electric fan mpg

[drew76924]

How much does the e fan actually help mpg wise? Ive got the whole motor and radiator out so nows the time to do it.

 

[Jstcruz]

I have seen a lot of possitive about electric fans including; better economy, freed up horsepower, better temperature control in the cab, faster warm up times and overall less drag on the vehicle.

With that being said, I too would like to hear some real world experiance as far as mpg goes. I am ready to get an electric fan for mine.

 

[Flag Gibby]

Real world MPG comes down to several factors such as how hard you drive the vehicle, what conditions you drive in, and the topography of the area you drive in. So, that said one persons MPG will not necessarlily relate to someone elses.

 

[crazymind]

The hardest part I think is making it look like is suppose to be there (kind of a neat freak). But its really not that hard. It does warm up faster because of it not being on when your engine is when cold. As far as a mpg gain I think I got an increase of 1-2 miles even with my heavy foot. In the summer in stop and go traffic it does tend to stay a little cooler as it can operait at full speed at idel. All in all I'm happy that I went with the e fan and I'll never go back. O yeah mines a 99 sohc idk how it'll affect you 03(?).

 

[Jstcruz]

Real world MPG comes down to several factors such as how hard you drive the vehicle, what conditions you drive in, and the topography of the area you drive in. So, that said one persons MPG will not necessarlily relate to someone elses.

I meant more along the lines of someone stating that they averaged X amount of miles per gallon, then converted to an electric fan and now get X amount of miles per gallon. I know that location, weather, driving conditions, mods and habbits make a lot of difference. Maybe I should have said real world mpg differences with the e fan.

 

[Flag Gibby]

I wasn't trying to nitpick your question, I was just reminding you that just because someone says that they got a 10% MPG increase does not mean you will get it too. The primary reason for making the modification should be to improve the performance of the engine/vehicle and an increase in MPG should just be an additional plus if you notice one.

 

[Jstcruz]

I wasn't trying to nitpick your question, I was just reminding you that just because someone says that they got a 10% MPG increase does not mean you will get it too. The primary reason for making the modification should be to improve the performance of the engine/vehicle and an increase in MPG should just be an additional plus if you notice one.

There are a lot of variables. Basicly though, if there are no negative replies about the differences it made for people then it is a worth while upgrade/conversion. Just waiting to hear from people who have done it. I plan on doing mine regardless, so Ill post my findings here after I do it.

I did an e fan in my old Ranger, i enjoyed the better acceleration but I didnt care about mpg back then when gas was $2 haha

 

[Am3gross]

Do you know what e fan you are going to use... I think that this might be something to try... Also since this is the first that I had read on the subject, how do you plan to wire it up?

 

[crazymind]

The fan most people use and what I have is out of a mark vIII. I have a flex-a-light controller set at 195 for low and 200 for high. I would recomend getting one with a soft start so its not so hard on the electrical system. That's all I can think off the top of my head but id be more than willing to help if you have more questions.

 

[Jstcruz]

I got a fan and adjustable thermostat from advance auto for my Ranger. I will be getting the same thing for my Ex, I was very happy with it.

 

[Am3gross]

The fan most people use and what I have is out of a mark vIII. I have a flex-a-light controller set at 195 for low and 200 for high. I would recomend getting one with a soft start so its not so hard on the electrical system. That's all I can think off the top of my head but id be more than willing to help if you have more questions.

Thanks and I will keep you in mind when it comes time for me to do the install. Good luck with yours!

 

[mjp3262]

All these posts and nobody really ever said that their mileage improved. If you're a lead foot before you install an e-fan, and you're still a lead foot after the install, did your mileage improve? Better yet, who installed an e-fan and started getting better MPG without altering driving habits?

 

[koda2000]

i doubt that the fuel economy is significantly improved by using an electric fan, partly because the engine driven fan is thermostatically clutched and the extra electrical demand makes the alternator work harder. there are, however, other benefits to using an electric fan (like being able to turn it off when not needed).

