3rd Gen Ford Explorer V8 Under-Drive Pulley and Electric Fan Installation | Page 4 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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3rd Gen Ford Explorer V8 Under-Drive Pulley and Electric Fan Installation

Another tid bit for future modders who want to do this. My fan died on me this last week, the motor crapped and it nearly caught fire. Anyways I was talking to the makers of the fan controller i posted above and they said if you want a fan that pulls the same CFM as the Mark 8 fan but is considerably quieter and more reliable than it to go with a fan out of a fire-bird or a cougar. Same power usage and pulls the same just doesnt have as loud of a noise on high and are a bit more reliable. He said that they are used alot with the older cobras because of the reliability. Not docking the mark 8, i just got a crappy one i guess. Just a little bit of information figured id post for the future people who wish to do this.

Thunderbird, not Firebird. The Cougar and Thunderbird with the 4.6L did come with the same fan as the Mark VIII, save for the two-speed connections. They are not any quieter, though.
 



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damn i did type firebird. Hm ive yet to use one from a cougar or the thunderbird but will surely give one a shot to see how it sounds and works. Havent had time to go to the junkyard. but they say it pulls less amperage because they changed the pitch on the blades to pull more air at a lower rpm. Could help with the life of the controller as well. When i get and install mine ill see if there is any difference in sound. but its always an option if a mark 8 fans not available i guess.
 






just ordered the FAL controller and picking up a t-bird fan. Looking forward to having this done and thanks for the post. very educational. The only thing that kinda has me at the moment and probably cause I don't have the parts in front of me, is how did you mount the fan to the radiator?
 






I have mine "wedged" in between the fan shroud and radiator, sort of sitting loose in there (it's not loose; it fits pretty snug). No fasteners of any kind. Had it for nearly a year now and it's been perfect.
 






just ordered the FAL controller and picking up a t-bird fan. Looking forward to having this done and thanks for the post. very educational. The only thing that kinda has me at the moment and probably cause I don't have the parts in front of me, is how did you mount the fan to the radiator?

As JW said, the electric fan gets "wedged" in the original fan shroud. Reference part #8 of the write-up.

I have mine "wedged" in between the fan shroud and radiator, sort of sitting loose in there (it's not loose; it fits pretty snug). No fasteners of any kind. Had it for nearly a year now and it's been perfect.
 






thanks guys. I read that post like 3 times and must have missed it every time!
Will keep you updated. I had to replace my motor and picked up a 4.6 out of a saleen. had the power pulleys with it! had to go to an electric fan due to the balancer being pushed out for the pulley.
thanks again!
 






so with some slight modifications to the original idea of your install. I have improved it and in my opinion made it better.. the electrical part is pretty much the same.

The install of the fan is as follows as best as I can describe it.
get rid of your fan factory fan shroud.
shave off rivets holding motor, grind down mounts smooth and replace rivets with 5/16 bolts.
we shaved down the passenger side fan mount so it was just a tab, and eliminated all the other tabs.
then trimmed the shroud to fit the radiator.
added a tab on the driver side and bolted it to the 2 top bolts of the original fan shroud.
walla!!!
it works and looks dang near factory!!
as soon as get a chance I will get some pics up and let you all see!!!
 






pictures would help but guess need to be a elite member. just a wannabe right now!
 






well that didn't work. oh well. sorry. newbie mistake.
 






20130402_164442.jpg
 






Thought I'd provide an update for anyone considering this mod...

I installed everything when I put my new engine in last June. I followed Josh's path completely - same fan, same controller, same type/method of installation. Since then I've put 11,000 miles on, including a lot of hot weather (SoCal) driving and some 6000+ lb trailer pulling on grades and in stop & go traffic. The entire setup has been flawless. Engine temperature has been rock solid and the operation of both the fan and controller has been completely reliable. A recent road trip, maintaining between 65 and 70, yielded about 23 MPG. WELL worth the effort.
 






Thought I'd provide an update for anyone considering this mod...

I installed everything when I put my new engine in last June. I followed Josh's path completely - same fan, same controller, same type/method of installation. Since then I've put 11,000 miles on, including a lot of hot weather (SoCal) driving and some 6000+ lb trailer pulling on grades and in stop & go traffic. The entire setup has been flawless. Engine temperature has been rock solid and the operation of both the fan and controller has been completely reliable. A recent road trip, maintaining between 65 and 70, yielded about 23 MPG. WELL worth the effort.

Nice, I think the best I have gotten on a tank is just under 22MPG. That might be pretty close inline with you though, since I have slightly larger/wider tires and wheels than stock as well as averaging closer to 75MPH. :thumbsup:
 






Real old thread but one question for you.did you wire both the low and high speed together?

661_zpsfe56439e.jpg


671_zpsb608190a.jpg
 






I believe so, yes.
 






I believe so, yes.

Hmm maybe its different from the Taurus fan, but I thought that would short the fan out or burn up one or the other side of the motor:dunno:
 






Real old thread but one question for you.did you wire both the low and high speed together?

No, if you have a harness that has wiring for both windings only do the high speed. The controller will ramp the speed up and down as needed.
 






No, if you have a harness that has wiring for both windings only do the high speed. The controller will ramp the speed up and down as needed.

I understand that.even if you don't have that type of controller the windings should be kept separate or two relays and a switch should be used.point being in those pictures you have them wired together. ...
 






...point being in those pictures you have them wired together...

No, those two wires are both for the high-speed winding. Notice that they are color coded identically. That factory harness used two wires to power the one connector.
 






No, those two wires are both for the high-speed winding. Notice that they are color coded identically. That factory harness used two wires to power the one connector.

Is that fan even two speed then? Like I said in the first post its probably different from the 2speed Taurus fan, that's all I was wondering;)
 



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Is that fan even two speed then? Like I said in the first post its probably different from the 2speed Taurus fan, that's all I was wondering;)

Yes, it is a two speed fan. It is 2" larger in diameter than the Taurus fan, although they are very similar otherwise.
 






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