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Electric fans - Which one's do you guys run?

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fatcat92

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I was just wondering what fans you guys run for electric? I've been looking at these Derale Dual PowerPacks https://derale.com/product-footer/electric-fans/shrouded-powerpacks/dual-powerpacks/16837-detail , and this controller, https://derale.com/product-footer/electric-fans/fan-controllers/pwm-controller/16796-detail

I have this radiator https://www.northernradiator.com/Product/205026

It's for a 383 I put in and the mechanical fan sits too low on the radiator because of the body lift, it runs fine in the garage and when its barrelling down the street but the temperature starts to climb when i'm idling in the sun. Previous to that I had a problem with erratic temp readings but it was because I wasn't running the bypass since I went with vortec heads.

I've been hearing about getting OEM ones cheap from a Ford Taurus or one of their vans but not sure which one exactly, gonna look a bit more but I almost want to pay the extra and get an aftermarket one with the aluminum shroud that basically fits my radiator already, all I have to do is make some different mounts to go with it potentially which is fine, not really looking to make my own shroud, wondering if anyone here has these or any other brands or if I'm better off going with an OEM ford one. Heard bad things about flex-a-lite electric fans and their controllers failing.
 
They are fans from the Ford Windstar. They can be found for cheap. I’m contemplating installing some while I’ve got my radiator and everything torn apart.
 
x2 on Windstar. I grab an extra one every time I got to the pull a part.

#186 on my Fitech thread has a Windstar fan motor replacement walk through.
 
i had Windstars in the K5... plenty of suck.... i have heard about large singles from furd products being good too... taurus, Lincoln Mark IV, etc...
 
Any particular year? The ones I’m seeing for Ford Windstar have a width of like 35 inches… my rad core is only 28 1/4 inches wide.

No one here has any experience using those back the aftermarket ones?
 
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My advice would be go with the oem fan/shroud setups over the aftermarket setups. A lot of the efficiency comes from the distance the fan blades extend into the shroud, the distance of the fan from the radiator, the shape of the shroud, etc. By getting an OEM unit, you have that all taken care of by a team of engineers. Doing it yourself only guarantees you won't have it optimized. I'm sure if you look around you can find an OEM setup that will fit your radiator. The OEM setups are usually a bit thicker than you can get with your own setup, but again, they are engineered that way in order to work better than your homemade shroud and fan setup.

If you do decide to go aftermarket, all I can say is be wary of CFM numbers unless they are pushing/pulling air through something. Moving air with no resistance is easy, pushing/pulling it through a radiator, trans cooler and AC is a different story. The best cfm numbers I could find were from maradyne fans. One broke just after the year warranty, the other is still going strong. I replaced the broken one with a Sway-away, so far so good. FWIW, I now wish I would have gone OEM, but at this point I'm too deep financially into the setup I have, and it's working, so it will stay. Rock Auto for an OEM setup would have saved me a lot, though!

Easy choice on the controller, DCcontrol.com. Have nothing bad to say about them, infinitely adjustable, high amperage, USA made to order, even the wire included is top quality.
 
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anwat said:
My advice would be go with the oem fan/shroud setups over the aftermarket setups. A lot of the efficiency comes from the distance the fan blades extend into the shroud, the distance of the fan from the radiator, the shape of the shroud, etc. By getting an OEM unit, you have that all taken care of by a team of engineers. Doing it yourself only guarantees you won't have it optimized. I'm sure if you look around you can find an OEM setup that will fit your radiator. The OEM setups are usually a bit thicker than you can get with your own setup, but again, they are engineered that way in order to work better than your homemade shroud and fan setup.

If you do decide to go aftermarket, all I can say is be wary of CFM numbers unless they are pushing/pulling air through something. Moving air with no resistance is easy, pushing/pulling it through a radiator, trans cooler and AC is a different story. The best cfm numbers I could find were from maradyne fans. One broke just after the year warranty, the other is still going strong. I replaced the broken one with a Sway-away, so far so good. FWIW, I now wish I would have gone OEM, but at this point I'm too deep financially into the setup I have, and it's working, so it will stay. Rock Auto for an OEM setup would have saved me a lot, though!

Easy choice on the controller, DCcontrol.com. Have nothing bad to say about them, infinitely adjustable, high amperage, USA made to order, even the wire included is top quality.
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Well the derale one I linked has it’s own shroud and everything, the pcm controller is integrated into it. The setup is around $500. It fits my rad almost perfectly, i only have a tranny cooler in front of the rad itself, the derale ones have 4000 cfm, so they say anyways.

If I was to go OEM it’d be a lot cheaper but having trouble finding one that fits a 28 inch by 18 inch rad core. The derale one is 27 inch by 18 inch. It would almost fit perfectly.
 
I run a Derale 17" fan right now, Its a beast of a fan. Word on the internet is to stay away from their controller. I have mine wired up with a relay and a temp switch and then went to a relay with ECU grounding it.
IMG_0006.jpeg

I have also ran dual spal 16" fans in the past with each having a relay and ecu grounding them. staged off of temperature. I put like 30k mile on this setup living in the desert
IMG_3197.JPG
I have had a windstar fan but never actually put it in anything.

The derale is by far the nicest aftermarket fan I have put hands on.
 
