Had someone tell me the other day to take the fan off the water pump and put just put the bolts back in, then get an electric fan with thermastate and hook it up to the battery... said this should increase power/responsiveness and gas milage. Just wondering if anyone has heard of this or what your thoughts are on it?

I have a f150 with a 360 or 390... which brings me to the next question how can I tell if its a 360 or 390?

As you can tell Im pretty new here, will get the hang of searching etc as time goes on.

Thanks

 

First, welcome to FTE!

Second, I am sue there are gains, but if your not drag racing the truck, It would take some time till your fuel savings would pay for the parts, and effort to make the necessary changes.

Third, I think to find out you would need to slide a dowl rod in a spark plug hole to measure the depth of the stroke. I also believe there is a notch on the transmission side of the crank. However, someone with more knowledge in this area will chim in and give you good solid information.


PS: Where are you located? Also, do you have any pictures of your truck?

 

Hey thanks, Im located in Kalispell, Montana.

will get some photos going and post them later this weekend.

 

There is a huge debate as to whether or not an electric fan offers much of a gain in performance or not. I am not an electric fan kind if guy, but other are.
In my applications, a fan clutch works very well and is efficient enough for the girls I date.
Installing a fan large enough to draw enough air requires some power. This amperage draw has an affect on the alternator. The added loads on the alternator might be close to the parasitic losses that the engine driven fan has.
See where the dilema is?
I run a 557 cubic inch engine with two radiators and one electric fan. When the fan is on, the engine may lose about 150 rpm. How much load is this on the engine? I dunno, but it is enough load to drop that many rpms, it has to be drawing some horsepower.
If I was drag racing, it may be a different story, since I could shut down the field side of the alternator and reduce the drag. I dont, so this has no advantage to me. The electric fan does allow me to park the truck and run the fan between mud passes, so this has an advantage, but as far as adding horsepower, ehhhh, I dont think you will realize much of an increase.
A good fan clutch and real fan can really move some air. Electrics can too, but they do draw some juice. Small alternators may not be up to the task if you have a stereo or other high demand equipment too.

 

Agreed, for the little amount of gain you would get it would not be worth the trouble to swap over to an electric fan. A popular swap is to use a Tauras electric setup but don't run it directly to the battery, use the thermostatic switch that works off of the actual water temp to power it on.

 

i run an electric fan in my 77 with a 300, my factory fan was direct drive, as in no clutch. The advantages of the electric fan are when your moving down the road and need no fan at all, yes you have a heavier load on the engine with the electrical demands than a clutch/engine driven fan, but since you only need the fan at idle or slow speeds, the amount of hp you have at idle is irrelevant, as long as theres enough power to maintain idle.

Also, the electric fan makes the vehicle quieter, since you dont have a fan running all the time. i have an inline that'll never win a race, so silence is my goal.

To each their own, thats my $.02

 

first off welcome 76blue to FTE.com and too the dentside area *73-79*

well i would stick with a clutch fan, and leave the electric fans in the house!

i do know that as long as my engine runs, so does my fan!, now the electric fan isn't that reliable, and it could leave you strained (engine over heats)

and the gains are not huge, i mean its like the case for a electric water pump, i don't suggest them either, unless your drag racing your truck on weekends and that's it, also i don't even run a electric fuel pump, just the good old mechanic pump is good for me, and as long as my engine runs it runs, i know even the mechanical stuff can break, but i just don't trust electronics that much, hence i got a 30+ year old truck, most modern thing in my truck is the Pioneer radio/stereo, and it even has a USB wire in the back to connect a thumb drive or Mp3 player! now that is fancy! lol lol but the radio shouldn't leave me strained some where, well it could leave me with out tunes! now that would suck!

-Brent

 

also here is a link to a thread i started awhile back, it should help you if you don't know how to post pictures,,,,

also if you need any help, don't be afraid to ask, there are a number of helpful users on here, and asking questions is how we all learn, heck i am 20 this month, and i have learned a lot from this site, and i know much more about these trucks than your average 20 year old because of this site,

here is the link to that thread,,,,

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...-pictures.html

-Brent

 

So if one has a direct-drive fan, would one be able to upgrade to a clutch driven fan with ease?

 

Yes, you probably have about a 2-2 1/2" spacer between the water pump and fan?

 

Yes.......

 

Just replace the spacer with the clutch assembly and you're good to go.

But, what would be the point? Either system will work the same. Clutch fans are installed in trucks with A/C. Those without get the direct driven fan.

 

Haven't done it on the Ford yet, but on my daily driven 4 banger chevy S-10 I put on an electric. I honestly didn't expect as much of a power gain as I felt. It did help me. So really it is a case by case basis. But I also learned that the electronics in the aftermarket equiptment is junk, as I've went through 3 temp controlers and am on my 2nd fan...and in only 3 years. First one was flex a lite, 2nd one now is a perma cool unit. So if you do electric I'd go with retrofitting a setup off of something else like the formentioned tarus's. The aftermarket stuff just cant stand up to the elements, water, salt, ect. Not water proff enough I guess. I think I will go with a mechanical clutch fan when I get to it on the Ford.

 

If you're ever over in the Libby/Troy area we have a junk yard here full of 67-79 Ford trucks, the guy keeps them on his personal property seperate from his other wrecking yard of 80's and up junk, he has an appreciation for the bumpsides and dentsides and holds on to them as long as he can but they too eventually see the crusher after they're picked clean.

 

The only added benefit I could see Chad would be to add a thermostatic fan clutch. The hotter the temp gets the faster the fan spins. It would probably help out at lower RPM's in warmer climates over a direct drive fan.