Electric fans

[hauss]

How long should a fan last, also should I turn it off over 40 mph ?

[xb-60]

Hauss, a production spec. radiator fan fitted to cars these days should last the life of the car. My 43 year old Alfa still has its original fan fitted and working (and Italian electricals from back in that era don't have a great reputation ).

You definitely don't need the fan operating at 40mph....or even 20mph.

Cheers,
Glen

[olddog]

I turn my fan off when I will be driving at highway speed for a while. I have to tell you that it is very easy to forget to turn it back on. Fortunately I watch gauges like a hawk and when I see the temp creeping up, I remember to flip the fan back on. I have considered putting a temp switch on the fan, and allow the switch to override and force the fan on.

I would think a fan should never die in one of these cars with so little use.

[spdbrake]

The BDR have a temp switch located in the lower radiator pipe just aft of the fan(s).

The Cockpit toggle switch is for Manual turn on of the Fan(s) if needed.

[Dwight]

I know Hauss asked about the life of a fan and I agreed with xb-60
but I have a few thoughts on cooling our hot rods .
Twenty years ago I used temp controllers with probes in the radiator fins. Now I used temp sensor 200 degrees on and 185 off.
I don't have to remember to turn it on or off. They sell them in variety of temperatures. Cost $10 each.

On the last three I have install an over ride switch in the circuit with a LED light to let me know when the fan is on. Works great and I don't have to worry.

I like for my small block to run 195 and big block Ford to run at least 185 degrees. I have a 390 in a '66 Fairlane with no cooling problems in our 95 - 100 degree weather.

The ability of your cool system (radiator & water pump) to drop the engine temperature quickly will determine what temperature you would want the motor to run. And of course how you drive. Light to light in heavy traffic I would want to keep the temperature under 200 all the time.

[hauss]

The reason I was asking was, when the fan shuts off, I could hear what sounds like bearings rolling around. I cannot remember if it made that kind of noise before. Also my temps are going up to 215 at 85 outside .

[spdbrake]

Hauss, If you have the single fan (newer car) you can up to a higher CFM 16"fan
Like
https://www.iconicparts.com/electric-fan.html
Or
https://www.mishimoto.com/race-line-...ow-fan-16.html (A few bucks cheaper on Amazon)

I have an older car w/ two 10" fans. I upped to two https://www.mishimoto.com/race-line-...ow-fan-10.html and it helped a lot.

Another thing to consider is your Crank Pulley. (If you have a March Pulley set) Most March Performance "kits" include the 33% underdrive pulley. You can replace it withe the 6.125" pulley PN 2008 to pick up some more GPM.
https://www.summitracing.com/tx/part...iAAEgJ_oPD_BwE

[Kit Coyle]

I just replaced a SPAL 16" 2024 CFM electric fan that failed after 13 years and
18,900 miles. It operates on a thermostatic switch with a manual override
switch on the dash.

[66AC]

My original electric puller fan, as supplied by ERA in 1992 is still going strong. So that is about 27 years. Also the thermostatic switch which is in the lower radiator hose is also original. It turns the fan on when the water is about 175 degrees F. There is an override switch on the dash to turn the puller fan on or off. My two pusher fans, also from the same time frame, but on a separate switch and relay are also original from the same date. There have been no problems with these three fans.

One thing to note, as the rated CFM of the fan goes up so will its corresponding amperage draw. So if you are ever going to replace a fan you could kind of over do it if you choose a much higher CFM replacement fan which could put a serious burden on your alternator and battery.

A solution to this perhaps would be a fan and thermo switch device which gradually speeds up the fan as the water temperature increases and likewise slows the fan down as the water cools. This would require some amount of
"smarts" in the fan circuit. Mitsubishi and others have this figured out in their mini-split air conditioning compressors. However I have yet to see this fan feature in an automotive application.

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by 66AC

One thing to note, as the rated CFM of the fan goes up so will its corresponding amperage draw. So if you are ever going to replace a fan you could kind of over do it if you choose a much higher CFM replacement fan which could put a serious burden on your alternator and battery.

A solution to this perhaps would be a fan and thermo switch device which gradually speeds up the fan as the water temperature increases and likewise slows the fan down as the water cools. This would require some amount of
"smarts" in the fan circuit. Mitsubishi and others have this figured out in their mini-split air conditioning compressors. However I have yet to see this fan feature in an automotive application.

