Electric Radiator Fan

[KD7GYJ]

Does anyone know of a good electric radiator fan? Do they make such a beast? I would like to drop the centrifigal clutch fan and put in a dual electric fan on the radiator. More efficient in cooling in the hot summer days.

 

[Alan Reagan]

I looked into it about a year ago and could not find one for our application. Seems like it takes too much power to pull a fan large enough to cool the system. There maybe something new out there but I haven't seen it.

 

[JohnMcIntyre]

Horton alternative?

Have you considered a Horton? it only kicks in when things get really warm. Follow link in my sigfile below... .

 

[RustyJC]

I paid almost $500 for the largest Flex-A-Lite dual fan system I could fit in our previous 3500 V-10 - this system replaced the engine-driven fan. Unfortunately, this ole engineer didn't stop to "do his sums". This fan system drew 50 amps. Well, 50 amps x 12 volts = 600 watts = less than 1 BHP. Since the engine-driven fan can pull up to 15-20 BHP, obviously this didn't work.



Anybody wanna buy a Flex-A-Lite fan system cheap? Barely used... . :{



Rusty

 

[Extreme1]

So it didn't work or doesn't flow enough air?

 

[Oliver88]

Check out this thread. Someone here used two side by side 14" fans.

Greg

https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=33451

 

[Alan Reagan]

I think RustyJC's may have worked, but 50 amps is a lot of current to be flowing, steady state.

 

[RustyJC]

Originally posted by Extreme1

So it didn't work or doesn't flow enough air?

Since the fans had less than 1 BHP available to drive them, they would cool OK at idle, but when towing a 5ver in stop-and-go summer traffic, they couldn't move enough air to keep up.



I replaced them with the factory fan with an aftermarket 205 degF thermal clutch (stock was 224 degF), and the temps while towing in Houston traffic during the summer would never exceed 205 to the occasional 210 degF (195 degF thermostat). As soon as the fan clutch kicked in, coolant temperatures would drop like a rock! With the factory thermal clutch, 230 degF wasn't unusual.



Hey, if you don't tow heavy, or if your summers are less severe than ours in Houston (saw 107 degF one day while towing the 5ver), the Flex-A-Lite fans might work fine for you. They just didn't have the "beans" for our admittedly severe cooling system requirements.



Wanna try 'em... . I'll let 'em go cheap! :{



Rusty

 

[NVR FNSH]

RustyJC,

What PN is the elec set up? Does it include the mounting frame? What are the dimensions? I may be interested in the elec for use on my CJ-7.



Brian

 

[RustyJC]

Originally posted by NVR FNSH

RustyJC,

What PN is the elec set up? Does it include the mounting frame? What are the dimensions? I may be interested in the elec for use on my CJ-7.



Brian

I'll get the specifics when I get home tonight. It's quite similar to the following (Model 260):



http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/Application Guide/fulltruck.htm



Edit - The model number 350 (probably obsolete) sticks in my mind... .



Rusty

 

[GAmes]

RustyJC, where did you get your after market thermal clutch? I too pull a large 5er (13,000 pounds wet) and need a little relief when I hit the mountains out west.

 

[RustyJC]

Originally posted by GAmes

RustyJC, where did you get your after market thermal clutch?

Fan Clutch (ordered from Wrenchead.com) - Comfort Temp # 36700 - $80. 12 (remember, this was for the V-10).



Rusty

 

[RustyJC]

Originally posted by NVR FNSH

RustyJC,

What PN is the elec set up? Does it include the mounting frame? What are the dimensions? I may be interested in the elec for use on my CJ-7.



Brian

Flex-A-Lite M350 Dual 14" Electric Fans.



The system includes a shroud with integral frame, mounting bolts, brackets, a controller, thermostat, etc.



The shroud is 32. 5" wide, 16. 5" high and 4. 5" thick with the fans sitting horizontally. It can be turned vertically or at a 45* (or other) angle if desired. If mounted at 45*, its height is 26" on the diagonal.



From the installation brochure, it is rated for "Class V-VIII vehicles in severe service conditions (routine loading in excess of 80% of GVW, frequent travel over grades of 6% or more, and/or ambient air temperatures in excess of 90*F). A single unit is rated for vehicles with engines up to 335 BHP and at least 1,200 square inches of clear radiator core area.



This is a puller fan system and must be mounted on the engine side of the radiator.



Rusty

 

[NVR FNSH]

Rusty,

I'll measure the radiator/mounting pts on my jeep to see if it can be made to work.



Brian

 

[jsimpson]

PermaCool 14's at $95 each from Summit work a lot better. They have no shrouds to block airflow. They have metal mounts and metal blades. I have two on my 89, and my AC, coolant temp, and oil pressure never looked so good!

 

[azcummins]

Do you guys think I can run the elec. fans on my 3500 towing moderate loads in the mountains of Colorado? Horton looks good, but I think it was $800 + install... . anyone verify this?

 

[GOakes]

Watch what you say!

The so-called fan laws deal with the efficiency of fans at varying speeds. Airflow generated by the motion of the fan blade is directly proportional to the speed of the fan blade (more or less --- and there is a lot to be said on that subject). The power required to cause the fan to rotate involves some interesting arithmetic…Changes in the speed of rotation involve exponential changes in power. Some won’t take my word for that --- if you don’t -- look it up in “The Table Of Fan Laws “ is available in most engineering data books… Read it and when you understand it and you will understand why DC and most other manufacturers build their fan drives as they do.

Contrary to what you may have read here --- DC engineers do understand and make an honest effort to build a good truck…

G...

 

[Excessive Force]

BLACK MAGIC FAN

I've got the Black magic fan on my pulling truck. does a good job of cooling at over 800 hp and 8,000 plus Rpm. just my $. 02

 

[jsimpson]

Table of Fan Laws notwithstanding, engine driven fans do a POOR job at idle speed where your engine operates much of the time in town, with the extra thermal and power loads of air conditioning and automatic transmission. My experience is that a couple of hundred dollar PermaCools mounted side by side results in higher oil pressure, lower transmission temps, more stable engine temps, and much better air conditioner performance. At higher speeds, the Table of Fan Laws does NOT take in consideration the flow of air through the radiator that results from the truck passing through the air and forcing the air through the radiator. As usual, the simple engineeering answer does not consider all of the factors of real-world driving.

 

[Turbo Thom]

Does US Gear not have a Power Fan that operates off electricity? Seems like I saw an add for such. ????????



Preston. .