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Opinion on elec fan`s.

Elec fan or keep what I have

  • Elec fan

    Votes: 19 82.6%

  • Belt driven fan

    Votes: 4 17.4%
  • Total voters
    23
  • Poll closed .
you can go electric for less than that... i probably have about half that in my set-up. Ford Windstar or Taurus fan + 2 relays + temp sending unit + wire + switch. Junkyard for the fans, summit for the sending unit and regular autoparts store for other stuff.

or you could go to the junkyard and get a "new" radiator shroud...
 
The windstar fans (junkyard) are supposed to flow a lot more air than the black magic ones.:doah: I swapped my windstar fan in for dirt cheap.:D

Z
 
I've got the twin Flex-a-lite fan setup, pulls a ton of air. I had to have twin fans for my application with a 406. I like them a lot, makes the A/C kick butt....
 
cwn_anwyn said:
The windstar fans (junkyard) are supposed to flow a lot more air than the black magic ones.:doah: I swapped my windstar fan in for dirt cheap.:D

Z
Click to expand...


X2!
 
Hmm,
I've considered this, but what about a BBC in AZ?
any opinions on reliability of an Efan system compared to the tried and true mech fan?
experience?
 
Reliability of an OEM fan cannot be questioned...if it's a good fan, installed right, it will work just as long/reliably as all the electric fans used in modern vehicles.

As to air movement, the clutch fans still seem to be king (when working right) at moving the most amount of air the easiest.
 
I have never had issues with the 2 camaro iroc electric fans on my blazer and I love them.
 
i've considered running the taurus or windstar fan, to free up a little power, but i'd probably keep the stock belt-driven one in the cab as a backup. i just don't like the idea of going through a creek or something and shorting out the fan and not having another option.
 
I don't think you would need to worry about shorting it out. From what I've seen, (mythbusters! lol) window motors have no problem running completely submerged, I don't know why it would hurt an electric fan to get submerged. If it's wired right anyways, it wouldn't come on as that much water would cool the engine off quickly.

One of the advantages of electric fans (about the only one really for our trucks) is that you can just turn it off, while the stock fan you can't, and can eat your radiator in water crossings.
 
I picked up a set from a Dodge van at Pick n Pull for $10. They flow pretty good.
 
Kp said:
Hmm,
I've considered this, but what about a BBC in AZ?
any opinions on reliability of an Efan system compared to the tried and true mech fan?
experience?
Click to expand...



I ran a my .60 over BBC in Florida for years with two factory GM electric fans from an Grand Am. Never once had a heat issue.

I also prefer dual fan over a single. The main reason is that if one motor takes a dump, I have another to get me home. As far as water, it's not an issue. I have ran my truck extremely deep and fully submerged the fans (while turned off), drove out of the water and turned them back on immediately. Just make sure you run an off switch so that you can override the temp sensor and turn them off in the water. Otherwise you will probably break the fan blades upon entering the water.
 
ideally, there should be no problem with water, but, in real-world application, my friend shorted out his jeep fuel injection system in a few feet of water, a day of mudding got too much gunk in my starter and it cemented the motor up, and i managed to toss a rock into a spark plug during a hill-climb and smashed it. luckily i had a set of old spare plugs with me. i'm not trying to argue here, but i'm just saying that some wierd stuff can happen when you do what we do. and i don't even go crazy on the trail.
 
Shorting it out and plugging it up are two completely different things. Electric fan is an electric motor. Ignition modules, ECMs, or relays (for instance) are all items that have extremely small tolerances for maltreatment, which is due to the way they are constructed. Electric motors aren't the same thing.

I agree though, you could certainly fill one up with mud and cause problems, other than not being able to shut it off, a mechanical fan does have fewer components. :)
 
It's an interesting debate..

Here's my .02...

horsepower, really not a big deal.. Maybe a screaming mud truck..

The mechanical would have to get the edge in reliabilty, tho if done right, I think electric CAN be comparable.. I have had clutchs go...

The advantages of electric are, shutting off for water crossings, AND cleaner engine compartment, frees up space and a little safer around running motors..

I'm psyched to do my custom Windstar install.. Should be doing that within the month or so..

All that being said, I will end this with a warning, imo you need to have a damn good electrical system to run some hooveresque fans.. 5000 cfm's draws a good amount of juice..
 
I run a Flex-a-lite mechanical flex fan. And for $30 you can't go wrong!
Same idea as the stock setup, but this one has no clutch but the fan blades will deflect the faster the fan spins.

I have ran one for more than 2 years now and I have no complaints, never once overheated or ran too hot. The one problem I did have is that in a water crossing the fan blades hit the water and bent some. So for $30 they are cheap enough to just outright replace. Also watch out when you are working on your engine while its running with one of these, they will chop your hand right off, but man do they move a **** load of air!

If you want, I can post pictures of my setup...
 
I put a dual 3-speed setup from an early 90's Cadillac into my K5, but I also put an aluminum radiator in at the same time. I have ZERO cooling issues, and I think that if I left the fan off, I'd still cool just fine. I'll probably try it one day......

Anyhow, I had a taurus two speed setup with a less than desireable homemade shroud, and it cooled okay with a standard four core radiator. Once the cooling fins started rotting out in the front of the radiator, my cooling SUCKED! But aluminum radiator+electric fans+happy motor.

DSC04674-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/mofugly13/DSC04674-1.jpg
 
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