Engine Fan? is it worth changing to electric fans or no fan?

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Oct 6, 2011 | 10:41 PM

#16

BearKiller

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Joined: Oct 2005

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From: KENTUCKY

I will add that the biggest road-block to a 1st Gen. Dodge/Cummins keeping it's cool in a genuine towing situation is that puny little radiator that would be more at home in a little 4-cylinder car; I mean that thing is tiny.

Please pardon the interuptions in my postings.

Ever since the changeover, I can be typing along and right in the middle of a sentence, it will instantaneously post whatever I am typing.

I mean it jerks my post away from me and instantly it is posted.

When I actually click "submit" it piddles around for five minutes before I get any action.

I can't figure what Chrysler was thinking in putting such a small cooling system on what was to be a genuine gooseneck hauling rig.

Oct 6, 2011 | 10:44 PM

#17

jimbo486

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Joined: Mar 2008

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From: Orange County, California

Quote:

Originally Posted by BearKiller

Stock fan nut is 33MM I believe and LEFT-HAND.

Everyone is always trying to put a CFM value on the stock clutch-driven fan.

I see no accurate reliable way to even get a close estimate of the true down-the-road CFM that a hardly-ever-actually-engaged clutch-driven fan is gonna pull.

The big advantage of decent electric fans is that they are fully engaged at full speed at all times that they have electrical current.

I would not hesitate to tow anything with good electric fans that can be towed with a clutch-driven fan.

I am gonna go the electric route whenever I can get time and money ahead to do so.

Currently, on my personal truck, I am running a direct-drive fan-hub, Flex-a-lite #852 and a six-blade steel Flex-a-lite heavy-duty truck fan, 19" I think.

I cannot feel or tell any difference in power or fuel mileage without any fan at all, with a stock clutch-fan, with a pinned stock fan, or with this solid hub direct-drive fan.

Do you think the new fan made an improvement, cooling-wise? IIRC, you bought the fan hub and fan from Summit, correct? Which fan is it you bought?

Oct 6, 2011 | 10:55 PM

#18

BearKiller

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Joined: Oct 2005

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From: KENTUCKY

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimbo486

Do you think the new fan made an improvement, cooling-wise? IIRC, you bought the fan hub and fan from Summit, correct? Which fan is it you bought?

My truck started life as a Ford diesel with the huge cavernous Ford diesel radiator.

I have never had any engine cooling issues with any of the various fan set-ups I have ran.

By the time the hot coolant finds it's way through that huge radiator, it has almost turned to ice.

My quest in trying the direct-drive hub was to achieve better non-moving and low-speed A/C performance, and to do so without the possible problems of a pinned fan-clutch coming un-pinned and possibly flying through the radiator.

The direct-drive fan/hub has really helped the A/C situation; therefore, I figure it should also benefit any engine/radiator combo that is having marginal cooling issues.

Yes; I did get the hub and fan from Summit.

I have the fan part-number posted around here somewhere in the thread from when I first got it.

Oct 7, 2011 | 03:08 PM

#19

92smokin blacky

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From: Bountiful, Utah

I don't tow that often so I think I would be fine and especially for winter. I'll just keep my fan with me in the back or toolbox and put it back in if i ever need to. I've never heard my fan lock up in my truck before and It was leaking a little when I pulled it off to do my KDP so I'm not even sure if it would or is good, but its never gotten really warm. I'll probably find a good set of electric fans next summer and rig them up along with a temp switch. If I have an overheating problem then, I can put my stock fan back in.