Fan Clutch and Flex Fans

[LearjetMinako]

Lately, it has been getting hotter here (in the 90's). And my engine fan has been coming on more often. Even tho the engine is running below 210*F when idling and even cooler when moving. The engine fan stays constantly on. Last year on my road trip, the fan stayed engaged even while the Ranger was moving along at 65mph. Which is a drain on the 2.3L. Upon inspecting the fan, I noticed cracks in the base of the plastic fan. I checked on new parts from the parts store, but they only offer a flex fan. What I was wondering is how good of a combination would it be to have a new fan clutch and a flex fan on the old Lima 2.3L?

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

Lately, it has been getting hotter here (in the 90's). And my engine fan has been coming on more often. Even tho the engine is running below 210*F when idling and even cooler when moving. The engine fan stays constantly on. Last year on my road trip, the fan stayed engaged even while the Ranger was moving along at 65mph. Which is a drain on the 2.3L. Upon inspecting the fan, I noticed cracks in the base of the plastic fan. I checked on new parts from the parts store, but they only offer a flex fan. What I was wondering is how good of a combination would it be to have a new fan clutch and a flex fan on the old Lima 2.3L?

that would be an awful combination. your parts people must not be looking hard enough because i have gotten new fans from NAPA.

and yes it sounds like your fan clutch is seized up, you should be able to turn the fan with the engine off

 

[LearjetMinako]

The fan clutch isn't seized. It just seems to engage when it is really not needed or prematurely. In 70*F weather, its not engaged.

NAPA, Autozone, O' Reilly's, and Advance Auto have only flex fans (online search). Except for NAPA which had the OE type for the 4.0L (mis-search). Unless I'm missing something. Is the OEM fan a flex type too?

 

[trail B2]

My local parts place offered a heavy duty clutch fan it sucks because it's always on.My temp gauge is on the n in normal and the car sounds like a plane.No heavy duty.

 

[R***A**N**G**E***R]

Lately, it has been getting hotter here (in the 90's). And my engine fan has been coming on more often. Even tho the engine is running below 210*F when idling and even cooler when moving. The engine fan stays constantly on. Last year on my road trip, the fan stayed engaged even while the Ranger was moving along at 65mph. Which is a drain on the 2.3L. Upon inspecting the fan, I noticed cracks in the base of the plastic fan. I checked on new parts from the parts store, but they only offer a flex fan. What I was wondering is how good of a combination would it be to have a new fan clutch and a flex fan on the old Lima 2.3L?

I bought a new fan clutch and fan from the ford dealership 5 years ago, the fan is called a super cooler, have had no problems since.

 

[LearjetMinako]

I bought a new fan clutch and fan from the ford dealership 5 years ago, the fan is called a super cooler, have had no problems since.

That is probably what I will have to do. Just gotta till Monday when the Ford parts counter is open. I know already, I will be paying a lot more for it.

Here is something I found out. I went to Advance Auto to check out the fan blade. On the box, it is recommended to replace the fan blade and clutch every 36k miles. If thats true, I definitely want Motorcraft OEM (mine lasted 14 years and over 125k miles).

 

[RangerSVT]

Since you have the 2.3L, ( I have a 96 with 2.3L), I would ditch the clutch fan setup in favor of an electric fan. It will give you a little more MPG and won't drag what little power your engine has, that's what I did and I think it's the best mod for any 4 cyl engine
SVT

 

[LearjetMinako]

Called the Ford dealer and got the price to replace the OEM parts. Cost wise, this is what I'm looking at.

Ford OEM parts: 183.45
Fan Blade - 95.12
Fan Clutch - 88.33

Advance Auto Parts: 85.97
Fan Blade (flex fan) - 32.99
Fan Clutch - 42.99
Fan Blade spacer - 9.99

Flex-a-lite E-Fan: 219.99
Flex-a-lite #400-40 - 219.99 (Jegs.com)

I think I will leave out the flex fan option. Really don't like the thought of putting a metal fan blade under the hood. The e-fan is something that I am considering. Since it will only come on when needed, and when on, won't drain engine power. But the OEM fan can draw in much more air than a e-fan.

