Stock fan specs

[JoshMcMadMac]

That is still more than enough air to cool a 4.0 Ranger in the middle of August; the stock fan doesn't pull that much air across the radiator.

I agree 100%, and apologize if there was any confusion on that. The Mark VIII fan pulls more like 4300CFM, and the numbers get confused sometimes across the board.

 

[Bob Ayers]

If an electric fan fails, it is only the fault of the fan if the motor stops spinning...which would cause no other electrical problems. .

You don't have a clue to the amount of current a locked up electric motor will pull!! It WILL blow the fuse!!! And as a side note, when this happens, your
engine will over heat, which is also indicated in the poll!!!

 

[Bob Ayers]

The fuse is good to "tell" you that you have a problem with your wiring, whereas a circuit breaker serves the "proper" purpose of protecting the circuit from a surge.

A fuse and circuit breaker both protect a circuit from excessive current. The
only difference, a fuse is not reusable when it opens, a circuit breaker can
be reset when it opens, and can continue to be used. Simple basic electricity.

 

[MAKG]

Someone has never heard of a "slow blow" fuse....

Reusability and cost are the differences. Some circuit breakers even reset automatically (based on a bimetal sensor) once they cool down.

That 3800 CFM may not be enough under all circumstances. Try some low-range high altitude offroading (say, through sand) and see what happens.... you'll spin the engine quickly but won't go very fast. And the high altitude reduces the effectiveness of the radiator by 30% at 8000 feet.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Check out this poll on e-fans, it clearly shows e-fans are not as reliable as the oem mechanical fan/clutch assemblies:

http://www.ranger-forums.com/forum2/showthread.php?t=69440

Electric fans grace every FWD car, and do their job well. I had a 1990 Plymouth Laser that had two of them (one was for the A/C condenser) and even with 170k miles on the car they still worked perfect, never popped a fuse or a relay... but you sure as heck noticed when they kicked in at low speed, they suck a lot of power.

The water crossing deal is the only real advantage for a 4x4, at low speeds you would have to be running them to keep the engine cool and sucking a lot of power, whereas a mechanical fan turning unlocked would be able to do the same job.

Plus when a mechanical fan fails, the clutch usually locks up, so the fan is turning at its maximum potential, as opposed to nothing at all for the electric.

 

[gotmudd]

Someone has never heard of a "slow blow" fuse....

Reusability and cost are the differences. Some circuit breakers even reset automatically (based on a bimetal sensor) once they cool down.

That 3800 CFM may not be enough under all circumstances. Try some low-range high altitude offroading (say, through sand) and see what happens.... you'll spin the engine quickly but won't go very fast. And the high altitude reduces the effectiveness of the radiator by 30% at 8000 feet.

i may not know the cooling requirements of your 2.8, 3.0, and your 4.0's BUT i do however understand the requirements of a smallblock 350 chevy. i also know that with PROPER installation an e-fan MIGHT serve anyones needs provided they select the right cfm, [ otherwise why would they put them in vehicles in the first place, from the factory no less?] back to point, and example, fullsize 4x4 WITH plow pushing two feet of snow at an elevation of 3800 ft running an e-fan rated at 2900cfm, outside air temp. at @ 28*, max temp. of motor [using mechanical temp gauge] under full load NEVER exceeded 190* with the motor turning 3000 RPM'S in second gear 4HI i don't know maybe my case is one of good fortune or not, what i do know is that for me it works in my applications. and FWIW all i run are V8's

 

[engdept]

Maurice's brother ran an efan in his '79 F-150 with a built 400M (it wouldn't run on pump gas) and it stayed cool even idling in 90* weather at shows.

The some NEW Chevy 1500's come stock with an efan. If efans were not reliable, then manufactures wouldn't have been installing them for years. (this is a point that Bob Ayres seems not to get)

I agree with above, it all boils down to HOW it is installed and wired.

 

[MAKG]

The fan is not the only variable. Take a close look at the RADIATOR they come with and you'll find that electric fan vehicles have far out of proportion radiators to those that don't, in order to compensate.

Comparing a snowplow with a Chevy V8 in winter is a complete cop-out. SBCs were available with FOUR row radiators (I've got one -- you can practically fit your firstborn in that thing), and all radiators have an easy time when it's 28 deg out. Try it when it's 100+ deg and bone dry. With a one-row radiator like most RBVs come with.

Maurice, lose the pretense. It's YOUR brother and only you are under the impression that anyone thinks otherwise.

And it's not that electric fans are unreliable (though they can be under certain circumstances). It's that they are INSUFFICIENT.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The some NEW Chevy 1500's come stock with an efan. If efans were not reliable, then manufactures wouldn't have been installing them for years.

But on the flipside if electric fans were so great, they wouldn't still be using mechanical fans in just about everything that isn't FWD.

 

[Psychopete]

Maurice, lose the pretense. It's YOUR brother and only you are under the impression that anyone thinks otherwise.

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

The fan is not the only variable. Take a close look at the RADIATOR they come with and you'll find that electric fan vehicles have far out of proportion radiators to those that don't, in order to compensate.

That is a pretty broad statement. Most any cars with electric fans that I can recall seeing have radiators that are single row, most all of which are smaller in surface area (width x height) then the cars I have had with a mechanical fan.

 

[Bob Ayers]

Maurice's brother ran an efan in his '79 F-150 with a built 400M (it wouldn't run on pump gas) and it stayed cool even idling in 90* weather at shows.

The some NEW Chevy 1500's come stock with an efan. If efans were not reliable, then manufactures wouldn't have been installing them for years. (this is a point that Bob Ayres seems not to get)

I agree with above, it all boils down to HOW it is installed and wired.

Maurice, the word Chevy says it all!!!! If you remember it was Chevy years ago that tried to make a diesel out of a gasoline engine!!
At least for high cooling applications, even Chevy uses a mechanical fan/clutch assembly!!

 

[Bob Ayers]

An e-fan doesn't have the pulling power of a mechanical fan, mainly due to the smaller blade area.


A statement from Flex-a-lite:

NOTE: Flex-a-lite does not recommend using
an electric fan for the primary cooling source on
4-core radiators.


And another warning from Flex-a-lite. Even with their dual 15" 6200CFM(claimed) e-fan setup for Ford PSD, they still recommend the OEM
mechanical fan for heavy towing applications:

 

[MAKG]

That is a pretty broad statement. Most any cars with electric fans that I can recall seeing have radiators that are single row, most all of which are smaller in surface area (width x height) then the cars I have had with a mechanical fan.

That statement is rather obviously unverified.

For instance, a radiator I have at home (1995 Toyota Corolla clone) is a 1 row 13.75x27.5 inches (378 sq. inches), compared to a stock 2.9L/4.0L radiator (18x18.375, or 330 sq inches). That is, the FWD has MORE surface area than a mechanical fan vehicle with more than twice the displacement. It's actually worse than that, as the FWD has a core that is some 30% thicker as well.

They LOOK smaller because they are deeper inside the body, often behind the bumper, and far less exposed to the eye within the engine compartment. But there is a LOT more radiator in an FWD.

 

[Evan]

All I know is that a mechanical fan can pull WAY more air than an electric fan. You have a 140 HP power source driving the blade with mechanical compared to a 1-3 HP power source on an electric. I have an expensive electric fan behind a beefy 2-core radiator on my 4.0L, and I was overheating last time I went offroading.

Which is why I'm in the process of going back to a mechanical fan.

As far as deep water crossings, I always forget to turn the e-fan off anyway, so it's not really an advantage for me.

And a mechanical fan is much more reliable.