Fan CFM on a 2.9

[Harry Rathien]

In an application like a super-duty or something like that, I agree with you 100%. However, IF any of those fans listed on your chart coulc be made to fit, they would easily keep a v6 B2/Ranger as cool as the stock fan.

That being said, I've never seen the purpose of switching from the clutch fan to an electric fan, except for possible water crossing adventures or insane body lifts. At normal travel speeds, the fan does little-to-no cooling of the radiator as wind pressure from the vehicle moving is whats blowing thru the radiator to keep it cool.

The only way you'll notice any kind of power gain is if your clutch fan is froze up and is running all the time anyways. its MUCH quicker to replace the clutch than it is to remove the fan, mount up an electric, run your wires, install a temp. switch, and a bypass switch. And after all that, the electric fan is gonna put the same if not more of a load on the engine thru the alternator.

If you need one due to fitment issues, then by all means. But if you're looking to free up a few ponies, you'll soon find you're beating your head against the wall.

 

[triumphrider-1]

The fan only draws electricity when its running, mine hasn't run in over a month, and the time before that was a good 6 months ago.

 

[Hahnsb2]

And after all that, the electric fan is gonna put the same if not more of a load on the engine thru the alternator.

The highest amp drawing fan I found on Summits pulls 28 amps, at 12 volts that's 336 watts. There are 745watts per 1 HP. So it uses .45hp when running...

 

[Bob Ayers]

The fan only draws electricity when its running, mine hasn't run in over a month, and the time before that was a good 6 months ago.

You must not have AC!

 

[triumphrider-1]

No, I have AC, and it works pretty good. Though I do need to fix the selector, blows out the defroster mostly on all settings.

 

[triumphrider-1]

It wasn't installed wrong, it was installed how I intended it to be.

We're clogging the mans thread though, so lets stay the course if we could.

 

[triumphrider-1]

Ouch Bob, whats so bad about mine?

 

[Clem]

Bob: Compare apples to apples, not apples to oranges. Idon't think any of use are trying to cool an 18000 pound truck.
But on the same not, all Quincy Air Compressors i have seen and/or worked on have efans. That not much of a comparison is it?

Ray

 

[BlackBII]

Is an Electrical fan going to pull more air than a Mechanical fan? No.

Are you going to see any improvemnts in power/mileage with an E fan? No.

Can an E fan cool an RBV just fine? Yes.

 

[Bob Ayers]

Is an Electrical fan going to pull more air than a Mechanical fan? No.

Are you going to see any improvemnts in power/mileage with an E fan? No.

Can an E fan cool an RBV just fine? Yes.

I'll continue:

Is an E-fan as reliable as a mechanical fan? NO

Is there an advantage to an E-fan? Yes, it makes your wallet lighter!

 

[Clem]

Having not gotten my efan on my Ranger nor even gotten close enough to starting my B2 to worry about it, I can only go by what others report about them.
More responsive throttle, yes, less drag on the engine from having to turn a mechanical driven fan.
Is it reliable, who knows, they been in use since some genius engineer devised the transverse mounted engine and they had to have a convenient way of cooling them. The only broken ones I have seen, were in cars involved in frontal damage collisions, in which case, it doesn't matter what kind of fan you have. I have seen a few mechanical fans that were bent or missing a blade, that I have not seen with the efan.
Will it cool an RBV, maybe, if it is properly wired and the electric motor doesn't give out. I read some where that the life expectancy of an automotive efan was around 5000 hrs under normal circumstances, what ever the hell that is. 5000 hrs at 60 mph is 300000 miles.
Then you have the people who make the statement of less wear and tear on the water pump, OK, maybe.
My best advice is to go look in wrecking yards and see how many burnt up engines you find, that have oil and water and the efan is frozen up or the motor of the same quit working. My observation has been about 1 in 5.
Make your own decision and live with the results.
I am going to install the efans I have already wired and ready to put in, just to see if there is any difference.

