Electric Fan Problems

[gamecocks]

Ok so I'm usually not long winded and will try to keep this short and sweet:

To start off the clutch in my fan went out today (prob due to fact that I have no lower fan shroud, or maybe bc it hit 110000...) so I stop by O'Reilys to pick up a new fan clutch... my friend talked me into an Electric Fan (which I've been wanting to do just wanted to learn a little bit more before hand) I got the 16" 1500 CFM fan. The dude at O'Reilys said that'd be plently of fan to keep it cool....
Problem:
Installed the fan with no issues. When I test drove it, the X was fine on the highway until I got into stop 'n' go traffic noticed the temp gauge rise and fall, when i was stopped the a/c would get warm and it idled @ ~1200 w/ the a/c running. So i turned the a/c off temp went down just a #### hair, idled stayed the same.
Fix:
Replaced the thermostat, ran it again to get home. Temp was fine on highway, in stop 'n' go and sitting in a parking lot for 15 minutes, but the a/c got warm and with it on the idle was fluctuating between 1000 and close to 1500... turned ac off and it stayed around 1000.

Questions:
Is the fan strong enough for everyday driving, and fairly harsh (by 3rd gen standards) off roading?

Could the thermostat have fixed it or did I just get lucky with a cool(er) night?

and Im guessing the idle is higher b/c it took that much strain off the engine?

Thanks guys!


BTW I took videos of the RPMs fluctuating and one of it running w no a/c let me know if y'all need them to be posted!!!

 

[Black Dynomite]

I've been researching the electric fan conversion for a few months and I believe that fan is not adequate, especially if you dont have a full shroud. The CFM may not be the issue but rather lack of coverage. Ford OEM fans kick butt over aftermarket electric fans.

How did you wire it up? Relays or a vsc? and can you put the lower shroud back on?

 

[Ronin8002]

Others may disagree but in my opinion and experience you need a REALLY big electric fan to adequately cool a 3rd gen. I mean like 3000+ CFM. That being the case you would need a Taurus or MK VIII fan.

My two attempts at using smaller fans than this resulted in the exact same issues you're seeing in very hot weather + stop/go traffic. My coolant temp would go up to above 205, A/C would start to warm up, and if it got hot enough...the idle would go up.

BTW an electric fan doesn't cause your idle to go up by itself....it doesn't affect idle at all. The high idle is something the computer tells the engine to do if it is overheating...what that does is circulate the water through the radiator faster. If it gets even hotter it will start dropping fuel and spark from random cylinders and run them dry in an attempt to keep the heat level down. So I don't think your thermostat had anything to do with it. You just got lucky on that second night b/c it was cooler.

There are definitely some nice benefits to an E-fan if all you do is drive on the road, but if you are offroading in remote areas, think about what you would do if that e-fan fails.

If you are going to run an E-fan, use at minimum the Taurus fan, or even better, the Mark VIII fan. Buy a new one if you can instead of the junkyard so you know it will last a while and not burn up on your unexpectedly. Use a reliable fan controller with it that is known not to short out or break unexpectedly also. Reliability with an e-fan setup is obviously a very important thing to think about. Which is why, from my experience, I am reluctant to try using one again. Clutch fan has never let me down.

Ok so I'm usually not long winded and will try to keep this short and sweet:

To start off the clutch in my fan went out today (prob due to fact that I have no lower fan shroud, or maybe bc it hit 110000...) so I stop by O'Reilys to pick up a new fan clutch... my friend talked me into an Electric Fan (which I've been wanting to do just wanted to learn a little bit more before hand) I got the 16" 1500 CFM fan. The dude at O'Reilys said that'd be plently of fan to keep it cool....
Problem:
Installed the fan with no issues. When I test drove it, the X was fine on the highway until I got into stop 'n' go traffic noticed the temp gauge rise and fall, when i was stopped the a/c would get warm and it idled @ ~1200 w/ the a/c running. So i turned the a/c off temp went down just a #### hair, idled stayed the same.
Fix:
Replaced the thermostat, ran it again to get home. Temp was fine on highway, in stop 'n' go and sitting in a parking lot for 15 minutes, but the a/c got warm and with it on the idle was fluctuating between 1000 and close to 1500... turned ac off and it stayed around 1000.

Questions:
Is the fan strong enough for everyday driving, and fairly harsh (by 3rd gen standards) off roading?

Could the thermostat have fixed it or did I just get lucky with a cool(er) night?

and Im guessing the idle is higher b/c it took that much strain off the engine?

Thanks guys!


BTW I took videos of the RPMs fluctuating and one of it running w no a/c let me know if y'all need them to be posted!!!

 

[gamecocks]

i said f*** the electric fan went back to stock clutch type, tried to use the e fan as an additional fan but too fat so now im out a little money.. oh well lol

thanks ronin

 

[Limited02]

I had a Black Magic 150(it was free) and it did "okay." The main problem was that if the Ex wasn't warmed up enough, then fan wasn't moving and therefore the AC wouldn't work unless I was moving. On hot days at slower speeds, then AC wouldn't blow as cold as I liked. It wasn't worth the headach of going through that so I put the stock clutch fan back on it's being a charm ever since

The Mark VIII would be a great choice and getting a controller that will turn the fan on when you turn on the AC would make it complete.

 

[gamecocks]

I've been researching the electric fan conversion for a few months and I believe that fan is not adequate, especially if you dont have a full shroud. The CFM may not be the issue but rather lack of coverage. Ford OEM fans kick butt over aftermarket electric fans.

How did you wire it up? Relays or a vsc? and can you put the lower shroud back on?

sorry i just caught your response man, i didnt have the lower fan shroud on bc when i was cutting it (for the body lift the mounting tab broke off).... I knew about the lincoln mkVIII and taurus fans but just didnt want the headache and went back to clutch type... i had it wired with the little thermostat controller kit they sell at orielys but now its all for sale lol