So here is a question for anybody that has a flex-a-lite e-fan. Is it quite when it is on? Does it have a 2 speed setting for A/C cycling or does it only cycle on and off or stays on at one speed? Any problems with them from use or weathering?

 

[RangerSVT]

Many have gone to the J/Y and grabbed a Taurus E-fan and have swapped it in. From what I hear it is smallest in thickness and some have claimed it actually out-flows a clutch type fan. The E-fan cycles on and off, and has a tap for when the AC is on it automatically kicks the fan on. I can't really hear mine running, but then again, I do have an abnormally loud sound system...
SVT

 

[jackoholic]

Many have gone to the J/Y and grabbed a Taurus E-fan and have swapped it in. From what I hear it is smallest in thickness and some have claimed it actually out-flows a clutch type fan. The E-fan cycles on and off, and has a tap for when the AC is on it automatically kicks the fan on. I can't really hear mine running, but then again, I do have an abnormally loud sound system...
SVT

Which model years of taurus do people usually grab for this mod?

 

[MountainMike]

Many have gone to the J/Y and grabbed a Taurus E-fan and have swapped it in. From what I hear it is smallest in thickness and some have claimed it actually out-flows a clutch type fan. The E-fan cycles on and off, and has a tap for when the AC is on it automatically kicks the fan on. I can't really hear mine running, but then again, I do have an abnormally loud sound system...
SVT

And the Taurus fan is also a 2-speed.

 

[exbass94]

The e-fan is something that I am considering. Since it will only come on when needed, and when on, won't drain engine power. But the OEM fan can draw in much more air than a e-fan.

E-fans do drain engine power when they're on. Where do you think the electricity comes from?

 

[RangerSVT]

E-fans do drain engine power when they're on. Where do you think the electricity comes from?

You are correct, partly. The electricity comes straight from the battery, and when the battery gets low, it is recharged by the altenator. But the altenator drag is marginal in comparison to a mechanical fan, and is already configured into power drag from the engine. When you remove a mechanical fan from an engine factory equipped with one, you will have gains. The short time it takes to recharge a slightly discharged battery from the use of an electric fan that is on only part of the time is still well worth the swap
SVT

 

[LearjetMinako]

I know an e-fan draws power from the alternator. And it kinda of balances out, no matter which route (e-fan or mech fan). Right now, I'm leaning towards just replacing the fan and clutch with Ford OEM parts. But what I like about the e-fan is the precise temperature control.

I did the search on the Taurus e-fan and got more info on e-fans.

 

[exbass94]

You are correct, partly. The electricity comes straight from the battery, and when the battery gets low, it is recharged by the altenator. But the altenator drag is marginal in comparison to a mechanical fan, and is already configured into power drag from the engine. When you remove a mechanical fan from an engine factory equipped with one, you will have gains. The short time it takes to recharge a slightly discharged battery from the use of an electric fan that is on only part of the time is still well worth the swap
SVT

I didn't say it wasn't worth the swap. I simply said that electric fans take power from the engine when they're on. There's no such thing as free energy.

There are 2 ways an electric fan can be more efficient than a mechanical one:
1. It's not running all the time
2. It's a different fan with different blades that MAY be more efficient at moving air than the mechanical one.

Given two exact same fan blades and spin them at the exact same speed, one driven directly by a belt and the other driven electrically, they're both gonna use the same exact amount of energy.

The drag caused by the alternator is not constant. With no electrical accessories turned on, it creates very little drag on the engine. Every time you turn something electric on, it creates more drag and takes more power from the engine. By using the law of conservation of energy, the additional drag caused by the fans is going to be the exact same amount of drag caused by a mechanical fan (provided they're the same fan blade, as I said above). As soon as the fans turn off, that additional drag is gone and you are being more efficient than a mechanical fan.