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Old 07-23-2014, 02:30 PM   #1 (permalink)
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Electric fan when the engine is off or on?

What is more efficient? What is better at cooling? What uses more electric? When should I use my electric fan?

I have it hooked up to a switch on the dash so I can turn it on and off when needed. Just thinking when the best time to use it is.

Does it not make a difference? Hmmm...

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Old 07-23-2014, 02:45 PM   #2 (permalink)
It's all about Diesel
 
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It's not unusual for electric fans to remain running for a while after the engine is shut off, but it might be not necessary at all since the engine won't be generating more heat when it's off.
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Old 07-23-2014, 02:46 PM   #3 (permalink)
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Sorry I was talking about during EOC.
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Old 07-23-2014, 02:50 PM   #4 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dirtydave View Post
Sorry I was talking about during EOC.
If the engine is off, I guess it's better to keep the fan off too anyway. Since you'd be coasting, could rely on the air flow
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Old 07-23-2014, 03:16 PM   #5 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr View Post
If the engine is off, I guess it's better to keep the fan off too anyway. Since you'd be coasting, could rely on the air flow
Or have the fan on for extreme cooling?!
No extra load when the engine is running...
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Old 07-23-2014, 06:09 PM   #6 (permalink)
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I'd also say off while coasting. You get plenty of cooling while gliding and once you restart that cool water gets pumped back into the engine.
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Old 07-23-2014, 07:55 PM   #7 (permalink)
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Quote:
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Or have the fan on for extreme cooling?!
No extra load when the engine is running...
Under a low load it would probably not worth the "extreme" cooling, since it would still impose a little load on the electrical system.
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Old 07-23-2014, 08:15 PM   #8 (permalink)
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An electric fan runs off the battery, not directly from the engine. So its load is rarely or never borne directly by the engine at the moment of the fan's use. At least it is not easily predictable when the electric load will bring on the alternator to charge the battery. Run it during EOC or during engine-on pulses and I am not sure it will make a difference.
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Old 07-23-2014, 09:03 PM   #9 (permalink)
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Running the fan with the engine off (alternator off) is the least efficient way to run. The lead acid battery is extremely inefficient at charge/discharge, so running the fan from the alternator output is better.

Regardless, the fan should not be manually controlled. It needs to come on when the engine is too hot, and switch off when temperatures are ideal. The driver should not be distracted with trying to control temperature when the thermostat does an excellent job of this already.
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Old 07-24-2014, 02:29 PM   #10 (permalink)
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IIRC he was considering an alternator delete.

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