>>> ELECTRIC FAN CONUNDRUM <<<

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

I spent some time under my hood with a tape-measure and short ruler.

1985 Ford diesel w-A/C big huge factory radiator.

Height of finned area between top and bottom tanks = 23-3/4"

Width from outside edges of mounting flanges = 33-3/4"


Now, herein lies the dilemna :

Instead of the shorter V-8 I-H, there resides a lengthy inline six-cylinder sandwiched between the firewall and radiator.

With clutch-fan removed, pretty much centered with the radiator, is the clutch-fan mounting "stub"; there is only THREE-INCHES between the radiator and this stub.

There is 3-3/4" clearance from such things as the water-pump, belt-tensioner, Leece-Neville, etc.


I would love to install dual 3.8-L Taurus fans, or a worthy equivalent.

Can someone provide me with an overall thickness measurement of the Taurus fan ?? the same for the dual fans of a Windstar ??

If there is so much as a molecule that protudes too far, it is a no go.



I have been considering the possibility of re-working the radiator mounting and somehow moving the radiator forward a couple inches; I know a vast amount of cutting/notching/reinforcing would be in order.


I have also seriously considered installing the radiator in front of the existing grille, leaving the A/C condensor as is, and fabricating a custom grille to protect/conceal the radiator; doing thus would alleviate my lack of real-estate in the easiest manner, but I worry what it might do to A/C condensor performance.


I need some THIN fans.

Thanks

 

[liddledoggie]

4 1/4" on just the motor and fan no shoud, on the taurus fan i have laying around. joe

 

[oldblue05]

look up fans online, they give size specs... including thickness

 

[RLDSL]

Now these are teh critters that I'm going with, but they have been matched up with my Rodney Red rad by the builder, and I have no idea what would happen on a stock rad . THey have more pull with resistance of the rad and other junk calculated in than other fans by a whole heap. Most fans give you a cfm reading a 0 resistance which doesn't tell you much , once you put some load on them, they fall on their face. About the only thing you can get that's stouter than this thing is a race only fan that's so stout that it needs another fan to cool it down in between heats

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

4 1/4" on just the motor and fan no shoud, on the taurus fan i have laying around. joe

Thanks. That answers one of my questions.

 

[FordGuy100]

Just out of curiosity what are your water temps now? This is one worry of mine with my upcoming cummins instal.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Just out of curiosity what are your water temps now? This is one worry of mine with my upcoming cummins instal.

To begin with, when I haul, I haul HEAVY, like should be behind a semi- heavy; big solid purebred cows and monstrous big bulls in long heavy all-steel deluxe package full-metal goose-neck trailers with 2-inch White-Oak floors; most of my trailers empty are way heavier than the heaviest load most will ever pull.

I have always had the huge early Ford diesel A/C radiator; I NEVER had any cooling issues with the old 6.9, even with the original old worn out lethargic fan-clutch that just sort of coasted along.

Things are even cooler with the 6BT/Cummins.

I kept the old original radiator a couple months just so any foreign objects that may have been lodged within the coolant passages of the 6BT would become trapped within the old radiator, rather than polluting the shiny brand-new one that I had on hand.

There was absolutely nothing going on with the old radiator that made me change it, other than it was simply old and I have had old radiators to catastrophically fail on me before; I just feel better with a new one.

Currently, in winter, I run a standard not-very-trustworthy fan-clutch that may or may not actually ever engage.

In summer, I run a "pinned" direct-drive fan that turns with the engine RPMs, regardless of coolant or ambient temperatures; this is 100% in an effort to achieve decent low-speed A/C and is not at all necessary to maintain coolant temperatures.

Now with all the statistics laid out, I have a cheapo nearly-new STANT thermostat in the 6BT, 180* as per Cummins recommendations.

I have a tested known-accurate SunPro mechanical temperature gauge, plus the always consistent factory dash-gauge.

In mid-July or late January, it takes about six miles of driving to get the gauge to 180*, "N" of NORMAL on the factory gauge, where it stays PERIOD, up hill or down, A/C on or not, big heavy loaded trailer or just the truck, the gauge never varies the width of the needle.


My only reason for my quest for electric fans is to achieve good ice-cold A/C regardless of engine RPM or ground speed.

The electric fans draw full-force, regardless of engine RPM.


Put that Cummins in there, use the HUGE Ford diesel radiator, and you should NEVER have a coolant issue.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Just nosing around for what is available that comes with measurements, I found this :

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/FLX-118/


This is from their "low boy" line, I am assuming due to them being of slim profile.

That one is just shy of 3.2"; I hope that is overall thickness --- it doesn't really specify.

With an overall radiator width of some 32", give or take, how well would two of those side-by-side, maintain my cool ??


I have been playing around with plans to relocate the entire radiator IN FRONT of the current grille location and then I can install a cyclone in the newly acquired space.

Pretty is as pretty does.

 

[RLDSL]

Just nosing around for what is available that comes with measurements, I found this :

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/FLX-118/


This is from their "low boy" line, I am assuming due to them being of slim profile.

That one is just shy of 3.2"; I hope that is overall thickness --- it doesn't really specify.

With an overall radiator width of some 32", give or take, how well would two of those side-by-side, maintain my cool ??


I have been playing around with plans to relocate the entire radiator IN FRONT of the current grille location and then I can install a cyclone in the newly acquired space.

