits of being able to access the front of the motor to change the belt is nice. I haven't seen a major mpg increase but you do so see a difference in cold temps with the truck getting up to temp faster and that means less gas. They should be standard equipment on trucks and they are on a lot of other vehicles.

 

And when someone has dyno pulls to back up the claim, the gain is there whether you believe it or not. Like Johnny, I have very similar numbers on the dyno.

Actually, you're gaining efficiency because the e-fan blades weigh in the ounces, not pounds and do not cause parasitic losses like a fan clutch does. Additionally, if you use a dual fan setup then most of the time you are running an even smaller fan and the secondary only kicks in when needed. My system is tied to both the PCM and thermostats so its control by A/C, temp and PCM switching. Millions of vehicles have used e-fans over the years and each year more and more vehicle lines switch over to them from the OEM side, including some pickups.

I disagree with Johnny on one point: aftermarket fans. Some are junk, some are not. Remember, the aftermarket fan companies are the same companies that provide OEM electric fans (both Hayden and Flex-a-lite). They make cheap junk, and they also make good fans with higher rated duty cycles and long life. Pick wisely. Even using OEM fans from a salvage yard (Taurus and Lincoln Mark VIII are popular choices) is hit-and-miss because you don't know the service life the fans had prior to your purchase.