electric vs. mechanical fan

[dmassey]

About how much would I gain by converting from the regular mechanical fan to and electric fan on my '94 2.3?

 

[jlkuehl]

Some claim you can gain a bit, some claim you don't. Personally, I would go to an electric fan only as a cheaper alternative to the mechanical fan if my fan clutch went bad. While my engine is cold, I can stop the mechanical fan with a piece of cardboard, so I would say it doesn't use enough power to make a difference. When the engine is hot enough to kick it in, I'm more concerned with the engine getting cooled off than the few ponies it's taking to run the fan. With electric, I would think you would probably get the same amount of power consumed by the alternator having to work harder with the added load on it.

From what I have seen, the only real benefit for electric fans are the fact that they take up less space, making belt changing and other maintenance easier (more accessable). I am considering installing one based mainly on this fact.

 

[Notch]

I would get rid of it simply on the basis of increasing gas mileage. The less the engine has to turn, the less gas it's going to use. There have been claims that on the older 5.0 Mustangs, gains of 10-12 HP have been seen when switching to electric fans.

If you have a local pick and pull junkyard you can pick up a cheap fan from just about any newer car, and most auto parts places sell a temperature probe based relay kit to power them. The whole project should cost less than $50, so even if it is only a nominal change in gas mileage, it won't take long to pay itself off.

 

[flaminranger]

I installed one on mine and it helped as far as warming up.
since the fan isn't moving any air until it reaches the set temp . the engine warms up faster and it also cools it faster as well once it comes on.
My truck has a problem with warming up anyways, it just doesn't want to. but since I changed fans it runs hotter now.
I also noticed that my truck gets way better mileage when its warm so it helps that way.
as far as hp is concerned I gained little if any.
the only reason I switched is cause I had the wiring and temp probe already and the fan was cheaper than a replacement mechanical fan.
My fan is from a 96 nissan altima 14" dual speed. I just wired both sides so it runs on high when it kicks on

 

[rangerluver]

electric fan

I also have done the conversion and will second the post by flaminranger, but for one exception. I noticed a lot of power gain when eliminating the mechanical fan. THe engine spools up so much faster and we all know that with the 2.3, we need all the help we can get.

As to the fuel economy, I run premium fuel with synthetic oil, have iridium plugs, Taylor wires, have taken the air conditioning off, so anything I say will be somewhat skewed. I also drive like a bat out of hades on most occations; simply meaning that 4000 rpms is normal. I just do not drive to get good gas mileage.
That said, I do normally get 23-24 mpg city/hwy mixed. I also have 208,000 miles on the engine and have not touched the internals. (Knock on wood) I would say I am doing ok. Once I tried to get good milage, nothing over 3000 rpms, or over 60 mph. I got like 27 city. I don't drive enough hwy to gauge that.

So, does an electric fan help? Yes. Will it do everything by itself? No.

Oh, and if you want pics on where to put the switch and wires and stuff, pm me and I can shoot some stuff to you. It is not that hard. Just dont use a t-stat. Use a switch.

 

[88_Eddie]

i'm gonna do it on my 2.9 eventually. i can get one pretty cheap with my discount at autozone, so i figure why not. i'm gonna get rid of the a/c compressor too (i think)

 

[Bryan22]

Oh, and if you want pics on where to put the switch and wires and stuff, pm me and I can shoot some stuff to you. It is not that hard. Just dont use a t-stat. Use a switch.

Why do you say not to use a tstat?

I also have done the swap. I noticed a gain in both power and fuel mileage. Not very much, but you can tell.

Main reason i changed mine was that i got tired of changing fan clutches. Also like someone else mentioned, it really makes working on the engine a lot easier. can change a thermostat with 2 bolts now. plus when it comes time to change a timing belt, that'll save a huge hassle.

