electric fan
06-01-05, 03:55 PM
#2
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Only if you drive mostly highway miles...
I leave mine off for about 48 of the 50 miles I drive to work, all freeway, so there are obvious fuel & horsepower savings for me.
If you drive mostly city, you're gonna need to have it on most of the time anyway, so if your stock fan is still good, just leave it on there, you won't gain much if anything from an e-fan...
I leave mine off for about 48 of the 50 miles I drive to work, all freeway, so there are obvious fuel & horsepower savings for me.
If you drive mostly city, you're gonna need to have it on most of the time anyway, so if your stock fan is still good, just leave it on there, you won't gain much if anything from an e-fan...
06-01-05, 06:57 PM
#7
cool story bro
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You could always just run a thermostat trigger and a relay to click it on and off. For example, I know that some people ont he board run Escort e-fans. You could wire in a "normally open" relay so the fan stays on in case something fails. Basically when the thermo sensor is below a certain temp, it clicks the relay to off and turns the fan off.
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06-01-05, 08:09 PM
#8
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some aftermarket fans cool alot faster... and after they lower the temp they turn off... from the time they are off and the time they are on .... you do gain extra hp. when they are on i still think you save power but not enough to make a difference. the room it clears up makes it all worth it IMO
06-01-05, 09:36 PM
#9
Former Moderator. RIP Icemark.
Originally Posted by 604Ryder
you do gain extra hp. when they are on i still think you save power but not enough to make a difference. the room it clears up makes it all worth it IMO
And add in the extra load that the alternator now needs, you loose any gains you might have made in the first place.
06-01-05, 09:46 PM
#10
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Originally Posted by Icemark
There is almost no gain in any peak HP by using an electric fan on a FC--- maybe .5% (if that).
And add in the extra load that the alternator now needs, you loose any gains you might have made in the first place.
And add in the extra load that the alternator now needs, you loose any gains you might have made in the first place.
06-01-05, 10:26 PM
#11
strike up the paean
Originally Posted by rick_tj
Bigger alt?
Originally Posted by 604ryder
from the time they are off and the time they are on .... you do gain extra hp
if you're fan is on 24/7, it's seized - which isn't surprising on such an old car.
06-01-05, 10:40 PM
#12
I'm with stupid -----^
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you have to really watch the current drain that an electric fan will place on your system.. especially in fuel critical situations (such as modified turbo applications)... I used to run an electric fan.. everytime that the fan would turn on, I would notice a voltage drop, at the point of the voltage drop, coinciding with this voltage drop, I would also note my air/fuel ratios go quite a bit leaner (monitoring on my fjo wideband).. what I ended up discovering was the fact that the current draw from the electric fan would affect my fuel pump voltages (this was checked via a multimeter) .. the resulting drop in current to the fuel pump also decreased it's output .... Just somethign more to chew on..
06-01-05, 11:15 PM
#14
Former Moderator. RIP Icemark.
well wired ideally, and electric fan would only be on when the temp of the coolant was above 180-190 and then off again when the car was in 5th gear.
Of course this would be by electronics, and not a switch that someone flipped on or off.
Of course this would be by electronics, and not a switch that someone flipped on or off.
06-02-05, 12:49 AM
#15
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Originally Posted by WAYNE88N/A
I leave mine off for about 48 of the 50 miles I drive to work, all freeway, so there are obvious fuel & horsepower savings for me.
06-02-05, 01:51 AM
#16
Emerald Triangle for life
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I went the efan (Stock Fiero fan w/a CarQuest thermo control and custom mounting bracket) route on my GXL and so far I'm pretty pleased with it. I don't see it making any noticeable increase in HP (maybe a small reduction in rotating mass), but it is aesthetically pleasing. I like hearing my engine when I rev it instead of the fan. I like having that much extra space in my engine bay. (It's also nice having easier access to the front of the engine...) I like how much faster my car comes up to temp now and how the fan runs for a little bit after I shut down, reducing heat soak in the engine bay.
The only thing I don't like is the faint nagging feeling of uncertainty that it might possibly fail. (Gonna wire in a fault light with a manual power switch next...)
The only thing I don't like is the faint nagging feeling of uncertainty that it might possibly fail. (Gonna wire in a fault light with a manual power switch next...)
06-02-05, 10:05 AM
#18
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Originally Posted by J-Rat
Wayne..
Tsk tsk tsk.. You run your fan on a SWITCH instead of thermostatic control?
I am so disappointed in you..
Tsk tsk tsk.. You run your fan on a SWITCH instead of thermostatic control?
I am so disappointed in you..
06-02-05, 11:38 AM
#19
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Lol, I missed you while I was on vacation, Hailers...A6's definetly aren't modern. The EMB-145's I work on now definetly ARE. End of discussion...
Yep, mine's on a simple high current rated aircraft switch. Like I've stated several times, mine hardly ever is on. 95% of my driving is with no fan whatsoever, and she still runs at about 1/3 gauge tootin' down the highway at about 85*F out...
The only time I forgot to turn it on was when DPS pulled me over one night as I was going home. By the time I got back to the car, she was at about 4/5 gauge, lol...
Yep, mine's on a simple high current rated aircraft switch. Like I've stated several times, mine hardly ever is on. 95% of my driving is with no fan whatsoever, and she still runs at about 1/3 gauge tootin' down the highway at about 85*F out...
The only time I forgot to turn it on was when DPS pulled me over one night as I was going home. By the time I got back to the car, she was at about 4/5 gauge, lol...