While current draw and their effect upon alternator and battery are considerations, I'd be more concerned about whether the installed wiring was sufficient for a higher draw fan. Yes, the fuse(s) or circuit breaker (preferred) should protect the circuit, you don't want the fan(s) cutting out when you need it/them most. If a replacement fan has a higher rated current draw, make sure the circuit can handle it, including wiring, relay(s), fuse and/or circuit breaker.

BTW, after a cooling fan relay failure in my car, I installed a pair of relays in parallel - each is sufficient to handle the load should one fail, but as they're sharing it I doubt (hope?) I'll ever see another failure.

BTW, variable speed controllers are available from Flex-a-lite and PROFORM. Both are rated at 45 amps and available with either / both temperature probe (insert in radiator fins) or threaded sensor. They're about the same price too.

Flex-a-lite description:
The Flex-a-lite® Variable Speed Controller turns the electric fan on and off at the desired temperature. Fans turn on at 60-percent power and fan speed increases as the temperature rises. You can easily adjust the activation temperature between approximately 160-240 degrees Fahrenheit. It also turns the electric fan on when the vehicle air conditioner is engaged. Fan will run for up to 25 seconds after the vehicle is turned off.

From PROFORM:
This variable speed fan controller makes the fan or fans run at whatever speed is needed to maintain a consistent temperature. The controller receives a temperature signal from the radiator through either a push-in, or thread-in brass probe (both included). The fan controller processes this signal and runs the fan(s) at the correct speed needed to maintain the desired temperature. The weather resistant billet aluminum housing with bright digital display ensures easy setting by simply pushing + or - to set the temperature. By simply pressing the Mode button, the digital display will show temperature in F or C. As a bonus, the display screen will also show live amp use, so you know how many amps your fan configuration is chewing up.

I really like the PROFORM model - may have to add that to the to-do list...

https://www.flex-a-lite.com/accessor...re-sensor.html

https://www.proformparts.com/product...read-in-probes

[hauss]

Thank you all for your replies I believe I have the 16" fan already but I will check it out just wondering what others are running at on 85 degree days I have a 427 stroker motor.

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by hauss

Thank you all for your replies I believe I have the 16" fan already but I will check it out just wondering what others are running at on 85 degree days I have a 427 stroker motor.

Probably no more than 220°F in traffic - though it hit 250°F when my cooling fan relay failed!

[hauss]

Originally Posted by cycleguy55

Probably no more than 220°F in traffic - though it hit 250°F when my cooling fan relay failed!

Had the same thing happen to me shot up to 260 F - spit off the fan belt

[Kit Coyle]

The same here...250 degrees. I was caught in a road construction hold up
and suddenly I saw 240 degrees, then 250, and I turned the car around and
once I got moving the temp dropped rapidly. When I got home and shut it
down I didn't hear the fan and I knew it failed. I called ERA and Bob said the
SPAL fans rarely failed but this one did!

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by hauss

...just wondering what others are running at on 85 degree days I have a 427 stroker motor.

On a 90+ degree day, after running her street-hard, my SPAL #30102120 keeps her at about 195 degrees when idling at a stoplight. That fan moves just under 2000 CFM in puller mode and draws under 20 amps. I have supplemental pusher fans that I can throw on when necessary, but the SPAL handles it just fine.

[PeteF]

No one has mentioned pulley sizes yet. If you are running under-drive pulleys to maximize available HP, you may be turning the water pump too slow at idle. If your crank pulley is smaller than OEM, you can have this problem.

[HTM101]

I use a Spal 30102113 16" fan, rated at 2460 cfm. It is sold as a racing fan and has several limitations; no more than 1 hour continuous use, do not use in a high dust/high moisture environment.

On an 85-90 degree day during an idling period, it will hold coolant temp to 185 degrees or a little less. I installed large screened inner fender vents, and the rear of my hood stands open about 7/16". I feel this fan helps push a lot of hot air out of the engine bay.

For years, I ran the same fan that patrickt listed. It performs great and I still have it as a back-up.

[spdbrake]

Originally Posted by PeteF

No one has mentioned pulley sizes yet. If you are running under-drive pulleys to maximize available HP, you may be turning the water pump too slow at idle. If your crank pulley is smaller than OEM, you can have this problem.

Scroll up 5 posts above yours Pete.

[hauss]

Lots of good information thanks again to all .

[PeteF]

You are right spdbrake, I missed it. Thanks