electric fan vs stock flexfan is the $$ worth it

[eggman918]

This question goes back to that elusive 2 or 3 extra HP i need at 2000/2500rpm.A fan kit is about 100.00 +- ,my truck has tall 4 core radiator so the fan is not needed often....What do you gentlemen think ?

[Ranchero50]

What have you done to upgrade the electrical system yet? Can you run the heater on high, headlights, windshield wipers all at the same time without the lights dimming?

Jamie

[eggman918]

I have big alternator that is not an issue,I can hear fan and was thinking if i hear it it is costing me.All I have on front of crank is fan/water pump and alt. with 2 shiv pulleys

[dantheman71]

Spend the money!!

You know how to make a small fortune fixing up trucks? Start with a big fortune!!

[averagef250]

Spend the money on a new thermostatic clutch fan. Flexfans suck. I won't use electric unless I have to as in not enough room to fit a mechanical fan between engine and radiator. You have to spend a fortune to get a decent electric fan.

[Dragon]

I run a 16 inch electric fan, with stock alternator with no problem. 65 amps on our trucks that draw 10 amps most of the time max unless you have Halogen lights and fancy stereo is no big draw. My fan draws 1.4 amps. At 3500 with a shrouded fan (4 blade or locked up Thermostatic fan with 6 blades) is 10 horses lost. At 5000 18 horses lost. The electric fan at 1.4 amps at 14VDC is 19.6 watts. A 1 horsepower motor is 768 watts which at 14Vs is 54 amps. To generate 1.4 amps the 65 amp alternator only uses .1 hp.

.1 hp or 2 to 18hp? Your choice.

[brandon.k]

I have been running two 14 inch electric fans on the stock electrical system for 10 years now and havnt had a bit of trouble out of it. Im running the small radiator and it still stays cool on the 100+ degree days.

[Ranchero50]

Dargon, can you validate that 1.9amp at 12vdc actually moving air and what fan it is? The typical flex a lite's I've measured were pulling 20+ amp. The Taurus two speed fan pulls 38+ on high speed and that will either kill the battery or overload the alternator wiring if not the alternator itself. Been there, granted it was a twin turbo'd 351w in a '83 Capri. I installed the flex-a-lite mustang kit with temp controller and fan shroud in a friends '88 turbo coupe with the blown 302 and it's been working well enough for the last two years once the fan was set up to only come on at 200`. otherwise it just ran all the time.

Jamie

[fitzwell]

Got a t-bird fan on the 69. Also made the 3g upgrade. No worries, truck runs cool. The t-bird unit pulls north of 80 amps on high speed startup. settles in at about 50. Low speed is a different story little over 38 to start, about 25 running. If wired correctly, you'll have no problems

added note... The tbird fan was 35 from the local salvage yard, Taurus alt ran 20.

[Dragon]

How are you guys measuring that current? 20 amps at 14V (the running voltage) is 280 watts or 768W / 280w is a 1/3 hp motor. I am an electrician and a 1/3 hp motor in AC or DC format is usually 5 inches long and 5-1/4 inches in diameter. I measured my fan draw with an Amp(company) Averaging DC Current clamp. Averaging is good for DC but needs corrected by 1.111 for AC work.

[Ranchero50]

Dragon, I used a generic -30,0,+30 amp gauge hooked up in series with the fan. DC clamp meters are salty. I have a Fluke 30 AC clamp for AC loads. The Taurus setup needed two 30a relays in parallel for high speed and #8 ga wire soldered to ring terminals to eliminate any resistance heating issues. It ate a single 30a and 10ga within an hour of running.

Here's the mustang spec'd flex a lite.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/FLX-180/

18a and we used 10ga wire for it to hook the temp controller (which has a relay) directly to the starter solenoid through a 25 amp circuit breaker. I refuse to do an electric fan without a relay and circuit breaker setup. Same for the wreckers I end up rewiring. keep it low current in the cab and heavy cable out front with the CB and relay package close to the battery. no butt connectors, everything soldered and heat shrunk, chafe protection on everything. No failures.

Jamie

[eggman918]

It can never be simple,I don't think that it would run very much as I rarely see 190 on temp gauge in fact i am currently attempting to bring up the operating temp in my post dry docked.I had not thought of a thermostatic clutch fan,I like the simplicity of it
It appears that I have underestimated the load of electric fan

[Dragon]

I use a Hayden 16 inch with adjustable Thermostat set to 190. I use the 3653 Econo Tstat with the 3700 fan. It says it is drawing 16 amps so I am going to check my meter. But what is strange is the factory fan side wiring is 18 awg which no way can run 16 amps and not get hot. the sites says a 14 inch is all I need but I am in the high desert of New Mexico above the Rio Grande.

I have a Fluke 400IS clamp but I use the Amp 200 ampere clamp for DC work as I don't have to do the math from Average reading to RMS for AC.

http://haydenauto.com/upload/HaydenAuto ... c-fans.pdf

[1971ford]

Are you guys familiar with the Ford Taurus fan? Used a lot in 4x4's... Wondering how it would do to replace a mechanical fan.

[Dragon]

I never used a Taurus fan because I already had 4 Mustang fans and two Mustang radiators in one truck when I could get ahold of the Taurus fans.