Electric fan swap installation troubles (square peg, round hole)

[Eddo Rogue]

I am trying to swap the Efan, and having fitment problems. The problem is I am running a thicker radiator, it is 2 1/4" ( for an exploder auto trans w/ ac). I ordered a slightly thinner one that is 1 3/4" (ranger auto trans w ac), but it did not help, because it still sat just as close to the waterpump because of the mounts (the gap difference was on the outer side). Why do they extend the mounts so far out fawk?! I dont want to go back to the standard 1" thick radiator. Besides I noticed the thinner size gives more space on the front side, between the ac condenser....I have a few ideas, seeking opinions on them.

1- cut off the radiator mounts and make new ones that will tuck it in further away from engine (there is plenty of room on the other side)

2- the clutch fan threads on the waterpump is what's in the way, can I grind them down (without causing internal damage)? I dont mind replacing the waterpump if I ever switch back...

3- The fan fits if I dont use the awesome aluminum shroud they included in the kit. would it be ok to nix the shroud and use the pass thru zip ties to mount fan directly to the radiator? it pretty much covers the whole thing except the corners. I am worried about "hot spots".

4- go back to the wimpy thin 1" radiator for the manual 5 spd, so that my fan will fit?

5- get a thinner fan than the flexalite 116 I tried? it is 3-3/4" thick. the original kit fan is 4-3/4" thick....

6- give up, return/resell or just burn all this shit, stick my clutch fan back in and live with driving an airplane?

I got myself in a pickle by refusing to leave well enough alone....I really wannna trade the airplane noise for that tiny bit of extra butt dyno power!

Any ideas/inputs/opinions/insults/sweet nothings is appreciated. Ill be taking a drink and smoke break in the meantime...Cheers-Eddo

 

[RonD]

A lot of work to replace radiator mounts, and what happens if you need to replace it down the road, I wouldn't

I like the idea of cutting off the fan clutch threads, no won't hurt the water pump, only issue is balancing which I can't see being an issue, grinder maybe, sawzall or hack saw would be better

Having the shroud is better, its actually there so fan pulls air thru the radiator instead of from the sides when stopped or driving slowly, when you are above 25-30MPH air flow thru rad is better than any fan can do

No, don't strap fan to radiator, vibration, over time, will break a tube
Temp sensors are OK to strap to radiators, not fans


I guess I would recommend cutting off the fan clutch fitting, when you have to replace water pump its a fairly simple thing to do with new one before it goes on/in

 

[Eddo Rogue]

A lot of work to replace radiator mounts, and what happens if you need to replace it down the road, I wouldn't

I like the idea of cutting off the fan clutch threads, no won't hurt the water pump, only issue is balancing which I can't see being an issue, grinder maybe, sawzall or hack saw would be better

Having the shroud is better, its actually there so fan pulls air thru the radiator instead of from the sides when stopped or driving slowly, when you are above 25-30MPH air flow thru rad is better than any fan can do

No, don't strap fan to radiator, vibration, over time, will break a tube
Temp sensors are OK to strap to radiators, not fans


I guess I would recommend cutting off the fan clutch fitting, when you have to replace water pump its a fairly simple thing to do with new one before it goes on/in

Thanks for the reply Ron, good points. Being a metal worker by trade, whose tools are home at the moment, I have a multitude of metal cutting devices. If its not gonna cook any bearings or seals, I will go angle grinder w/ cut off wheel, then a flap disc...Otherwise I have a very portable cordless band saw that I may be able to squeeze in for a cold cut.

If I were to relocate the mounts, it would be the ones on the radiator, not the truck. I'm just hesitant because they are plastic, so re attaching may be a challenge. I don't get why they would offset the tabs so much like that, it presses the radiator unecessarily close the pulleys, and leaves a pointlessly huge gap between the the front of radiator and a/c condenser. And is the source of my lack of space.

I've got like $500 dumped into this (fan kit, spare fan, spare radiator, shrouds etc) and nothing will fit, which is why I ordered the $350 kit to begin with, hoping it would be drop in direct replacement (as they advertised). I might be that guy for once and hound them for a return/refund. (they claimed 4-3/4" depth but its really like 5-1/8")....then maybe rig up a taurus fan instead.

Hey would you happen to have an Efan? If so, whats your setup?