06-02-05, 01:05 PM
#20
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I guess its time for me to chime in on this one......
The biggest benifit i see to e-fans is that the engine rev's more freely whe it doesn't have to spin up the fan as well. Especially from idle.
There is another benifit to the E-fan that most people don't mention.. When you remove the air pump and run a dual pulley belt on the alt so that the water pump doesn't slip, a LOT of that slippage on the water pump is caused by the stock fan being attached to the water pump pulley. By removing the fan, you decrease drag on the water pump, reduce the chance of belt slippage, and also reduce stress on the alternator as you don't have to run the belts quite so damn tight.
I too am REALLY tired of the roar of the stock fan.. however, because of my front mount, I've always throgh i'd have to run it because the black magic fan seemed like it was on all the time....
Well, problem with the black magic is that it only coveres about 60% of the radiator core... thats not enough in my book. I'm going to switch to a Vintage Air Monster fan with a shroud that covers the entire radiator and give that a try. Also, I'm working on other ductwork to route some air to the radiator from under the FMIC rather than all of it having to go through it.
The biggest benifit i see to e-fans is that the engine rev's more freely whe it doesn't have to spin up the fan as well. Especially from idle.
There is another benifit to the E-fan that most people don't mention.. When you remove the air pump and run a dual pulley belt on the alt so that the water pump doesn't slip, a LOT of that slippage on the water pump is caused by the stock fan being attached to the water pump pulley. By removing the fan, you decrease drag on the water pump, reduce the chance of belt slippage, and also reduce stress on the alternator as you don't have to run the belts quite so damn tight.
I too am REALLY tired of the roar of the stock fan.. however, because of my front mount, I've always throgh i'd have to run it because the black magic fan seemed like it was on all the time....
Well, problem with the black magic is that it only coveres about 60% of the radiator core... thats not enough in my book. I'm going to switch to a Vintage Air Monster fan with a shroud that covers the entire radiator and give that a try. Also, I'm working on other ductwork to route some air to the radiator from under the FMIC rather than all of it having to go through it.
06-02-05, 02:11 PM
#21
Originally Posted by WAYNE88N/A
The only time I forgot to turn it on was when DPS pulled me over one night as I was going home. By the time I got back to the car, she was at about 4/5 gauge, lol...
Mmm hmm..
This is what I am talking about.
Note to the KIDDIES.. DO NOT FOLLOW UNCLE WAYNES PATH, USE A THERMOSTATIC CONTROLLER.
Originally Posted by hailers
Give Wayne some slack. After all he worked on A-6's I believe and considers them a modern jet.
06-02-05, 04:48 PM
#22
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Originally Posted by Icemark
There is almost no gain in any peak HP by using an electric fan on a FC--- maybe .5% (if that).
And add in the extra load that the alternator now needs, you loose any gains you might have made in the first place.
And add in the extra load that the alternator now needs, you loose any gains you might have made in the first place.
06-03-05, 09:55 AM
#23
Engine, Not Motor
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Originally Posted by 604Ryder
but i do believe that e-fans are better for cooling purposes not for power gains.
Don't take this the wrong way, but if you believe this, then you don't understand how the cooling system works. The fan DOES NOT REGULATE THE TEMPERATURE. It is ONLY USED during IDLE or LOW SPEED driving.
06-03-05, 11:55 PM
#24
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Originally Posted by WAYNE88N/A
...mine's on a simple high current rated aircraft switch.
Like I've stated several times, mine hardly ever is on. 95% of my driving is with no fan whatsoever, and she still runs at about 1/3 gauge tootin' down the highway at about 85*F out...
The only time I forgot to turn it on was when DPS pulled me over one night as I was going home. By the time I got back to the car, she was at about 4/5 gauge, lol...
Seriously, the cooling system is too important to be anything other than fully automatic.
Originally Posted by YearsOfDecay
By removing the fan, you decrease drag on the water pump, reduce the chance of belt slippage, and also reduce stress on the alternator as you don't have to run the belts quite so damn tight.
Originally Posted by Aaron Cake
...if you believe this, then you don't understand how the cooling system works.
06-04-05, 01:11 AM
#25
Wayne also has one of the highest regular fuel efficiencies of anyone in the 2nd gen section, and I've seen other people reporting gains of 1-2mpg just from switching to an efan. IN THEORY, the stock fan shouldn't be drawing significant amounts of power at highway speeds, but reality seems to argue, just as the fact that higher cruising speeds seem to net better fuel economy, despite theory saying that's ridiculous.
I'll get some economy numbers here in a week or two, as I'm getting rid of my stock fan next week due to running out of fan clutches to swap in (and getting quite tired of the process). This one seems to be not releasing, which is a nice change from the other ones I had fail that would never grip. It does make for some interesting fan noises as the engine winds up, though.
I've also talked to several people who noticed that their engines would rev up faster without the stock fan. Most of the difference seemed to be in the low RPM range, but it supposedly was a quite noticeable difference.
-=Russ=-
I'll get some economy numbers here in a week or two, as I'm getting rid of my stock fan next week due to running out of fan clutches to swap in (and getting quite tired of the process). This one seems to be not releasing, which is a nice change from the other ones I had fail that would never grip. It does make for some interesting fan noises as the engine winds up, though.
I've also talked to several people who noticed that their engines would rev up faster without the stock fan. Most of the difference seemed to be in the low RPM range, but it supposedly was a quite noticeable difference.
-=Russ=-