Idea: spray bar instead of rad fan?

[meanjoe75fan]

Okay, so I spent some time under the hood of my car, wrenching, when I noticed how restrictive the fans (in particular, fan shrouds) are in my car.

Unlike longitudinal V8s, my radiator is close-up against the engine. As a result, the "shroud" around the radiator for the cooling fan is < 1" from the fins!

Now, the issue is that for effective cooling, one needs both high pressure and an open low pressure area to "encourage" the high-pressure air through. If there's an obstruction just aft of the radiator, much of the air will treat the rad as "solid" and just flow around vs through.

This makes me wonder if one could just scrap the fans altogether and use a spray bar, as on certain intercoolers. This would seem to encourage flow, and the principle is known to work...or they wouldn't bother using it with intercoolers.

I hope I'm not travelling well-trod ecomodder trails, but a search came up empty. I figure I could give this a "trial run" just by tapping into the washer lines--hit the squirter as a test and see if I get a coolant temp. drop. (In a finished system, I'd have a separate system, with the "fan" electrics flowing to a washer pump...sounds like a junkyard trip to me!)

A further search of the entire internet shows this system to be occasionally used by off-roaders as a supplement to the stock fans in high power/low speed scenarios.

If I wind up doing this, I'll report back, possibly with pics.

[Frank Lee]

I'm running no fan at all in my truck. 99% of the time temps are normal. One time I was doing some heavy pulling through a field- slow- and it got hot. Rare occurance for me.

A squirter or a fan would have been nice then. I'd probably have to run alcohol in it, though, so the squirter system doesn't freeze up and break. Fan it is then. Squirters might be a good idea in warmer climates tho'. Fans are just going to be more trouble-free; never have to replenish anything.

Maybe test pulling the wire off your fan, or even pulling the fan off.. maybe you don't even need a squirter?

[Daox]

I run a full grill block on my Paseo. On my 21 mile commute to work it never turns on unless the temperature outside is above 65 degrees F. I'm sure this will differ largly between people and vehicles.

Your alternative would be to try to modify the fan shroud to increase efficiency.

[CoastRider]

The clutch is completely shot on my fan it does spin the fan but only because the shaft is spinning I can hold it still with the engine running I have a new rad and it stays cooleven on hot days. So I could probably loose it alltogether without worry.

[Frank Lee]

The first year I removed the fan from my truck I carried it with in the cab along with the needed wrench. Never needed it so finally I stuck it in the garage.

Can't say fe has jumped up though. Truck is quieter without that fan noise.

[Christ]

Frank, which truck is that? I gotta tell ya, I can't run my F150 without the fan. Overheats in a few minutes, honestly.

(300 Inline 6 with more vacuum leaks than vacuum to leak from them all, but it still runs enough to get up and down the mountain for firewood/off roading.)

[Frank Lee]

'94 F150 5.0 4x4

[Christ]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

'94 F150 5.0 4x4

Use the 4wd low much? I mean like high-RPM creeping? That's most of how the our F150 is used. It's also a 1979, with a radiator you can basically see through, the fins are so far apart.

I think we could do better with a newer radiator, but I still don't think we could use it without the fan.

[bgd73]

a truck with no fan. I couldn't attempt it.

for the op
try half shroud, bottom open?

I found on my old sube it created a relief, the engine driven fan came on a injected engine, the carb went wild with it, could rip my hand off. whistled louder than a turbo...SHOOK THE CAR.I decided to let the bottom of shroud go, and it moved more, all across the oil pan. takes out localization...
and engines after each and every fire, need a place to disperse the invisibles, air does this, through the rad and what little gets the actual engine. I have tried no fan on little engines, a grotesque crud builds up and needs a darn near caustic 200psi steam cleaner, and plug wires, and thermostats, and even water pump seals..they all go premature. do not give up on oe fan, just make it better.

[Frank Lee]

Low range once in a while but not for extended time periods.

Only one overheat incident, as noted. 4WD Low, pulling a big ol' grain truck through a rough field. Pulled that same truck many miles over the road with normal temp. Amazing to me how little speed was required to get the necessary flow through the radiator.