I've done some searching but only found the same (not helpful) Efan posts, and anything fan clutch related is about thread direction and how to remove it when stuck.

 

[ericbphoto]

I think i would opt for a cold cut on that pump shaft.

Part of the reasoning for the way the radiator was originally mounted was the overall design of the fan/ clutch assembly, its length and the design of the shroud to optimize air flow and then put the radiator where it needed to be. When we go reorganizing things our way, we get frustrated re-engineering everything. But the manufacturer wasn't designing it so we could change it. They designed it to work their way. If we want to change it, that’s our problem.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

I think i would opt for a cold cut on that pump shaft.

Part of the reasoning for the way the radiator was originally mounted was the overall design of the fan/ clutch assembly, its length and the design of the shroud to optimize air flow and then put the radiator where it needed to be. When we go reorganizing things our way, we get frustrated re-engineering everything. But the manufacturer wasn't designing it so we could change it. They designed it to work their way. If we want to change it, that’s our problem.

Eric B. , yes this is exactly my frustration lol damn engineers and their tight tolerances.

What you said made me think though: if they made radiators sit the same place for fan/clutch (and shroud) assembly. Why did the thicker radiator throw off my fan shroud placement? Perhaps they do vary slightly (maybe explorer fan shroud would fit better). I had to "modify" my shroud to fit the explorer radiator, and sometimes the truck will flex enough that the fan buzzes the shroud just barely for a sec.

Thats kind of the third reason I want an Efan (besides noise reduction and power/mpg gain), which is because my clutch fan/ shroud setup is a little sketchy. I had to zip tie the shroud bottom secure, only the top screw mounts lined up. Also the fan is a little worn around the outside from occasionaly buzzing the shroud, and it all takes up so much open space! Its so frustrating having the wrenching space available, but unable to reach the wrench because it is blocked by this giant plastic shroud. The whole setup seems obtrusive, inefficient, and overkill, sucking engine power (which is already relatively limited), for something that is not used much (most of my driving is above 25mph). Especially since swapping to the bigger radiator, my ranger never ran hot, not even in 110 degree socal summers. But always feels like the engine really strains to turn that fan the whole time, even when its warm. The fan being powered by something the engine is already turning (alternator) makes way more sense to me. BTW yes I did replace the fan clutch with a motorcraft unit (hoping it would help w/ the airplane noise).

 

[ericbphoto]

Probably differences in the shrouds.

Maybe the Explorer core support is different, too. But that wouldn’t make much sense.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Older Rangers/Bronco II's had metal upper brackets that clamped onto the seam. Other Fords (like foxbodies) had them too. You might be able to adapt something using those:

@PetroleumJunkie412 found a neat dual pusher setup from a Mercedes C230 Kompressor. I plan on going to that style for its better packaging and more airflow for trail rides and when I add A/C.



I currently have a flex-a-lite 118 (IIRC) 16" pusher. For street driving it works great, for trail rides it does creep up a little warmer than I would like (205-210) and pretty much runs nonstop. It also obviously won't work when I add an A/C condenser.



I did not have room for a clutch fan, it would go in but the fins on the clutch lightly dragged on the radiator as I slid the radiator in. I searched high and low for a low profile version of the Explorer clutch fan to no avail. So I have a flex-a-lite low profile flex fan. It works good enough I rarely have to listen to my efan howl.

Eric B. , yes this is exactly my frustration lol damn engineers and their tight tolerances.

I kinda make it a game and use Ford's engineering staff's love of making a bunch of crap slightly different against them to make it all look like it came that way. I have parts from 8 vehicles in my air filter assembly alone lol.

What you said made me think though: if they made radiators sit the same place for fan/clutch (and shroud) assembly. Why did the thicker radiator throw off my fan shroud placement? Perhaps they do vary slightly (maybe explorer fan shroud would fit better). I had to "modify" my shroud to fit the explorer radiator, and sometimes the truck will flex enough that the fan buzzes the shroud just barely for a sec.

Yup. 91-94 Explorer shroud is a drop in on the Explorer radiator. I did have to trim the shroud some to clear the fan and pulleys though.

Probably differences in the shrouds.

Maybe the Explorer core support is different, too. But that wouldn’t make much sense.

My 2.8 shroud on a the Explorer HD radiator. You can see the black clip the shroud is supposed to catch is too far outboard.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

Probably differences in the shrouds.

