I am finally ready to swap S5 TII into my 86 n/a.

I have heard things about electric fans, they free up horse power and such.

Do you recommend doing the electric fan, or stay with the belt-drive fan?

 

i dont know about freeing up horsepower, since i dont think the fan creates much belt resistance to the engine, i would think its about half a horse power. (i could be wrong though) However, the electric fan cleans up the engine bay and looks way better than the crusty, most likely off-brown belt fan. i think that you'd need an FD alternator to safely and easily run a fan strong enough to better the power of the belt driven fan.

 

I'd put the e-fan in just to get rid of that horrible fan shroud. I hate that thing.

 

but it's such a great place to put tools while wrenching and I dont think anybody can complain about the performance of a stock clutch fan in good working condition.

 

Yep it is! Ever since the e-fan I have nowhere to put the stuff now.

That being said, only do an e-fan if you are willing to do it properly with a thermostat switch, relay and fuse, otherwise keep your stock fan.

 

Keep the stock fan...it is going to be hard to find a electric fan that can out do it.

James

 

I liked the amount of room that switching to the black-magic e-fan made available. Working so much in the engine bay was no longer a hassle, as I had much more room to work on the front of the engine. The Black Magic fan worked just as well (if not better) than the stock unit, as I never got close to overheating once, even in 100-degree weather.

 

Hmmm see I have a different opinion. Last spring/summer I ran my stock fan and the temps got high sometimes, so far this spring and the beginning of the summer it never goes over about 185º. As long as you set up the fan properly, it'll work wonderuflly.

 

No point using a E-fan unless the stock fan clutch has failed or you need the extra room and have an upgraded alt

 

E-fan will make your water pump happy by not having the weight/load hanging off of it. If you do it just get the fan right up against the radiator and follow dDub's wiring recommendations.

 

i agree on the fan shroud for tool space i put alot of my tools and bolts on it this past weekend when i removed my turbo and i also agree about the stock fan being good enough check out this link it might help you decide alittle more https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/about-buy-electric-fan-need-suggestions-435289/

 

i love my electric fan it frees up a lot of room which makes working on it so much easier but sometimes on hot days especially with a black car, and the temperature sensore under the hood, the fan will just stay on. I have come out several times to find my fan barely running and my battery dead because the fan stayed on and completely drained my battery.

 

NO NO NO tools go on the Intercooler!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Yes but with the exception of that one 90 degree day our weather hasnt been too hot.

 

I have an FMIC

 

I usually throw my tools when wrenching on the rx7, very infrequently do I ever set them down.

 

The water pump was never unhappy about the weight of the fan. It was designed to take that weight. The fan wasn't tacked on at the last minute.

This is a classic example of a bad e-fan install. The fan should not be able to run with the ignition off. This should've been obvious the first time you flattened the battery, but it sounds like you haven't learnt...

 

yeah what NZ said. best place to get a 12v iginition source is the green diagonsitic plug on the drivers side of the engine bay.

 

Via a relay of course...

 

I was thinking about putting a two speed fan from a late 90's Lincoln Mark VIII..

They pull about 2500CFM on low and close to 4500CFM on high and the shroud is almost a perfect fit....

BUT THEY ALSO PULL 40+ amps when on high... :O

Even though i have an FD alt.. thats still one hell of a power drain!!!!!

But, if somebody else wants to try it.. lemme know how it works.. k???

 

http://www.aaroncake.net/rx-7/efanmyth.htm

and if you want to install

http://www.aaroncake.net/rx-7/efaninstall.htm

This is going in the damn FAQ.