kevino

I'm trying to find a fan clutch for my 88 TII and I can't seem to find one anywhere. I've heard fan clutches from other cars will fit, does anyone know what models and what year these cars are?

thanks,
kev

kevino

and I'm not going electric

Black13B

iTrader: (1)

just out of curiosity - why not?

Makenzie71

because he's got only 98 posts...

It might be for the same reasons I do not...an electric fan doesn't help much with my driving and Texas heat...or it could be a price issue...even though you can get them from autozone for 50 bucks.

About any RWD ford from the same time frame will fit...also, my MKIII supe comes pretty close.

NZConvertible

Try aftermarket.

www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/clutch.htm

HAILERS

http://www.mazdatrix.com/b9.htm or British Victoria catalog. www.victoriabritish.com

BonsaiRX7

no one wants to shell out $200 for a FAN CLUTCH, mines broeknt oo stuipid mechjanic put a bolt in it

kevino

1. After searching I found that the most knowledgable people (according to having more posts than you) all recomend sticking with a clutch drivin fan because it is much more efficient and reliable, considering rotaries react terrrible to high temps.

2. Although it may be fun to switch your fan on and off for the first week of use, I think I may get sick of that fairly quick.

3. I just replaced my alternater 5 months ago and don't feel like spending another 120 to upgrade to an s5 so my lights don't dim while I'm running a massive electric unit.

thanks for the links,
kev

HAILERS

****no one wants to shell out $200 for a FAN CLUTCH****

Get a well paying job???? Or is it a job that pays well??

Black13B

iTrader: (1)

yes, because automatically people with more posts are smarter.

yes a clutch fan is better, as long as its functioning properly..

the stock one (from that argument earlier ) is a good one, but a common replacement is electric because it's cheap, frees up engine bay space, and in most cases if done properly cools as well as the stock fan.

personally my electric fan cools much better than the stock fan.. BUT i cannot say for sure if my stock clutch fan was operating properly.. i believe it wasn't operating right..

hypntyz7

First of all, I have a TON of fans Ill sell for 10 bucks each and shipping. Theyll fit any 86-88 turbo or nonturbo. I have one s5 fan too.

Second of all, electric fans can cool just as well or better than a clutch fan, all the while allowing the engine more room to rev.

I do e-fan installs all the time. Do NOT get an autozone or the like e-fan, theyre junk. They will NOT keep your car cool at idle for long periods of time, or in the heat.

I use junkyard fans...ford escorts (91-96) are my favorite. They can be wired in 3 speeds, are shrouded, and cover 90% of the area of teh stock FC radiator...I have installed probably 20 of them on FC's ranging from bone stock to heavily modified and never found them to be insufficient. Plus, theyre readily available everywhere for $25-60. I wire mine through a relay to the ignition switch output so the fan runs anytime the switch is on. I use the lowest speed of the fan, which moves a TON of air but still doesnt draw a whole lot of current, and wont adversely affect a **healthy** charging system. No need to switch it on and off yourself, and no real need for an electric thermostat either...those things are inaccurate.

Other good e-fans are pontiac fiero, ford taurus, etc.

The only downside to using an e-fan is the possibility that your own custom installed wiring may one day come apart or otherwise fail, and it will likely look at least a little bad, regardless of how good you are. Still, before I would spend any real money on a clutch fan (other than cheap ones like I sell) I'd go electric.

SureShot

If an E-fan is not an option, and price is a concern, he should be your first choice.

I am using an old Tarus fan. It's the weakest of the bunch, but the shroud fits well and it's working for me in FL.

There is one advantage to an E-fan.
The fan is normally wired to come on full time when the AC clutch is on.
This means when you get in your parked car at mid day, the E-fan cools the AC condenser before the radiator is hot enough to turn the fan on.
This gives you a little more cool, a little sooner.

