installation of electric fans
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From: whitesburg ky.
installation of electric fans
well i put on a 3 in. body lift on my truck over the weekend... and i learned that the fan was against the shroud... well being that i have been around hevy duty trucks pretty much all of my life and none of the trucks my family owns has fan shrouds... i said why does my truck need 1... so i started taking it off and could not get it off with out removing the fan or so i thought... so i took a sawzall and cut it at the bottom... so i could pull it out with no problem... and now my truck heats up 2 the a in normal which i don't like cause it used 2 not get over the o in normal... so now i have decided 2 put on dual electric fans instead... do u all have any pros and cons of this idea... and btw i might put triple or quadruple fans on it in the very near future... when i start modding it more... and btw it someday will be a drag truck... but for now i got 2 keep it cool enough 2 haul around my show truck...
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2007
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From: Johnson City, TN.
The factory gauges are not very acurate. I would suggest getting a real gauge and sending unit then see where it is then. I believe every truck on here reads at a different location on our gauges. The factory gauges are nothing more than an idiot light with a gauge readout. I realize that it did go up but put a gauge on there first to confirm how hot it really is.
On another note there are pros and cons to electric. If you blow a fuse and not realize it then you over heat on the otherhand they can be controlled by a manual switch so you run at the temp that you desire. This point can be argued back and forth all day. In the end I believe it is just personal preferrence.
I have thought about putting them on my truck for power reasons but haven't gotten to the point that you have yet.
On another note there are pros and cons to electric. If you blow a fuse and not realize it then you over heat on the otherhand they can be controlled by a manual switch so you run at the temp that you desire. This point can be argued back and forth all day. In the end I believe it is just personal preferrence.
I have thought about putting them on my truck for power reasons but haven't gotten to the point that you have yet.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Silver Lake Dunes, MI
As Neal said the factory gauge is junk. If you are going to electic fans the first thing you need to buy is a coolant temp guage. I have also heard from a number of people that is you tow heavy your electrics can't keep up. but running empty the fans may never even come on. But you need a good gauge to start with.
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2007
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From: Johnson City, TN.
I haven't heard that the elec's can't keep up in towing. Hmmm. Thanx Tim I didn't know that. That is useful info since he is wanting to drag eventually. Then again that may be best for dragging. I agree gauge is step #1.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Silver Lake Dunes, MI
for draggin they would be fine its the continious high temps from towing that I have heard they have issue with. I can't tell you for sure what they will or will not handle but many over at TDS have said they could keep up with "heavy" towing.
More Turbo
Joined: Mar 2007
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Go with the electric fans
I agree and disagree with whats been posted. Yea the gauge is out that is for sure. The fans in my opinion keep up very well. I have looked at the ratings for what is required on our trucks, and my fans are moving more than what I'm required according to Ford. On a side note If you are moving at any rate above forty mph your fans probebly wont even need to come on. I swear mine dont come on for weeks sometimes. This is from my own experience, but I have not chipped mine nor do I tow large loads, but my truck has never heated up even close to a problem. I recommend it cause even if it dosen't save diesel(cause people like to argue this) you are saving the life of you water pump by not having to turn the fan, and the fans are only on when you need them so its just plain more efficante. As for the fuse you can get a led light to tell you when you fans are on or not and if you blow a fuse then you will know it cause the light wont come on, and FYI never had a fuse blow.
Con to fans you cant forge high waters, unless you remove you fuse to the fans and all you connections are really sealed up. Hope that helps
Con to fans you cant forge high waters, unless you remove you fuse to the fans and all you connections are really sealed up. Hope that helps
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Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Silver Lake Dunes, MI
Casey, every thing I have heard agree's with you. no loads and small loads the fans never even come on. but large loads some have said they had heat issues. I don't know how big of loads they were pulling or what temps they were pulling in.
I have also heard of guys removing the fan all together for a year and running with no fan. But they were empty. One good thing about electric fans is you can hook them up to run when the AC is on. You will have cold AC when your not moving them too! very nice!
I have also heard of guys removing the fan all together for a year and running with no fan. But they were empty. One good thing about electric fans is you can hook them up to run when the AC is on. You will have cold AC when your not moving them too! very nice!
