Electric fan or find a stocker?
 

It seems like my stock fan is going, I think I'm going to need a replacement. I read somewhere that electric fans don't cool as good as the stock fans. Is this true?

If not, any recommendations on electric fans?

dont care what anyone says its really hard to beat the effectiveness and simplicity of the stock fan and shroud

No, it isn't.

Volvo, Taurus, Villager or Lincoln.

What are your symptoms? Year? Turbo? Na?

i agree with Rob, the stock fan works, and its stock.

as Clokker points out, electric fans do work. the FD and Rx8 (along with every car in the world except BMW) uses one.

i am actually curious about the Rx8 fan set.

edit button! the Rx8 fan blades are the same as the 99+ FD, the Rx8 has its own part number for motors, but they look to be similar... i wonder if they would fit in a miata shroud?

The only problem in saying your "stock fan" doesn't work is that you are actually saying the thermoclutch is bad.
So, let's source and price a new thermoclutch, shall we?

I'll wait.

would still say to try for a used one, cant be any worse then bolting a unknown used 20 year old electric fan on

Why is a "unknown 20 year old fan" the only option to a used thermoclutch?
Besides, even a used efan has a major advantage over a used thermoclutch...it either works or it doesn't (and replacement electric motors are widely available) and it's easy to see if it does.

Now, compare the tests for a thermoclutch...does it increase its locking proportional to temp correctly?
Is it "freewheeling" as it should?
Who knows till you put it on and try.

It sure is easy to see if works or doesnt work, but propery shrouding and wiring it is where i lose faith in people.

You never put any pick and pull time into sourcing out a replacement mechanical fan ?
Had a local 400hp vert that had a flex fan, no shroud AND a way too thick Ron Davis raiator all sucking through a greddy FMIC and he did great with it.

Wonder why more people dont try a faithful old flex fan?

My stock fan stays on all the time. Is it broke? Doesn't over heat so screw it I guess...

Or you can do what I did and have the best of both worlds - put an E-fan in the stock shrouding.

249.32 at Mazdatrix.

So buy a new one. Depending on the fan it can still be cheaper than a new thermoclutch. Just wire it properly with a thermo-switch. I think Aaron Cake has a write-up.

I have been using this one since 2000 or 2001.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/prm-19115/overview/

It has now outlasted the stock one as I went Efan when the stocker died.
Makes changing belts much easier.

dak- most "new ones" advertised at ridiculous CFMs are junk. Buy a new aftermarket Taurus or Mark VIII fan and the motor and wiring is half the size of the OEM units.

But again- there is a much larger margin for error if its a NA car, if its stockish turbo car, if it has no AC and if it has no FMIC. Trying to keep AC and sucking through a FMIC that is when you really need a fan that works

if your car is as you say it in your signature yes you could probably get away with just about any fan

88 turbo.
At idle once warmed up, fan runs *extremely* slowly, main hose starts to bulge/leak antifreeze and temp starts creeping up to 88 degs celsius.

Lol. No doubt.
I obviously did a *very thorough* inspection of each and every fan blade and made the determination that the fan itself, was still able to function, unfortunately the fan *as an assembly* is no longer functioning--leading me to believe that I would most likely have to replace it. .. .. the *it* being the fan assembly.

$250 for the parts to repair the stocker is around what I figured-which is why I wanted to know if it wb better to just go with an electric fan. - in fact it seems that one for my year car is no longer avail at Mazdatrix.

Maybe I've just been lucky being n/a. That said you can't convince me the stock fan is all that will cool a modified turbo car. When I was browsing Summit there is some pretty cheap fans making some pretty high CFM claims. So I would agree buyer beware if that is what you are trying to say. I don't know anything about the Taurus or Mark VIII fans other than a Taurus fan is pretty cheap on rockauto.com.

Car is like my sig other than I've had a Godspeed radiator for the past year. Before that it had a brass stock replacement.

88C is only 190F so that is ok. If your seeing temps of higher than 210F or 99C then start to worry. Damage can occur above 220F or 230F. How old is that hose? Maybe you should replace it.

Well that's just pretty as a speckled pup.

I agree and if I used a stock radiator, that's how I'd do it.

It has not been specifically stated yet but when considering an efan, your rad layout makes a big difference.
The stock unit, with tanks top and bottom, has a wide but relatively short core.
Aftermarket rads usually have tanks on the sides, so the core is more "square".
This proportion better suits the bigger 17" (taurus) and 18" (lincoln) fans/shrouds.