Maybe the Explorer core support is different, too. But that wouldn’t make much sense.

Yea probably...It drops in and mounts fine, shroud needed a little finagling up for the top bolts to line up, just the bottom shroud mounts were off from the bottom rad mounts. I probably could run some self tappers through on the bottom lip, but opted for zip tie instead...I looped it through the mounting points of the shroud and radiator tabs, and its only about 1/2" of loop across.

I just read another thread stating the thin core radiators actually cool better than thick ones when that's what came from the factory setup ojn the vehicle (namely the 5 spd manual). I may go back to the thin manual trans radiator, figuring a good fan behind it will keep it cool...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I just read another thread stating the thin core radiators actually cool better than thick ones when that's what came from the factory setup ojn the vehicle (namely the 5 spd manual). I may go back to the thin manual trans radiator, figuring a good fan behind it will keep it cool...

IMO with a V8 swap dealing with radiators... you need everything you can get.

 

[ericbphoto]

I want to go to that 2 fan pusher setup. I have the stuff to get rid of my A/C system, all except the belt.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

Older Rangers/Bronco II's had metal upper brackets that clamped onto the seam. Other Fords (like foxbodies) had them too. You might be able to adapt something using those:

@PetroleumJunkie412 found a neat dual pusher setup from a Mercedes C230 Kompressor. I plan on going to that style for its better packaging and more airflow for trail rides and when I add A/C.



I currently have a flex-a-lite 118 (IIRC) 16" pusher. For street driving it works great, for trail rides it does creep up a little warmer than I would like (205-210) and pretty much runs nonstop. It also obviously won't work when I add an A/C condenser.



I did not have room for a clutch fan, it would go in but the fins on the clutch lightly dragged on the radiator as I slid the radiator in. I searched high and low for a low profile version of the Explorer clutch fan to no avail. So I have a flex-a-lite low profile flex fan. It works good enough I rarely have to listen to my efan howl.







I kinda make it a game and use Ford's engineering staff's love of making a bunch of crap slightly different against them to make it all look like it came that way. I have parts from 8 vehicles in my air filter assembly alone lol.





Yup. 91-94 Explorer shroud is a drop in on the Explorer radiator. I did have to trim the shroud some to clear the fan and pulleys though.



My 2.8 shroud on a the Explorer HD radiator. You can see the black clip the shroud is supposed to catch is too far outboard.

Awesome Thanks! For the ideas and pics....Its funny I thought my one piece driveshaft was gonna be a bitch and this efan swap was gonna be no sweat....quite the opposite!
I didn't consider a pusher fan...There may be enough room even with my condenser (it is ridiculously gapped for some reason). I will study these pics a bit in hopes for an aha moment...Thanks again for sharing

 

[gaz]

I have this out while rebuilding. It is the thick automatic Explorer dual core with a Black Magic fan kit. This drops in a 1st Gen, no problem.

*Correction, this picture shows a Flex-a-lite with built in thermo controller.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

IMO with a V8 swap dealing with radiators... you need everything you can get.

Its a stock 4.0ohv. I wish for a v8, but Im in Cali home of the smog check emissions nazis. I'm lucky to sneak a cat back exhaust, cant even mess w/ the stock airbox! and the inspection/ sniffer test is every 1-2 years (and $60 bucks)! Back in the days we were able to get a "dirty smog" done for major bucks, but it got cracked down on and now is just about impossible to get around. Most take the $500 bucks they offer to junk the car if it doesnt pass.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

I have this out while rebuilding. It is the thick automatic Explorer dual core with a Black Magic fan kit. This drops in a 1st Gen, no problem.

Whats the thickness on that black magic fan? is it a 16" diam? Looks like what I need....my flex a lite is 3-3/4" and wont clear the fan clutch threads unless I mount it directly to radiator, no shroud...My ranger is a '93, that makes it a 2nd gen? I have the 4.0, wondering if your setup would still drop in....

 

[Eddo Rogue]

I want to go to that 2 fan pusher setup. I have the stuff to get rid of my A/C system, all except the belt.

Yea I dig the pusher too...But dammit now I have even more options to think about lol.
I just resurrected my ac (as per the trs tech how to post) and is blowing ice cold! Id like to keep it....here from June till Sept, its 95+ degrees from mid morning until past sunset, every day...Im not a fan of sweat salted balls.