electric fan question

[round.boater]

Hi all,

I'm trying to figure out the best bang for my buck to improve FE while keeping my truck a truck. (or actually an RV, we regularly actually camp in the camper shell) Does anyone have information on this electric fan kit?
Troyer Performance
They claim 1 - 2.5 mpg improvements (which, given the starting point, is ~6-15%). Truth? Lies? Somewhere in between?

I want one of Bondo's aerolids, but he's not in Denver! Maybe this spring...

Or, somewhat off-topic, how long will a coroplast underbelly last on a dirt road? And will a few panels that won't cover the tranny-->differential actually make a difference?

Thanks,

[Coyote X]

That is really expensive for electric fans. Go to a junkyard and find Taurus or F-body fans. Advance/Autozone type places sell a fan wiring kit that is fixed at 185 degrees and is like 30 bucks that works great, it even has the air conditioner turn on wire with it. I have a single fan right now but will change to dual fans this summer when I get around to it. But for most light duty use a single fan is fine. Even if you buy new electric fans they are only about 50-90 bucks each for good ones.

0.5-3mpg depending on how you drive and other stuff is about typical for doing away with a belt driven fan. Plus the engine running smoother and quieter with a slightly faster warmup are also benefits.

[round.boater]

I think part of the cost is the mounting kit. Zip-tying through the radiator fins has always seemed a bit sketchy to me. Is that mounting style really strong enough to last another 15 years?

Also, I'm hesitant to scavange from a junk yard. We use this truck to pull our rafts around, and some river access points are via pretty rough dry washes or are hours of dirt road away from the nearest town. I would hate to be working hard to pull the trailer at 10mph and have my fans give up the ghost. I want to try to boost my mileage, but don't want to get stranded for the effort.

What I saw at Autozone's web page for buying new looked like ~$160/fan and ~$80 wiring kit, all without the mounting hardware. Coyote X, could you point me to a link for a high-quality product that is more cost effective?

[Christ]

Assuming you carry tools with you, if the e-fans ever fail, you could always just reinstall the normal fan and belt.

Using dual fans would probably be the best bet if you're worried about failing... at least that way you have a fan that will take up some of the slack if one of them fails, the second will still be working, and you'll be able to get where you're going, and get home, so you can fix it at your leisure (for the most part).

I've always used junkyard fans for my conversions, no matter what it was going on (including big trucks, meant to carry far more than your camper rig.)

In all the years you've been around, how often have you heard of an e-fan actually failing?

[almightybmw]

Never had a fan fail on me, other than mechanical clutch fans (just the clutch failed). I know that going from the mechanical to electrical fan on my Sonoma nets about 5hp freed to the wheels and when not spinning it fast for that 5hp its about 1.5mpg overall.

Most trucks benefit from e-fans. Haven't heard of one getting worse performance or economy.

[bikin' Ed]

If you want the reliability of new components for your electric fan, you might try summit racing. You can put together a brand new temp controlled system for more like $150.

[Frank Lee]

I was gonna convert my F150 to e-fan but so far have been too lazy/cheap to buy one. So I pulled the mech fan off... and that was it. So far I've had no problems running NO fan. Of course not everybody can pull this off but I have been surprised at how much I've gotten away with- summertime operation, pulling a trailer, etc.

P.S. I've been carrying the fan and wrench needed to re-install it on board ever since I pulled it off a year ago... just in case. Have yet to put it back on.

[round.boater]

Hmmm, it is winter, so I might just go ahead with the fan removal and see how it does. I like what Summit Racing had to offer, so I could add in fans as needed as the temps warmed up - and before I pull our trailer in the Arizona desert in June this year.

Thanks for the tips.

[Coyote X]

I drove for 2 weeks without a fan. It was cold and I didn't have any trouble but I really didn't drive it much. I have been collecting fans and other random motors off cars getting hauled to the junkyard for a while so I have a pile of assorted fans laying around. I just found one that looked nice and stuck it on there. I have 2 brackets holding the top and one of those through the radiator ties holding the bottom. All the aftermarket fans I have used are much louder than the factory fans. There might be some quiet ones but I haven't seen any.

All my other cars that have electric fans I have put on use the 'through the radiator' plastic things and I have never had a problem with them.

[instarx]

You didn't say anything about your truck - weight, size, horsepower, engine type, etc. All are factors in choosing a fan. If its a diesel, forget about electric fans, particularly since you tow. If you go up mountains in low gear, make sure you can get get enough fan for the duty. Thin air at 10,000 feet doesn't cool as efficiently as air at 5,000 ft. No electric can pull the same amount of air through your radiator that your current 250 hp fan (engine) will pull. If its over-sized you may be ok - if it's barely adequate no electric will work for you. You have to size your fan for the most extreme situation you will encounter as well as for cooling system degradation over time..

There is an electric fan selection guide at the flex-a-lite.com site.