I am considering switching to an electric fan for my ranger. I was wondering if you folks had any advice as far as any size, flow, or brand to get. And if any of you have tried this before, can you tell a difference? Is there anything special I should know about this project before I start taking things apart?
Thanks,

michael

 

Ok, lets start by looking at the ups and downs.
Ups- Frees up power taken by the mechanical fan (yes, noticable difference on my 4.0)
-Increased gas mileage (If it actually did increase it was very small, like .5 mpg)
-can cool the truck down when the truck is off if you hook it up to a constant power source(Nice feature, people often ask "whats that noise" and you have to explain)
-is adjustable to turn on at different engine temperatures. (nice feature, especially if you live in a warm climate).
-Faster warm ups (Very nice in the winter).

Downs- Price (200$ ouch)
-decreased cooling effeciency (noticed the truck would get a little warmer on hot days if i had the a/c on)
-pain to install if you have the 4.0 engine and a 93-94 ranger. Mine wouldnt fit quite right, had to use shims (aka washers/nuts) to space the fan back a little bit. The fan clutch can be a real pain to get off if you dont get the tools from autozone, i spent like 2 hours trying to get it off with racheting tie downs and strap wrenches, finally i just went out and rented the right tools, 15 min later, it was off.
-Noise (most people say that its quieter than the stock, i couldnt even tell my stock fan was running (maybe it wasnt!) the electric just seems to make more noise. I still have to roll down the window and shut off the radio to hear it.

I would get the flex-a-lite black magic fan made for the rangers, comes with brackets and everything you need. I would also rent the tools from autozone right away, All you have to do is pop your hood, take off your belt, use the rented tools to take off the fan clutch, bolt the metal brackets (included) onto the electric fan, slide the bottom part in and bolt the top to the radiator support thing, put the belt back on, hook a wire to the battery if you want it to run after you shut off the truck, or either hook it up to a switched source if you want it to shut off with the truck. then hook a wire up to the ground, then tap the a/c wire into the purple wire that gets power when you turn your a/c on. then attach a wire to constant power. And your set to cruise.

I really like mine, if i got another truck, it'd be one of the first things i'd do. Your fan shoud be alot easier to put on than mine since you will have more room between your radiator and your 3.0 engine.

 

Thanks a lot! I really appreciate everything you had to say. I'm getting one first thing in the morning.

michael

 

Please let us know the results after you install it!

 

when i had my 5.0 tbird I did this mod. it was one of the best things i did. it cooled the car better than the belt fan did. and it was a good HP increase.


they are easy to instal with the right tools and well worth the money.

 

I have a 93 Ranger with a 4.0 and bought the part# 40 fan from flex-a-lite and was wondering how you got your fan to fit. On mine the motor shaft stuck out to far and hit the threaded shaft sticking out of the water pump on my engine. Any help or suggestions you could give would be greatly appreciated.

 

Where the motor attaches to the bracket of the fan shroud, there are 4 screws, i just put nuts/washers between the motor and the bracket, thus moving the fan back further in the bracket, then i used a allen wrench to unscrew the set screw and move the fan blade further forward on the stud, If you need any more info or pictures let me know