Monster Electric Fan

[Crumm]

In this months Four Wheeler magazine they have a Diesel-Parts buyers guide. In this guide they list a Flex-a-Lite Fan that is rated at 5500 cubic feet per minute. "A fan for non-towing or light towing (6,000 pounds or less) diesel applications."

I checked out Flex-a-lite.com and it looks like this is the one they are talking about. Flex-a-Lite states that it is "an electric engine-cooling fan built for the demands of your big truck, and then some. This fan is the most powerful on the market. Diesel Applications up to 18,000 GVW".

I know some guys have been looking for a electric alternative to the heavy stock fan. This new fan from flex-a-lite might just work. I believe 5500 CFM is much more than any other electric out there. I believe that the stock fan moves around 5700 CFM. I doubt that 200 CFM would be enough difference to worry about except on the hottest days pulling the heaviest loads.

 

[Fire1]

The Ford application list at the bottom list only F150 and the "Light Duty" (non-SuperDuty) F250 as applications. I did not notice any REAL 3-4 ton or higher listed in any make?

Now in day to day driving w/o towing, it would likely work well. They are just probably not going to reccomend it for REAL F250 and up because at full capacity towing it would likely not provide the cooling that the stock fan will.

 

[BJS]

Good find Flex-a-lite rates their fans w/o static resistance (radiator intercooler etc.) ford's fan from what I've read is rated w/ the resistance in place.

All being said when guys are running without them in southern cali w/o a load and not overheating I don't think you'd have a problem unless you were pulling full throttle up a hill for miles on end if you have a good fan.

 

[Crumm]

The Ford application list at the bottom list only F150 and the "Light Duty" (non-SuperDuty) F250 as applications. I did not notice any REAL 3-4 ton or higher listed in any make? .

In the middle of the page it says "Diesel Applications up to 18,000 GVW". I have not seen any F150's with Diesel engines that were rated at 18,000 GVW. If you look over to the right there is a Universal Application. I believe that would be the one for our trucks. They only make installation kits for the trucks that they sell the most of. I have no doubt that this electric will not provide as much cooling as the stock unit but it may provide more than any other electric out there. For a guy with a daily driver like mine this may work, for a guy that tows in hot weather this probably will not work. I am fairly sure that I could run with no fan at all(short trips, flat ground and Alaska weather).

 

[Fire1]

Crumm,
I completely agree with you. I do now see where is stated Diesel applications to 18,000GVWR. I just find it funny that the actual listed vehicles are 1/2 tons or "light" 3/4 tons and none of them are Diesels.

 

[95_stroker]

Wow, they want $400.00 for the fan set up (found at Summit and JEGS). Im pretty sure The_Alaskan (Jim) is running a home-made dual electric fan set-up scavenged from junkyard cars and a chevy S-10 temp sending unit. For those of you that dont know him, he is also running in the 13's with his truck at the drag strip. So he obviously has a few mods under the hood over and above bone stock.

Also Crumm, JOAT is running fanless right now in central California. I need to send him a PM to find out how he is doing with it.

 

[95_stroker]

Also Crumm, JOAT is running fanless right now in central California. I need to send him a PM to find out how he is doing with it.

OK, update on JOAT.............

He is running a single electric fan now that came off of a mid 90's Taurus. He also has tapped the VSS off the rearend and it fires the fan at speeds below 30 mph. So above 30 mph (most out of town driving conditions) the truck is essentially fanless, stop and go traffic or in and around town the fan is active. He told me he has never seen the temp guage rise above the "O" in N O R M A L. Coincidentally, he is knocking down over 20 mpg regularly now as well. -popcorn

 

[Max Power]

I would be concerned with going with an electric fan if I towed heavy loads in hot conditions. THere is no way that any electric fan will move anywhere near the amount of air that a clutch fan will.

 

[95_stroker]

I would be concerned with going with an electric fan if I towed heavy loads in hot conditions. THere is no way that any electric fan will move anywhere near the amount of air that a clutch fan will.

Thats the purpose of this discussion to date Max, general knowledge says that the stock clutch fan can move in the neighborhood of 5700 cfm's. The dual fan unit that Crumm linked us to can move 5500 cfm's. But its a 400 dollar modification. There are several users out there that are doing it without fans or with junkyard electric fans. Single units will move beween 1700 cfm and 2500 cfm. So far nobody is burning up a truck yet.........

 

[whatabudro]

Thats the purpose of this discussion to date Max, general knowledge says that the stock clutch fan can move in the neighborhood of 5700 cfm's. The dual fan unit that Crumm linked us to can move 5500 cfm's. But its a 400 dollar modification. There are several users out there that are doing it without fans or with junkyard electric fans. Single units will move beween 1700 cfm and 2500 cfm. So far nobody is burning up a truck yet.........

I'm no expert but the cfm numbers people quote are worthless without knowing the (I think they call it static pressure?) numbers. It's much like guys that quote what their ported cylinder heads flow on race motors. It all depends on what the flow bench pressure was set at. BJS brought this up earlier. A fan that is quoted as pulling 5000+ cfm actually pulls less than half that once the load of pulling air through the radiator, condenser, intercooler is put in place. From what I have read the factory fan is rated with the load and electric fans are rated with NO load. Others have determined it to be an acceptable mod for non intercooled trucks in cool/cold climates. With the intercooled trucks what you gain in horsepower/economy from the electric fan is a wash once higher EGT's are considered and the risk's taken for them. Like I said I'm no expert. I run only an electric fan on my highly modified (race) motor in my nova. I also have underdrive pulleys on the car, and temps never exceed 210 on a 100 degree day while stuck in traffic. The fan on the car is rated at 2150 cfm with NO load. I just don't justify doing it to my intercooled truck in Texas heat and Dallas traffic that I count on for transportation to work not play.