Pretty is as pretty does.

I can tell you for certain that 2 of those 16" fans will not fit on a stock rad. I have 2 of the Spal 30102803 extreme performance fans right now that I'm in the process of rigging up but they are in metric measurements and have flats on four sides and only max out at 15.71" and 2 of those fans will just BARELY fit together diagonally on a stock rad. They have a thickness of 4.41" at the thickest point at the motor. These things have a much higher air flow rating at the actual working static pressure of the truck, than anything else out there ( at $210 each , they'd better )they're built more like an OEM fan unlike most aftermarket e fans that are built like slap together kits

 

[snicklas]

Midnight Rider,

On thing I wonder/recommend, since your goal is to have A/C run at Arctic at idle, maybe you could look at it a bit differently..... I had a 2000 Dodge Durango, had the 360 5.9L V8 with A/C and the factory towing package. It had the engine mounted clutch fan, but is also had a small electric fan that was mounted low on the radiator. This fan ran anytime the A/C was on, didn't matter if it was on Max or Normal A/C.

So, in your application, instead of replacing the engine mounted clutch fan, or pinned fan, supplement the engine fan, with a smaller pusher, mounted between the grill and the A/C Condenser, mounted maybe lower, out of the main stream of engine fan. This would help the A/C run better, but not have to replace the effective engine mounted fan.

Just a suggestion, with a different point of view. If your switch to electric is only to assist the A/C maybe something like this will work. This is along the same lines as the transmission cooler that have their own fan.

 

[alienturtle]

To begin with, when I haul, I haul HEAVY, like should be behind a semi- heavy; big solid purebred cows and monstrous big bulls in long heavy all-steel deluxe package full-metal goose-neck trailers with 2-inch White-Oak floors; most of my trailers empty are way heavier than the heaviest load most will ever pull.

I have always had the huge early Ford diesel A/C radiator; I NEVER had any cooling issues with the old 6.9, even with the original old worn out lethargic fan-clutch that just sort of coasted along.

Things are even cooler with the 6BT/Cummins.

I kept the old original radiator a couple months just so any foreign objects that may have been lodged within the coolant passages of the 6BT would become trapped within the old radiator, rather than polluting the shiny brand-new one that I had on hand.

There was absolutely nothing going on with the old radiator that made me change it, other than it was simply old and I have had old radiators to catastrophically fail on me before; I just feel better with a new one.

Currently, in winter, I run a standard not-very-trustworthy fan-clutch that may or may not actually ever engage.

In summer, I run a "pinned" direct-drive fan that turns with the engine RPMs, regardless of coolant or ambient temperatures; this is 100% in an effort to achieve decent low-speed A/C and is not at all necessary to maintain coolant temperatures.

Now with all the statistics laid out, I have a cheapo nearly-new STANT thermostat in the 6BT, 180* as per Cummins recommendations.

I have a tested known-accurate SunPro mechanical temperature gauge, plus the always consistent factory dash-gauge.

In mid-July or late January, it takes about six miles of driving to get the gauge to 180*, "N" of NORMAL on the factory gauge, where it stays PERIOD, up hill or down, A/C on or not, big heavy loaded trailer or just the truck, the gauge never varies the width of the needle.


My only reason for my quest for electric fans is to achieve good ice-cold A/C regardless of engine RPM or ground speed.

The electric fans draw full-force, regardless of engine RPM.


Put that Cummins in there, use the HUGE Ford diesel radiator, and you should NEVER have a coolant issue.

just to add to this..with my setup and my glowshift gauge with no load i run about the 160 range and pulling my 5er i never see above 180. and thats with stock everything.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Midnight Rider,

On thing I wonder/recommend, since your goal is to have A/C run at Arctic at idle, maybe you could look at it a bit differently..... I had a 2000 Dodge Durango, had the 360 5.9L V8 with A/C and the factory towing package. It had the engine mounted clutch fan, but is also had a small electric fan that was mounted low on the radiator. This fan ran anytime the A/C was on, didn't matter if it was on Max or Normal A/C.

So, in your application, instead of replacing the engine mounted clutch fan, or pinned fan, supplement the engine fan, with a smaller pusher, mounted between the grill and the A/C Condenser, mounted maybe lower, out of the main stream of engine fan. This would help the A/C run better, but not have to replace the effective engine mounted fan.

Just a suggestion, with a different point of view. If your switch to electric is only to assist the A/C maybe something like this will work. This is along the same lines as the transmission cooler that have their own fan.

Duly noted and I will poke around in between the condensor and grille and see if maybe I might not even already have a pusher-fan that will fit.


Thanks for pointing out this new angle.

 

[snicklas]

No problem, it was really strange the first time I walked in front of the Durango and heard an electric fan running. Went home and started looking.....

 

[RLDSL]

I hadn't noticed tehAC issue, but if that's your prime reason, then a good pusher is your way to go for sure. I install a pusher on everything around here, that came from the factory with a clutch fan. they all need it for low speed AC performance. Pushers make for lousy engine cooling performance, but work well for ac cooling, and will also lower teh head pressure in your ac system and make your compressor last longer. With that cummins operating at lower RPMS, there are some upgrade condensers available that would help out with the ac performance as well

 

[icanfixall]

My 98 Accord has two electric fans. When the AC is on the second fan starts up and will cycle on and off as needed. The maight be just what you need for your ac cooling only at low speed driving....