When it comes to the wiring, i say try to wire it like ford would have if they had one factory installed. I ran all my power and fuses and the relay through the factory power boxes, and tried to make everything as clean as possible. This helps make it aesthetically pleasing, but more importantly, easy to trouble shoot if problems arise, and waterproof. So far i haven't had any issues, but i've got my eyes open for a tarus e-fan as it is said to be one of the best.

 

[Notch]

Why do you say not to use a tstat?

Sounds like quintessential 1970's high performance advice. We've come a long way since then. There is no reason to get rid of the thermostat. And I would wire it up with a cheap, readily available temperature probe based relay kit. A switch is usually just a cheap, easy way of making something "just work".

 

[LIMA BEAN]

One advantage around here is when doing deep water crossings you can turn the fan off and not have a propeller under the hood.

 

[DriverSideImpact]

I say do it...its just that much more our little 2.3s dont have to deal with...

 

[rangerluver]

Fan and switch

Alright, now that I figured out how in the heck to put a pic on the site, thanks to my 12 year old daughter,

There are many reasons i chose to go the switch route. First, the t-stats and relay will fry, as mine did. Put a lit, 20 amp rocker switch on it and you will have no problems. Also, simplicity of installation. A power and ground wire is all you need to get the fan going. If you were to go the switch and t-stat route as I first did, you would need to run 4 wires in and out of the cab to the battery and switch and fan. Just a pain.
Last, as was previously pointed out and by no means a small point, you can turn the fan on and off as needed. Whether you need to cross a river, safely stick your hand in the radiator, or need max cooling because of stopped traffic, you have versatility. All for the cost of a 20 amp switch; about $5.00

Better heat in the winter, better cooling in the summer; not sure there is much more to say.

The switch pics are one on and one off. It has a red l.e.d. when it is on just as a visual reminder. I have a grey interior with black trim so i chose a black switch. It really blends in nicely. Most people do not even notice it.

 

[Bryan22]

all it takes is one time not watching the guage on a hot day to blow a motor. if you want the ability to switch it on and off run the switch in conjunction with a relay and thermostat. I've had mine installed with a probe type thermostat and a relay for about 2 years and have not had any problems. if you wire it up right nothing should "fry". When using the thermostat just use it to run the signal wire to the relay, don't run the actual power to the fan through the thermostat. As far as burning up a relay, I have a fuel pump relay in my truck that was installed in 1993 still going strong. All i can say about burning things up is bad wiring.

On top of that everything should be fused anyways. a fuse should pop long before either the relay or thermostat see enough juice to burn up. One other downfall of running just a switch is that fans pull a lot of juice. i wouldn't trust an unfused 20 amp switch. Just a fire waiting to happen.

 

[Tony Raine]

use a "double throw" (i think thats what its called) switch with the temp probe.

-one "on" for normal, temp probe operation
-"off" for water crossings and engine maintenance
-other "on" for constant on (really hot weather, slow wheeling, and/or as backup

you can also wire a little LED to show when the fan is running, if you want

 

[Mark_88]

Only problem I had with an electric fan (on my Tempo) was that it kept blowing the little whatchamacallit (the word actually escapes me right now) and the fan would not work...ended up cracking my rad twice for that...

I've been considering it for this truck but have already cracked the head once (forgot to remove the cardboard covering the rad in winter when it got warm) and don't like the cost of repairs...

I like the idea of having an led indicator though...that would help...but it would have to be at eye level because when my truck overheated and cracked the head the temp guage was working perfectly and showed the overheat...I didn't see it...

 

[bobbywalter]

Only problem I had with an electric fan (on my Tempo) was that it kept blowing the little whatchamacallit (the word actually escapes me right now) and the fan would not work...ended up cracking my rad twice for that...

I've been considering it for this truck but have already cracked the head once (forgot to remove the cardboard covering the rad in winter when it got warm) and don't like the cost of repairs...

I like the idea of having an led indicator though...that would help...but it would have to be at eye level because when my truck overheated and cracked the head the temp guage was working perfectly and showed the overheat...I didn't see it...

ircm........damn dirty ape things they are.