A lot of people have made comments that their fan clutches don't even kick in till around 230 degrees. So a more aggressive fan may still not help if it doesn't even engage till 230. I locked mine mechanically and my overheating problems went away. I know I am losing a little performance and fuel mileage, but my priority is to not overheat pulling a load, and that's mostly what I use my truck for. I have a smaller truck for grocery getting and other small tasks.
Mechanical fan vs. electric conversion....real numbers to compare
- Thread starter cpdenton
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A lot of people have made comments that their fan clutches don't even kick in till around 230 degrees. So a more aggressive fan may still not help if it doesn't even engage till 230. I locked mine mechanically and my overheating problems went away. I know I am losing a little performance and fuel mileage, but my priority is to not overheat pulling a load, and that's mostly what I use my truck for. I have a smaller truck for grocery getting and other small tasks.
kas83
Full Access Member
Couldn't be more wrong. You're comparing an electric motor with a fan that moves a lot less volume of air for the size in comparison.
Also, I'll dyno my pickup and semi with fans unlocked and locked. I know the numbers are high, but these need a TON of air in a short amount of time to cool em off. My semi will suck my winter Carhartt jacket to the grille from 1' away at idle, and will pull it thru the bars to the screen at 1200 rpm. You guys need to realize that the faster it's spinning, it's drawing exponentially more power due to the resistance of air. 25-30 hp is not out of the question IMO, and I've heard reports of some setups drawing 50+. Imagine the volume of air you need to draw to help cool a 6'x4' radiator in some heavy haul apps.
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FarmerFrank
Full Access Member
Did you bolt it together to lock it up? I've done that before with bolt on style fan clutches but I'm afraid to with the threaded on type, I don't want it to fall off when I shut down or something stupid like that
FarmerFrank
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But then I'll have holes in my oil pan....
I had heard of that happening also, so I used short pieces of angle iron and bolted them directly to the pulley bolts to avoid that problem. Here's a picture.
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jaluhn83
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Before you mess around too much with locking fans try adding oil to the clutch - it's cheap and easy and should help it drag more.
FarmerFrank
Full Access Member
First of all I would like to apologize for the high jack I this thread.
Secondly, here we go.
I have tried adding oil to one, actually I used military silicone based brake fluid. That was about 3 clutches ago. In going to have to find a 6.9 fan and look at it against a 7.3 fan. Then I'll probably lock one up. No point in having power and still have to let off the throttle because your temps are sky high. I'd sacrifice 5-10hp to not boil the engine.
Secondly, here we go.
I have tried adding oil to one, actually I used military silicone based brake fluid. That was about 3 clutches ago. In going to have to find a 6.9 fan and look at it against a 7.3 fan. Then I'll probably lock one up. No point in having power and still have to let off the throttle because your temps are sky high. I'd sacrifice 5-10hp to not boil the engine.
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