Electric radiator fans on a idi?

lilHank

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Is anyone running electric fans on a idi I wanted to know how good it works or if its a bad idea.
 

franklin2

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Lots and lots of threads on that subject. They work well IF;

You get high flow ones from the junkyard

You upgrade the alternator to turn the high flow fans

You are handy enough to get them mounted(brackets, mounts, etc.)

Don't forget to interlock them to the A/C if you have it. And you will need relays and such. The fans that work take a lot of power.
 

gandalf

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Mel wrote a good article about putting electric fans in his truck. It's in the Tech Articles section of this forum. The pictures may or may not be put back into that one.

You really ought to look over the tech articles.

ELECTRIC FANS
 

FORDF250HDXLT

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http://www.oilburners.net/forums/sh...ine-Cooling-For-The-6-9l-7-3l-Navistar-Diesel

Read this. I have done this to my truck. I think the windstar fans aren't quite enough, and I plan to upgrade to 2 2500 CFM flexalite fans in the near future.

yeah what works more than easy enough in Maine doesn't mean they will do the trick in Arizona.flexalite fans don't have a good rep for lasting very long.have you considered the Lincoln mark viii fans?
http://fanconversion.com/Mark_8_fan.html

supposedly the drawback with these monsters is that they have a killer start up draw.however you've got yourself a top of the line variable rate controller to keep care of that issue.;Sweet

i dunno much of them other than that's where i was headed next if the windstar's didn't handle my needs (they do real easy for me though)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1997-98-Ele...-VIII-8-PRO-STREET-ROCK-CRAWLER-/121516559293

like what size are they? can you fit two of them? do you even need 2? could you do a combo of one of these plus a smaller one to add just that little big extra if needed? find the winning combo for Arizona's desert extreme temps and it smells like a good tech article.:D


one things for sure,now with a 3" thick intercooler out front,you've got to act before spring hits to find the winning combo or it's gunna be worse this year lol.
 
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cpdenton

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Oooh. That's a sweet looking fan. This site you linked to shows it being 6 inches thick though. Might be too thick. I think I only have about 5 inches. I do like the idea of a factory style fan, they just seem built better.

BTW, I am in Arkansas. :)

Commons mistake. Not quite as hot temp wise as Arizona, but WAY more humidity.
 

FORDF250HDXLT

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oh Arkansas.hmmm.the windstar fans wont handle the job for ya? where's your aftermarket temp sending unit located and is it electrical or mechanical? and whats your peak temps that your seeing? what's your max combined gross? what do you have for a radiator?
 

cpdenton

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Champion aluminum radiator, new oe thermostat, new motorcraft water pump. Electrical gauge in over temp light port. At 55 mph it will hold 215-220. I am ok with that. Get the EGT's over 1000 for very long, and it shoots up to 230-235. I want that cooler. I also go camping up a mountain here nearby, it's about 800 foot climb over 3 miles. Got it up over 245 on that 2nd gear pull. Really didn't like that.

I am probably somewhere near 16,500 or 17,000 pulling the trailer. Truck scales near 8000, trailer weighs 7400 unloaded. Add the stuff and kids in the crew cab, etc...

They almost keep it cool, but I would be comfortable with a little more CFM.
 

FORDF250HDXLT

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oh yeah your really close to being reasonable save for just 5 degrees over on that 800' climb.however iv noticed electrical sending units are effected by the underhood temps.once i traded my autometer electrical to a mechanical i got more accurate readings when producing the heat.
you can run 'em 240F probably all day long if ya wanted......not that id want to but anything under and your golden.man your so close.well who knows,perhaps with the EGT's kept cooler perhaps she'll run cooler too.
i noticed i had oil temps climbing up over 260's F on the grades so i added an aux oil cooler.pricey though cus they don't make much for filter adapters for the 7.3l idi/psd strangely.that cured all my high temp hill climbs though.
 

FordGuy100

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I ran a whole summer, daily driven, with no fan whatsoever. In East Texas. Electric fans would help out when speeds were below 10mph (where the truck would gain coolant temp as there wasn't enough flow across the radiator). I also didn't tow, but I know I couldn't tow any sort of weight with that setup/temps. My sender is in the top of the water pump though, so I see lower temps on the gauge than the overheat sensor location.
 

franklin2

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I ran a whole summer, daily driven, with no fan whatsoever. In East Texas. Electric fans would help out when speeds were below 10mph (where the truck would gain coolant temp as there wasn't enough flow across the radiator). I also didn't tow, but I know I couldn't tow any sort of weight with that setup/temps. My sender is in the top of the water pump though, so I see lower temps on the gauge than the overheat sensor location.

Towing heavy up a long hill changes everything I found out. I am going about 40 mph or less with it floored, and you can watch the gauge start moving up. If you don't do anything about it you start smelling your minor oil leaks on the engine smoking.

Mine was overheating badly and I found out my fan clutch was bad. I could get a new one for $150 or I could buy two 16 inch aftermarket fans for the same price. They are cheap fans, but one is "supposed" to cool a big block according to the chart on the back. Hooked two up, not even close to keeping it cool.

I put the stock mech fan back on and locked it, and it does keep it cool. At least now I know it can be kept cool, I have no other problems. I may re-visit the electric fan conversion, but not before I go to a different alternator. With the two cheap fans the stock alternator really could not keep up in the summer with the A/C on, the blower on high, the headlights on high, and both fans running.
 

dunk

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If the Windstear fan isn't adequate then what is? I hate the lack of power of the IDI and when towing up long hills I feel the loss the power when the fan locks up. Not good when I'm already not keeping up with traffic. I already have a 130 amp 3g and a pair of group 31s really for no other reason than it made sense and was cost effective when my alternator and batteries needed replacing, for just a little extra work.

It would be nice to not loose as much power pushing air on hills in the summer. Still need a real temp gauge to know exactly what it's doing. I have always avoided electric fans in the past mainly because I assume they don't work well under water. Are the bearings greasable or serviceable? I don't really do that sort of thing anymore but if I did I'd prefer to be able to clean and lubricate the fan bearings as part of the after fording deep water servicing routine. Even if not off road we usually get some flooding in spring from melt and rain along with high tides and I prefer to just be able to go on my way when that happens and service the truck afterwards at my convenience.
 

FordGuy100

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Towing heavy, no electric fan will work. Mechanical fans only. IIRC, a locked mechanical fan can move over 10,000 cfm's.

The best option for mechanical fans would be an electric clutch. But then your looking at $4-500 and a custom setup as I have not found one that fits our water pump thread pitch (1.25-18).
 

jaluhn83

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But then your looking at $4-500 and a custom setup as I have not found one that fits our water pump thread pitch (1.25-18).

There is one that fits. DT466. Horton makes one, though I forget the part number. Problem is that it looks like you'd need a different fan as well due to backspacing. I found a different brand electric clutch that works with the stock fan, though it was pricey. ($300+ IIRC) But, it's awesome to be able to lock that thing up and not worry about it. I posted a thread on this some months ago that has more info.
 

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