Awhile ago I read a thread detailing Windstar fan install.
Using the factory shroud.
Was a great write up, I can't find it now.
 
lt's been my experience that you're not going to be completely happy until you get what you want....buy the Derale setup, which is, by all accounts a good fan, and it looks to be a good shroud, too. Install it, but do so with the fact that your controller may fail in mind. Set it up so you can manually "hotwire" one of the fans if need be to get home if it does. See how long it holds up, and start saving money for the Delta Controls controller. If it turns out the Derale is a good setup, great, it's in and you're happy. If something goes sideways, you're prepared and have a backup plan to get home.
When I installed my fan setup, I wired one to the FItech controller, and independently wired the other to the DC fan controller. I was driving up the Grapevine in August when one of the fans died, and I noticed it was getting a little warm. Was able to finish my trip with only one fan, just had to keep my eye on the temp when I was going slow or on long uphills...for once, things worked out the way I intended.
 
TreeFarm said:
I run a Derale 17" fan right now, Its a beast of a fan. Word on the internet is to stay away from their controller. I have mine wired up with a relay and a temp switch and then went to a relay with ECU grounding it.
View attachment 382596

I have also ran dual spal 16" fans in the past with each having a relay and ecu grounding them. staged off of temperature. I put like 30k mile on this setup living in the desert
View attachment 382597
I have had a windstar fan but never actually put it in anything.

The derale is by far the nicest aftermarket fan I have put hands on.
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that's a nice looking shroud! I like the top of the radiator mounting piece you have, what's that from?
 
anwat said:
that's a nice looking shroud! I like the top of the radiator mounting piece you have, what's that from?
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It’s just the factory upper radiator mount that was slightly extended to fit the larger radiator.
 
Spal 16" #VA18-AP70/LL-86A

Then again, i don't go off road and haven't had to sit in traffic much (knock on wood.....). Also, i only have 262 inches---so, less to cool. This is behind a 2 row Champion radiator. It does keep everything cool if i do get stuck in traffic.

If the truck is moving at least 16mph with the heater fan on full, the truck will not overheat---even with out the radiator fan. This is with a 195 thermostat.
 
Babaganoosh said:
I'm running this one, so far I really like it.

Powerpack - High Output Dual 12'' Electric RAD Fan/Aluminum Shroud Kit - 28-1/4''W x 17''H x 4''D

Powerpack - High Output Dual 12'' Electric RAD Fan/Aluminum Shroud Kit - 28-1/4''W x 17''H x 4''D Dual Powerpacks High Output Dual RAD Fan/Aluminum Shroud Assembly Powerpack - 16812, 16838, 16825, 16826, 16836, 16837, 16830, 16831, 16833, 16835, 16842, 16927
derale.com derale.com
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This is the one I was initially looking at and would be perfect for my radiator, but even though the rad core I have is listed at 28-3/8th, with a tape it looks like its a hair under 28-1/4 so I didn't want to chance it, so probably will go with the 27" width one so I'll have a half inch gap on each side; do you think that would look funny? Really wanted the exact fit.

Thank you everyone who gave their input; Like anwat was saying i don't think I'll be satisfied until I get what I wanted to get so going to go with the aftermarket Derale setup; of course I was also planning to put in a manual switch along with the controller as I have witnessed overheating problems when sensors/controllers fail. Of course that doesn't save you if you left the truck idling with no one in the drivers seat but you can only account for so much. One advantage of the mechanical fan was it always ran regardless of any electrical issues.
 
fatcat92 said:
This is the one I was initially looking at and would be perfect for my radiator, but even though the rad core I have is listed at 28-3/8th, with a tape it looks like its a hair under 28-1/4 so I didn't want to chance it, so probably will go with the 27" width one so I'll have a half inch gap on each side; do you think that would look funny? Really wanted the exact fit.

Thank you everyone who gave their input; Like anwat was saying i don't think I'll be satisfied until I get what I wanted to get so going to go with the aftermarket Derale setup; of course I was also planning to put in a manual switch along with the controller as I have witnessed overheating problems when sensors/controllers fail. Of course that doesn't save you if you left the truck idling with no one in the drivers seat but you can only account for so much. One advantage of the mechanical fan was it always ran regardless of any electrical issues.
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With a slight nudge it will fit between mine, but I have a few inch gap at the bottom not covered by the shroud.
 
Babaganoosh said:
With a slight nudge it will fit between mine, but I have a few inch gap at the bottom not covered by the shroud.
Click to expand...
Yeah I was thinking it could squish in there, is there play in the side rails for that or are they solid? I’d rather not have it putting pressure against the two side tanks; it would look a lot nicer though, all I need is an 1/8th of an inch more. The 27 inch one has the full height of 18” to cover my entire rad but man not sure if that 5/8” inch gap on each side width wise is gonna bug me.

anyone else run a shroud that has half inch or so gap on each side between shroud and rad tank? I’ve been trying to find pictures of one but most have them flush. It’s like almost $700 CAD for this setup so been pondering for a week or two now; can’t drive the truck anyways right now so I have time.
 
fatcat92 said:
Yeah I was thinking it could squish in there, is there play in the side rails for that or are they solid? I’d rather not have it putting pressure against the two side tanks; it would look a lot nicer though, all I need is an 1/8th of an inch more. The 27 inch one has the full height of 18” to cover my entire rad but man not sure if that 5/8” inch gap on each side width wise is gonna bug me.

anyone else run a shroud that has half inch or so gap on each side between shroud and rad tank? I’ve been trying to find pictures of one but most have them flush. It’s like almost $700 CAD for this setup so been pondering for a week or two now; can’t drive the truck anyways right now so I have time.
Click to expand...
Barely any pressure in the side tanks, it's a snug fit.
 
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