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More Turbo
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I can voucher for a load up to 5-6K, but that is all I have had since putting my fans on. I would like to get a hold of someone that has really been towing with fans and see what they have experienced. I just cant see them being a problem cause my truck doesn't even come close to a problem. hopefully someone that does will comment.
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2007
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From: Johnson City, TN.
Originally Posted by caseydudem
Con to fans you cant forge high waters, unless you remove you fuse to the fans and all you connections are really sealed up. Hope that helps
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From: whitesburg ky.
well thanks guys and i think i will just get 2 that will flat out push some air and them hope for the best and i gotta get this overheating thing worked out cuz i am on fire and rescue now and i will be running this truck on fire runs loaded with 300 gallons of water in the bed and a bunch of other equipment turnout gear and so on
Cargo Master
Joined: Jul 2006
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From: Nampa, ID
Originally Posted by caseydudem
...I have looked at the ratings for what is required on our trucks, and my fans are moving more than what I'm required according to Ford...
Con to fans you cant forge high waters, unless you remove you fuse to the fans and all you connections are really sealed up. Hope that helps
Con to fans you cant forge high waters, unless you remove you fuse to the fans and all you connections are really sealed up. Hope that helps
As for the "Con" to electric fans...The models I've seen (Flex-a-lite mostly) have a manual switch that you can turn off when crossing deep water, so I don't see that as being a problem. So far, the water crossings I've done haven't been that deep. Electric fans are on my "Wish List" but I don't have the gauges I want for monitoring my systems.
Lead Driver
Joined: May 2000
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From: Senoia, GA
Originally Posted by caseydudem
Con to fans you cant forge high waters, unless you remove you fuse to the fans and all you connections are really sealed up. Hope that helps
you guys keep talking about elec fans and how they cant keep up but there is a multitude of fans out there. prolly the most well known is the taurus fan (which is what i run) as well as the t-bird. they pull some really good air. i have yet to be impressed with any flex-a-lite fan as they are WAY over priced and over rated.
i've been kicking this idea around but havent had a chance just yet. i dont see how, granted with a respectively matched fan, an elec fan would do any worse than a mech fan. the elec fan can cool just as good at a redlight as cruising down the highway.
-cutts-
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I have a Griffin aluminum radiator with a shroud and 2 Spal electric fans on my truck and havent had a problem loaded or unloaded. I made a trip to tampa, fl two weeks ago in 100 degree temp, towing a car down and back and I didn't have a problem. I have one fan wired in to come on with a temp switch and the other comes on when the ac is on.
Jason
Jason
More Turbo
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Explanation
Well to put this issue to rest. I said it would be a con cause it can be a problem to have an electrical fans and forge high waters for two reasons. The reasons are that most people do not use prorper connections to put the fan in for being in the water. Secondly whiether you do it by switch or remove the fuse you are recommended to turn you fans off when forgeing, and if you are doing it for any lenght of time you may have a problem with heat, you are not moving very fast and your fans are turned off. As for running them in the water just dosen't sound good to me. Its like the mechanical it would be very bad for everything. That is why I said it was a con not impossible.
As for the CFM I found it eiether here or on the Perma-cool web-site. Our are trucks should get somewhere around 5500 cfm. That it why I think I'm so well covered. I have dual 16" fans, each put out 3000 cfm for a grand total of 6000 cfm. I believe those numbers are right, but I cant find the site right at the moment, but on this web site he says almost the same numbers
http://www.dzljim.com/Ford/fans.htm
Also if you read this page it says that large cubic inch motors need at least 4500 cfm, but lets say diesels need more so the 5000 to 5500 cfm is probebly right, and if you scroll down to the 16" fans you will see they pull 2950 cfm each. I hope that helps
http://perma-cool.com/Catalog/Cat_page16.html
As for the CFM I found it eiether here or on the Perma-cool web-site. Our are trucks should get somewhere around 5500 cfm. That it why I think I'm so well covered. I have dual 16" fans, each put out 3000 cfm for a grand total of 6000 cfm. I believe those numbers are right, but I cant find the site right at the moment, but on this web site he says almost the same numbers
http://www.dzljim.com/Ford/fans.htm
Also if you read this page it says that large cubic inch motors need at least 4500 cfm, but lets say diesels need more so the 5000 to 5500 cfm is probebly right, and if you scroll down to the 16" fans you will see they pull 2950 cfm each. I hope that helps
http://perma-cool.com/Catalog/Cat_page16.html