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Which electric fan? Windstar or Flex-a-lite?

M

mr_blasto

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I have a 4 year old but never used flex-a-lite dual electric fan setup I am thinking about using, but I am also considering selling it and going with the windstar fan setup.

I don't have much specific information about the windstar fans. I know that the flexalite fans are rated at 5200 cfm, up to a 30 amp draw, and have a thermostat type switch that can turn the fans on at any temp between 180 and 240.

I am not sure if you can set them up like the windstar fans to come on at say 210 and off at 190. And with the flex-a-lites either both fans are on or neither, unlike the windstars where the you can set different temps for each fan to come on.

I would venture a guess that the Flex-a-lites flow more air, but that is purely a guess. Am I going to run into a problem with the flex-a-lites coming on and off every 30 seconds, or is that kind of the point?

What would you guys do? Which is easier to wire up?

I will be running a 406 TBI if it matters.
 
Lincoln mark 8 fan and use a fan controller, i run that one my street/strip car and it works very well.
 
BILTIT said:
Lincoln mark 8 fan and use a fan controller, i run that one my street/strip car and it works very well.
Click to expand...

That's cool that the Lincoln fan works for you, but I was kind of hoping for a bit of input to help me make a choice.

What is it that you like about that fan? Do you think it will cool better than the other fans? or is it less expensive? Perhaps it offers features that the other fans don't? Maybe it is simpler to install? Or easier to find at a junk yard? What exactly does your fan controller allow you to control? Do you have a link to the controller? Why is this setup superior to the other two options I have mentioned?

This is the kind of info I am looking for. Knowing what you use on your street/strip setup doesn't help me make a decision. Knowing WHY you use it over the other options might help more. Anyone else prefer the Lincoln Mark 8 fan setup? Why?
 
I've heard the mark 8's are good but have no experience with em.. I'm assuming it's a large single..

I do know my Windstars blow some SERIOUS air.... With both on, it definitely moves more air than a stock clutch fan.. But I don't know an actual cfm rating...

I'd say it depends on what you can sell the fans for... If your gonna get a $100, I wouldn't bother, and just run em...

most junkyard fans run in the 50 to 75 range from what I've seen...
 
Sorry for not doing the research for ya, just giving you another option if you are not aware of it.

Mark 8's move serious air, highest cfm (4500) for a single fan i could find. They have an integral shroud that is very easy for mounting. The fan controller is a variable speed unit. It senses the temp of the motor and varies the rpm of the fan accordingly. It also starts the fan at 50% speed to reduce current spikes on startup (easier on alternator).

Look i even found you one for 50 bucks.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/_Car...QadiZ2865QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item130222468683&

Some are single speed, some are dual speed.

BTW, the s/s car is a pontiac ventura w/455 and at 3700# running 11's all motor with 9.5 comp. If it can cool it with the stock rad than it will cool any truck.

Hope this helps you alittle more.

Picture 124.jpg
 
BILTIT said:
Lincoln mark 8 fan and use a fan controller, i run that one my street/strip car and it works very well.
Click to expand...


Same setup here. The Mark VIII fan works very well!

fan.JPG


Switch.JPG


I installed a Mark 8 fan and Flex-o-Lite 33054 controller a few days ago. I chose the Mark 8 controller due to the higher reported CFM rating than the Taurus fan. This is mainly due to the larger diameter of the fan. It's about 2" bigger in diameter than the Taurus fan and I have seen numbers anywhere from 300-800 more CFM. The motor and wiring seem to be the same including the interchangeability of the factory-wiring plug.

I went with this controller due to the extras it can do. The fan has the soft start feature which means it starts the fan gradually then to 65%. Once the temperature reaches a pre-set mark, the fan goes to 100%
These are the things I wired up to use.
  • Thermal switch that turns the fan on 65% at 165 degrees.
  • A switch that turns the fan on with the AC. Yes I still have the AC hooked up and working.
  • A Switch that turns the fan on manually.
  • A switch that overrides everything else and turns the fan off.
The fan cycles as needed and cools the truck seemingly like the mechanical fan did. It has also improved the coolness factor of the K5 IMO...
 
friend has 2 elec fas he got from summit racing, not sure the brand. After they both died he ended up going to the windstars like me and another guy I wheel with run. My other friend has a TD427 and had the original bus fixed 7 blade fan. He would get hot crawling and have to cool down regularly. After he went windstar he stays cool even crawling.
 
like ryoken said what you can sell the fans for would impact my decision. The windstars I have blow a hell of a lot of air and I only paid about 60 or so with a junkyard fan with new switches, breakers and relays
 
I am guessing I could get 200 for the fans, maybe more. The sell price for the fans seems to come up a lot, so I figured I would throw my guess out there. Thanks for the input, keep it coming. And, yes, thank you Biltit for doing the research for me. The second post was much more of what I was looking for, thanks.
 
hi dont mean to thread jack but does anyone have a part # for the halfmoon shapped wheather pack connecter on the windstar fans having a hard time finding one
 
For what it's worth ANY fans can be made to come on at whatever desired temp you want. You just need to purchase a controller.

I like the idea of dual fans, as I can change the level of cooling, and always have a back up if one dies on the trail.
 
I don't have a part number but I pulled my connector out of a junk yard, I got it for the 2$ I payed for admission which is probably a hell of a lot cheaper then what ford wants
 
I know this is a long dead thread, but have some interesting info for future readers: I have an engineer friend who actually tested a 2000 Windstar fan and found it is capable of 4403.157cfm at O in static pressure. That's with both fans running with no resistance on the exit side. CFM numbers can be misleading....you have to take into account the resistance on the downstream side of the fan which can have a great deal of impact on the amount of air that gets pulled or pushed through the radiator.
 
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