electric vs. mechanical fan

[bobbywalter]

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.

THIS IS HORRIBLE ADVISE. it will get an equally shitty result in the long run as the cheap ass relay setup originally tried that failed..


you would have to be fan specific to do it....using a 5 dollar switch to carry that load that distance is not a great idea even with small fans. a large fan will burn it up....of course you just twist the wires together to get ya by, but theres much better ways to do this.

my fan would eat a 20 amp switch in a month or two of hot city traffic. might last ten years up here though. eventually i would just leave it on so i didnt have to worry about it....whats the point in that??

 

[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

i should add that relays should be used, one for each "on" circuit (just in case one went out)

 

[rangerluver]

Interesting, Bobby. I have had the fan running like this on this 20 amp switch for 4 years and have had no problems. Truck runs cool because I actually watch my temp gauge and other instruments. Maybe before you blast this post, you should read that is is for a 2.3 and not for a larger engine. Larger engines need larger fans which would require larger wireing and higher amperage switches. Such is not the case here. THis is for a small engine. Read the post before you put in your technical $.02.

And you make me laugh a little. Higgins Lake. Thats up by Houghton Lake isn't it? Yeah, I used to live up there; born and raised. Actually I bought the truck from a guy in Muskegon. Then I moved to South Carolina, lived there for 5 years and then Louisiana for a year. Now I am moving to Dallas( at least I get some snow once in a while again). Said all that to say, I have had the truck in the cold and the extreme heat. It does not get as hot in Higgens Lake as New Orleans or Charleston or for as long. If the electrical and fan that I put in has lasted this long, there is nothing wrong with the installation.

 

[rangerluver]

Sorry, Brian22, I did not read the end of your post. I do have a 15 amp inline fuse. It came with the fan. And you are right, you should always use a fuse.

 

[bobbywalter]

yeah...even with the smaller fan its a bad idea to have it hooked up this way as a permanent situation...i realized it is a smaller fan, and its still a bad idea and often is the reason electric fan retrofits get a bad rap due to improper installation.

i tear shit up regular due to harsh conditions and conditions from off road activity as well like from branch invasion etc, i do realize that most 4 whizzers will not have that issue though, especially on the street. the big chain autoparts offerings for the shelf fans and universal install kits ime suck and fail miserably....not that running the fan manually in a jam is hard to do or anything, its just risky for the average guy ime.

none the less, the simple decades old setup for electric cooling is easily retrofitted. i mean if its good enough to cool a svo power level, 4 whizzer stang, surely its good enough for a low power ranger.

its quite robust and simple, and very easy to install. works automatically with great efficiency. it increases available wheel power and maximizes fuel economy, and is the reason for its very existence. very cost effective. as reliable as any clutch fan.



i am a detroit native and currently reside in prudenville.


i have beat the living hell out of my system from texas to new york myself with several different types of engines within the same platform over nearly a million miles.


so i am confident in my judgement here.

 

[Bryan22]

I used a 10 amp for the signal wire to the relay and a 30 amp for fan power. the 1600 CFM fan i have on my 4 banger pulls just over 20 amps when it fires up. as long as you know how much juice your fan will pull, you shouldn't have problems doing it that way. Just be sure to run an appropriate size wire, and watch that temp gauge if you're using a switch only!

I admit i had mine hooked up to just a switch and relay until i got a thermostat ordered for it. I let it get hotter than i'd have liked to a couple times and only had it that way for about 2 weeks.

anyways, i think i've said all i'm going to say about an electric fan install. ultimately it's up to the owner and their personal preference. That's just my 2 cents.

 

[LIMA BEAN]

The hell with a fuse I use circuit breakers for stuff like this.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/Circuit-Breaker/_/N-9ck41

 

[rangerluver]

Thats cool. To each his own. I guess I simply like to be able to switch my own on and off as needed.

What the heck are you doing in Prudenville, fishing, hunting? I mean I understand the ice stays longer there and the whitetails are much larger than down south but why Prudenville? Kind of off the beaten track. Nice place though. Got a pair of Minnetonka moccasins from a place up there 8 years ago and they just now are worn out. Gotta get another pair. I used to go hunting all the time over in Lake City...not too far from you. Brings back memories.

