Plastic cooling fan

[Optikalillushun]

i was talking to a friend who suggested running a plastic cooling fan on my oil burner. obviously less rotational mass would yield a wee bit more fuel economy and free up a tad more power. just curious, anyone done this or looked into it? he said to use one from a fox body but they are serp and i dun got v belts. so i was thinkin a generic plastic fan. should pull the same cfm as the metal finger swatter, just do it more efficently...?

 

[lotzagoodstuff]

Plastic flex fans don't cool gassers very well. I wouldn't put one on a passenger car let alone a diesel.

Electric fans can move air. The fox body fan you referenced is most likely an electric Ford unit, very common for the 5.0 liter folks to scrap the mechanical (metal) fan in favor of a Taurus or Lincoln Mark 8 unit. I did this swap on a Mustang and I did see better mileage.

Have a look at Geo's link as he used twin electric fans sucessfully in his diesel although some question whether or not it would work under really heavy towing conditions.

 

[Optikalillushun]

not an e-fan, i know all there is to about the ford e-fans.

wonder why all the new cars have plastic fans then.

 

[smokin69]

Cheaper

 

[Mr_Roboto]

Same answer. It's tons cheaper to cast a plastic part than to form a metal one.

Your engine has a fan clutch anyways, most of the time the only rotation is from the friction in the clutch bearings.

 

[Cat_Rebel]

You won't pull the air with the electric fans, the stock one is just fine. The electric fans are fine if your running something like a radiator in the bed of a Mud truck but on a daily driver Diesel you'll just be wasting money. Then there is always the thing about if your wireing is bad or something shorts out you'll loose your cooling system!

 

[lotzagoodstuff]

Before you throw the electric fan under the bus, read the results from Geo's conversion with Windstar electric fan:

"Real world testing and operation is just short of amazing!
I have been able to sit in traffic snarls that take 2 to 3 light cycles to get thru and when I see the mechanical temp gauge going past 215 deg in 87 degree heat....flip the switch and the temp will drop to 192 degrees in about 2-3 minutes!.....and that is with the ac on max!
I can now back up trailers without worry of over heating too!

here's a real kick....Many have believed, including myself that fans don't really do much at highway speeds....well....running out the interstate at 80 mph and 2900 turns with the air on in upper 80 degree weather usually puts me about 210 ....still comfortable coolant temps....switch on the fans and I can see an 7 to 8 degree drop!

Will this type of system work for those hauling max GVR up 7 percent grades....prolly not but for those of us with normal daily loads/driving it works great!
Loosing the stock fan/clutch has given me a touch better fuel mileage....1.5 to a best of just over 2 mpg on long,constant interstate runs with the cruise on."

 

[towcat]

keep in mind guys, by the nature of the design, the PSD does not generate nowhere as much heat in the cylinder heads like our IDI's do. We have them damn precups in the heads. I'm not saying electric fans won't work, but they will be working harder in our IDI's

 

[FordGuy100]

keep in mind guys, by the nature of the design, the PSD does not generate nowhere as much heat in the cylinder heads like our IDI's do. We have them damn precups in the heads. I'm not saying electric fans won't work, but they will be working harder in our IDI's

Exactly, I've heard that some people have problems cooling with there current setup. That would mean that that e-fan would be working overtime trying to cool our IDI's down. I bet it would work, but I would also bet that you couldnt hardly tow or haul anything without having some heating problems.

 

[Optikalillushun]

i still dont see how a plastic fan wont move as much air as a metal, all things being equal like size and number of blades.

 

[Ford428CJ]

Lets get one thing straight about electric fans. Lets say a 16" E-Fan, If the amp draw is small (lets say 9 amps to run) it wont pull the air like the ones that take up to 20 amps to run! Amp draw is related to the amount of air it will flow! So if you buy a E-Fan, Check the amp rating that it takes to run it. Stay away from the low amp ratings.....JMHO

 

[Optikalillushun]

i <3 the Ford taurus e-fans from the 3.8 cars. almost as good as the lincoln mark 7/8 fans.

but this is about plastic fan, direct replacement for the metal FYI.

 

[suv7734]

but this is about plastic fan, direct replacement for the metal FYI.

That's what I thought you meant. You don't want an electrtic fan, you want to replace the metal blade on your clutch and install a plastic blade. Most of all the new HD trucks all use plastic now. You'll just have to find one to fit/modify. I haven't heard of anyone who has done it before but there's always a first.

 

[Optikalillushun]

i didnt think there was, i figured why not. if it doesnt work ill put the metal finger swatter back on.

 

[argve]

I see no reason why a plastic fan won't work in place of a metal one.