Chrisreyn

I was thinking that a dual electric fan set up on the radiator might do better than the stock fan and fan clutch, since I have heard several times that the fan clutch really drags down HP when it kicks in.... anybody done this?

If so I'd be interested in how it worked out and how you did it. Part suppliers and such...

1-2-3

I beleive the consensus is you cannot purchase a fan or pair that will pull enough cfm's to keep er cool.

apwatson50

If your going to be doing any towing I agree. But if you never tow anything or haul any sort of weight and the rest of your cooling system was in tip top shape than a set of dual fans would probably work out fine.

Ace

I think it depends mostly on whether or not you have the later cross-flow radiator.

NoSparkplugs

Stupid question , but I see that Flex-a-Lite came out with a dual fan setup for the Duramax that pushes 6000cfm. Couldn't we just retrofit those 2 fans onto a 1st gen?

90firstgen

Surely we could find something to make work. I've always wanted to do this too. How much cfm do you think would be needed? I need to start looking for parts Where theres a will, theres a way... as the first gen crowd has figured out

RustyJC

Just something to keep in mind. I tried a set of Flex-a-Lite Model 350 dual puller fans on my 1996 3500. They drew 50 amps. 50 amps x 12 volts = 600 watts = 0.8 BHP. That's how much power is available to move air. By comparison, I've seen figures from 4 BHP to 20 BHP for a fully-engaged engine driven fan.

The electrics wouldn't cool my truck when towing a 5th wheel in the Texas Hill Country or through Houston stop-and-go traffic. For mall cruising, they were fine. That little lesson cost me quite a bit of money!

Rusty

Chrisreyn

OK, I don't know much about this. it was just an idea that i was kicking around...
How much ( CFM) does the stock fan arrangement pull when engaged? 4 or 20?
How large an electric set up would be required to move the same amount of air and what would the amp draw be?
I ain't go the smarts with numbers to figure all that stuff out..
From what y'all are saying, it doesn't sound like a feasible idea..

willieboy

I'd be curious to know what CFM is needed also. I have seen the Viper electric fan in a gasser, and I swear that thing could cool anything. It sure seemed liked it pull more air than my stock fan does.

Redleg

Last time I looked into this, most manufacturers would not warranty replaceing the fan in our application with the electric. They said to only supplement. I know busses and other pushers run that way, but you'd have to see what manufacturer they use, probaby not necessarily over the counter.

Ace

I'm willing to spend 5-10hp to run the motor the way it was designed. Only really comes into play in the summer, under load anyway. I think the OEM fan clutch is more efficient for highway cooling when it is disengaged. Less drag, better flow.

Just my $.02

nekogriff

Yeah electrics usually do not cut it for high heat loads, at least not with the small radiators we have to work with. My experience in electric fans back when I worked for Ford was this, they put electric fans in every car they made, but never put them in any of their trucks, not even the tiny ranger. As far as patterns go I saw more crown vics in the shop for dead electric fans or burned harnesses/relays than anything. Usually the police cruisers or the limos where the fan was forced to run in its high power setting for extended periods. I think for the sake of simplicity and reliability alone the stocker is the best bet.

BC847

My .00003942 cents worth . .. .



If you're firstly concerned about HP losses consider that if one were to use an electric fan that was equal to the mechanical fan, the electric fan would require MORE HP as the alternator must generate the power required and then have the electric motor use it.

Neither the alternator nor the electric motor are near as efficient as the straight mechanical drive. The majority of the additional power losses are presented as heat in the alternator and electric motor. (The mechanical drive is not 100% efficient either).

. . .. come to think of it, the alternator's belt driven as well so that's a wash at best.

Keep in mind, this is ignoring the reliability factor.


If you're drag racing or such, then perhaps an electric fan might be of benefit simply because you can turn it off during the pass. But then you could just save the money and take the blade off for the races.

Chrisreyn

Thanks guys...answers my questions..