 

[bobbywalter]

i went back to drilling oil and gas wells. detroit was proving too tough to make a living and i pussed out and just went back to the oil field. i was planning to move to the sparks nevada area...but the obama ad killed the projects i hoped to get on out in utah. i miss self employment much of the time, but with a large family and usable health insurance going over 2 grand per month i had to do something.

the field depth i work up here runs coast to coast and generally 3-4 counties thick....basically baycity to gaylord and lake michigan to huron. this houghton lake-prudenville area i hoped to be central to work...of course that shit never works out but i work in florida as well. and the boys from louisianna were crying about how hot it was down in the glades last i was there...so i knew it just wasnt my snowflake ass. when some good ol boy coon-asses tell ya its hot....ITS HOT.

i have worked in la as well, miss... bam..ga..tn...ky..ms...the caro's and ark. all too hot for me. prudenville is just right...i am 500 yards from my ice fishing hole in front of korbinskis



i really think the stock fox mustang electric cooling is ideal for these things if a guy really wanted an e fan on a four whizzer or any ranger with the larger taurus type fan. manual switching has led to consistant issues for many in my experiences, where as the one time the oem system fawks up things could be catastrophic as well because your never thinking of it when ya leave it running..pros cons give and take right??

then again i had many issues with the stock 2.9 mechanical cooling system, from the blades taking out the radiator and wiper resevoir to overheating issues repeatedly due to the new clutch on the fan.

same thing with v8 swaps on the rangers. i currently run a v8 diesel and ford intech e fans......controlled by the mustang 4 whizzer fan switch.

works perfect

it is also manual on and off as well as fully auto via a 3 way switch off the ground side of the relays..

real simple to do with only two wires to run to the switch from the engine compartment. the last thing i would consider it is complicated.

 

[rangerluver]

detroit was proving too tough to make a living and i pussed out and just went back to the oil field.
I am wi you on Detroit. I worked safety in and out of the Big Three for construction companies for 5-6 years till I got tired of the unemployment lines every six months. Had to move to Sc then the wofe endded up getting an awesome job where she makes twice what I ever made (approaching 6 figures) so now I have lived Louisiana. I hate Louisiana. Its just stupid hot. Charleston was hot. This is just dumb. February and already 70 -75. Come-on. In July we move to Dallas. Should be there for 6 years. Well see. Gonna complete the electric Ranger there. Can't wait.

the field depth i work up here runs coast to coast and generally 3-4 counties thick....basically baycity to gaylord and lake michigan to huron. this houghton lake-prudenville area i hoped to be central to work...of course that shit never works out but i work in florida as well.



and the boys from louisianna were crying about how hot it was down in the glades last i was there...so i knew it just wasnt my snowflake ass. when some good ol boy coon-asses tell ya its hot....ITS HOT.

"Coon-asses".....yup, you might even have been to Shreveport.

prudenville is just right...i am 500 yards from my ice fishing hole in front of korbinskis

I remember going ice fishing with my dad out on Sanford Lake up in Sanford Mich. ( Suburb of Midland) we lived in the Midland area for 12 years; dad was the safety director for the nuke power plant in the 80's that never went nuke.

i really think the stock fox mustang electric cooling is ideal for these things if a guy really wanted an e fan on a four whizzer or any ranger with the larger taurus type fan. manual switching has led to consistant issues for many in my experiences, where as the one time the oem system fawks up things could be catastrophic as well because your never thinking of it when ya leave it running..pros cons give and take right??

I just use a Flexlite as I bought it from Summit. When I got it I did not know all about junkyards and stuff like I do now.
.

but the obama ad killed the projects i hoped to get on out in utah.

Don't expect anyting else from this administration. THey hate this country and everyone else that is trying to make a buck.

i miss self employment much of the time, but with a large family and usable health insurance going over 2 grand per month i had to do something.

I have five kids myself, am a handyman and finish carpenter so I know a thing or two about trying to make it on not very much. Hangin there.