Ray

 

[Bob Ayers]

If e-fans were trouble free, why do we see articles like this:

http://autorepair.about.com/cs/troubleshooting/l/aa032903g.htm


http://www.caradvice.com.au/1733/volvo-xc90-and-xc70-electric-cooling-fan-recall/


http://www.popularmechanics.com/how_to_central/automotive/1272431.html?page=2



http://edgemotorworks.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=55

And an interesting article:

Cooling Capacity:

By far, the most common misconception is that the electric fan cools better then the stock. People see the high CFM numbers in the catalogues (for example, the Black Magic is advertised as pulling 2,800 CFM, and the Perma Cool "finger chopper" is advertised at 2,950 CFM) and are impressed. The truth is that no one actually knows the CFM rating of the stock fan. It has simply never been measured by anyone in the aftermarket and listed. All we do know is that it is rated at "a lot", more times than not it will exceed 4000 CFM. And to be honest, who cares how much air the stock fan moves? It is more then adaquate as long as it's clutch and the rest of the cooling system is in good shape. The steeply raked blades of the stock fan move quite a lot of air, even if it turns slower then an aftermarket electric unit. Experience has shown that when in good shape, the stock fan is even easily capable of handling a 400HP engine. How much power do you make?


Efficiency:

Of course, you're not necessarily after better cooling. You've seen those TV commercials or catalogue ads that promise "Up to 17 free HP!" by converting to an electric fan. Well, that's simply not true. There will be a horsepower gain for sure, on the order of 0.5 - 5HP, with 17 H.P. reserved for big V-8s using 40 lb fans at 6000 rpms. But remember that the electric power to run the fan must come from somewhere, and that somewhere is the alternator. Electric fans draw quite a lot of current. Most pull surges of 35A or more to start up, then run at 8A-10A. This puts extra load on the alternator. Ever pedaled a bicycle with a generator powered light? If so, then you will know that as the electrical load on a generator/alternator increases, the generator/alternator becomes harder to turn. Suddenly, all that "free" HP you just freed up is once again being used. This time, though, it is being used to turn the alternator. There is also an inefficiency in the whole system. We are converting mechanical energy, to electrical energy, to mechanical again to run the fan. This very inefficient, much less then just driving the fan directly via the mechanical energy of the rotating shaft


Reliability:

Lastly, there is the question of reliability. The stock clutch fan can have two failure modes: the clutch will fail, or the fan will physically break. The electric fan introduces many more failure points: fuse, all wiring connections, physical failure of the fan, failure of the motor, failure of the thermostat

 

[Clem]

Where were you when we were blowing the aluminum blades off the flexi-i-fans of old.
those would stand over 5500 on a good day.
Bob, if you don't like em, don't use em.

Ray

 

[Frmboybuck]

In an application like a super-duty or something like that, I agree with you 100%. However, IF any of those fans listed on your chart coulc be made to fit, they would easily keep a v6 B2/Ranger as cool as the stock fan.

That being said, I've never seen the purpose of switching from the clutch fan to an electric fan, except for possible water crossing adventures or insane body lifts. At normal travel speeds, the fan does little-to-no cooling of the radiator as wind pressure from the vehicle moving is whats blowing thru the radiator to keep it cool.

The only way you'll notice any kind of power gain is if your clutch fan is froze up and is running all the time anyways. its MUCH quicker to replace the clutch than it is to remove the fan, mount up an electric, run your wires, install a temp. switch, and a bypass switch. And after all that, the electric fan is gonna put the same if not more of a load on the engine thru the alternator.

If you need one due to fitment issues, then by all means. But if you're looking to free up a few ponies, you'll soon find you're beating your head against the wall.

Most of this is hogwash....an electric fan has practically NO pull compared to a mecanical fan. Your alternator pulls the same regardless of an Efan. Most likelyyou will notice an increase in MPG also. It may not be tremendous but it will increase none the less

 

[Hahnsb2]

Your alternator pulls the same regardless of an Efan.

The bigger the load, the harder the ALT is to turn...

That said nobody has disputed my post about how much power an e-fan uses..