Eliminating Fan Clutch for Electric Fans

[tcm glx]

So.... thinking of moving from stock fan clutch to dual electric fans.....Figure a few extra ponies, and consistent cooling regardless would be cool.(pun intended). Not having cooling issues, but I am thinking of ways to get little bits of additional power, this seems to be one of them.

I know Michael did this with the CBR fan setup, very nice setup by the way. Have any others done so... advantages, disadvantages, etc....

pics to make this juicy

[ChaseTruck754]

T - with a properly working clutch on the fan you really shouldn't have the drag or power drain you'd think you are. Plus most of the time the stock fans pull more CFM than aftermarket fans. Just seems like work & $ out the door that may not gain much at all & probably doesn't need to be spent.

[tcm glx]

T - with a properly working clutch on the fan you really shouldn't have the drag or power drain you'd think you are. Plus most of the time the stock fans pull more CFM than aftermarket fans. Just seems like work & $ out the door that may not gain much at all & probably doesn't need to be spent.

Interesting Steve. I thought for sure regardless of whether the fan clutch is working right or not, you are losing some horses... is that a myth?

[dtbback]

I gotta agree with Chase. If you're trying to get some extra power, why not looks for some used trickflow 170cfm Heads with 61cc combustion chambers. In my opinion that would be a better investment if you want more power.

[ChaseTruck754]

I used to think the same thing T, then read a pretty good argument a few years back pointing out that the HP loss thing was the old fans without the clutch = constant run fans. With the clutch there really should be no major drag & therefore not a noticeable HP loss. Can't remember where I read this, but may be a common "talking point" or thread for mustang forums, or places like that.

Also hard to beat the reliability of stock (fan wise at least - the plastic tank radiators can be crap quality & failure prone) as the setups don't really run hot. If they do, a radiator upgrade will usually handle it.

[Mesozoic]

Electronics have come a long way in the last 200 years. There's plenty of reliability built into electric fans that are properly designed and implemented today. A good case in point is the dual Contour/Mystique fan assembly so popular for use in Fox Mustangs. I believe the story behind the design of those fans is that there was a major space constraint as well as a high flow air requirement that forced Ford to put some serious thought into them. The result was a compact dual fan assembly with integral shrouding and specially designed fan blades.

I have them mounted to the OEM style downflow radiator in my '79 Bronco with air conditioning and if both fans are turned on, it overcools the engine in all circumstances. One fan is controlled by a thermoswitch that turns on at 200*F, the other is computer controlled by the EEC-IV which I've programmed to turn on at 198*F (staggered start, essentially). Using a 100A circuit breaker instead of fusing for power, they are very reliable as well as redundant having 2 fans. Living in the desert southwest where summer temperatures are typically between 110 - 120 degrees F, I'm very happy with this configuration. Nice thing is that the fans turn off on the highway as well when high airflow cools things down naturally.

[Wrightracing.net]

On my 86 with a 302, I did not notice a HP gain but a little better throttle responce. I went to a Vintage Air Monster cooler 18' fan and shroud that moves 3700+ cfm. Now as far as cooling in the deep sand dunes and silt, it made a huge difference as far as keeping the 302 much cooler.