 

[Jstcruz]

This is getting kind of annoying lol. I did read somewhere in the forum someone said that "an electric fan is the best bang for the buck as far as fuel economy goes." Some figures would be awesome!

 

[01STrunner]

Subbed. Thinking about doing this as well. My mech. fan is becoming unbalanced and don't really want to put another in.
As far as current draw you could get an upgraded alternator and would lessen the strain.

 

[Maniak]

i doubt that the fuel economy is significantly improved by using an electric fan, partly because the engine driven fan is thermostatically clutched and the extra electrical demand makes the alternator work harder. there are, however, other benefits to using an electric fan (like being able to turn it off when not needed).

I can't specificaly comment on the 2002-2005 X but in general fan clutches do not disengage completely when they aren't needed. Both the heavy duty and severe duty hayden fan clutches are spinning at 20%-30% shaft speed which means it is puttimg a load on the motor even when disengaged.

For a comparrison.. I just drove for 8 hours on the freeway toady and during that drive I have about 10 minutes of run time on the electric fan and that was when I was off the freeway to get gas etc. The rest of the time the electric fan put 0 load on the motor. If we still had a mechanical fan we would have had extra load on the motor the entire time that wasn't needed.

~Mark

 

[koda2000]

I can't specificaly comment on the 2002-2005 X but in general fan clutches do not disengage completely when they aren't needed. Both the heavy duty and severe duty hayden fan clutches are spinning at 20%-30% shaft speed which means it is puttimg a load on the motor even when disengaged.

For a comparrison.. I just drove for 8 hours on the freeway toady and during that drive I have about 10 minutes of run time on the electric fan and that was when I was off the freeway to get gas etc. The rest of the time the electric fan put 0 load on the motor. If we still had a mechanical fan we would have had extra load on the motor the entire time that wasn't needed.

~Mark

okay, so what was your mpg? how does that compare with what it would have been with the engine driven fan? how long is it going to take you to pay for the electric fan conversion using your fuel savings? the OP is looking for specifics. apparently no one can provide them. I'm not saying there isn't an increase in fuel economy to be had by switching to an electric fan, but before I'd spend the time and money to install one I'd want more than just opinions.

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=294228

Pulleys and fan netted me about 10% improvement on highway driving, maybe a touch more. The fan swap can have a bigger impact if the original fan clutch is in poor condition, as it will be "stuck" running more of the time than it should.

 

[Maniak]

okay, so what was your mpg? how does that compare with what it would have been with the engine driven fan? how long is it going to take you to pay for the electric fan conversion using your fuel savings? the OP is looking for specifics. apparently no one can provide them. I'm not saying there isn't an increase in fuel economy to be had by switching to an electric fan, but before I'd spend the time and money to install one I'd want more than just opinions.

This is on our 3/4 ton 4x4 van (tow rig) with a 460 ci motor. I never bothered to check mileage before hand.. When we built the motor we went right to an electric fan before using it as a tow rig.. We did have the factory fan/clutch on it for 1 week and when I switched it you could hear the engine revving much more free, as in you hit the throttle and the rpms go up faster...

I was more commenting on the statement about a fan clutch not hurting mileage because it unlocks.. I'm just saying the fan clutches that use a viscous fluid to change the fan speed based on temp doesn't actually ever stop taking power. From what I've read, it can lock up as very cold temps just like it does when hot (we don't have that issue here in Arizona so I can't confirm that).

My friends f-150 seems to have have an average of 5% better gas mileage from going from his old stock setup to the Mark VIII fan on his 302. One of the issues I've noticed is he drives it harder now too.. The motor revs much faster and he can get up to freeway speed (75mph) before he is off the on-ramp now which he couldn't do when he had the engine driven fan.

Is it worth doing? I can't say.. If you drive lots of freeway miles I would think it would be worth the upwards of $500 investment to do it. If your only driving in the city I would expect it to help but not as much as you will be using the electric fan in town which means the alternator will be putting the load on the engine..

~Mark