Bukwild

Yeah Kevin give him hell. You guys don't understand how much Kevin loves his escort e-fan. He put one on my car and it cools great as long as you don't put the relay under the headlight and when it rains it shorts out on yah. But know one would be dumb enuff to do that now that I told you where not to put the relay. hahaha

hypntyz7

It's a damn funny thing Ive been putting them there for 2-3 years and yet to have one short out. It is either the result of a POS car, or operator error

NZConvertible

I strongly disagree with this. There's absolutely no need to run an electric fan all the time; that's an incredible waste. The whole point of thermoclutch fans and thermostatically controlled electric fans is that the fan is only used (and therefore using engine power) when there's insufficient air being pushed through the radiator by forward movement. A large percentage of the time a fan is not required. Any time a fan is running when not required, you're unnecessarily wasting power and fuel.
An adequately sized electric fan will draw over 10A, which is considerable extra load to constantly put onto an electrical system with precious little reserve.
I've used several different adjustable thermoswitches on cars and never had any problem with them being inaccurate. All kept the coolant temps normal no matter how fast or slow I drove, or how long I sat idling.
If you're going to run an electric fan all the time, you might as well buy a cheap fixed fan (or rig the stock one), because the result would be exactly the same.

SureShot

I use a cheap non-adjustable thermo switch:
Simple.
Foolproof.
No worries.
It's wired off the battery with no ingition switched wire.
It sometimes runs for about ~20 seconds after I shut off the motor.
Kind of like the NA equivalant of a turbo timer.

HAILERS

****because automatically people with more posts are smarter*****


True statement 99 percent of the time

Black13B

iTrader: (1)

well, according to his logic, im a damn genius compared to himself..

.. yeah i guess it is a true statement then..

i just took a bit of offense because he said "according to having more posts than you"

that would mean it doesnt matter what i say - sinfestboy has more credability.

hypntyz7

IN theory yes, in practice, no. Ive been doing it for at least 3 years now and I feel it's the only way to go. Course, this is a case of each to his own, so those who find it unacceptable certainly dont need to follow this advice. Im just here to say it can be done this way with no ill effects, about 30+ cars of mine are running around out there as proof.

Running the fan off a switched trigger and a relay is the most bulletproof, worry-free method available. There are only 2 components to fail, instead of 3+. Anytime you can limit possible failure points, it's a good thing.

Let's address some of the issues you brought up.

1) the fan draws too much power for the system.

This is why I use a multispeed fan, on it's lowest setting. I find that it does draw some amperage, yes, but again, a **healthy** charging system will have NO problem coping with it. My setup with all lights on as well as the fan running at idle still produces 13.4vdc, right in the sweet spot. I will agree that if you have a crap *** alternator, battery, or wiring between, well, you're gonna have problems regardless, and a fan will only amplify them.

2) adjustable thermostats are not inaccurate.

I have seen many people install these, and I have tried a few myself. While they do work and can keep a car cool normally, I have seen them go out as quickly as 3 months after installation unless it's a high dollar quality unit. Keep in mind that most people reading this arent able or motivated to go out and spend real money on a quality controller, instead buying the $15 version at auto parts stores. When this thing gives out, you're risking your engine. Again, not everyone knows how to wire stuff up a certain way to achieve what needs to happen, and I have seen people install these so that the fan can run when the car is off...once on a black FC in the summertime the owner kept a dead battery until I informed him that during the day when the car was off, the thermostat was kicking the fan in unnecessarily. Yet, if you adjust the thermostat up some, the car would run hot in traffic. The solution was to rewire it so it was only possible to run when the switch was on. Sure, it was his mistake that caused the problem, but not everyone installing this stuff is a wiring expert...so, it's more realistic to say that for the average joe, no thermostat is easier.

3)"If you're going to run an electric fan all the time, you might as well buy a cheap fixed fan (or rig the stock one), because the result would be exactly the same."

Wrong. The latter 2 sap a LOT of power directly from your engine and it's response. The former draws a little extra power from the alternator, but nothing out of the way...most of these guys have stereos that draw more amperage than an e-fan and dont have a problem...you're overstating that point quite a bit.

But, again, this is an "each to his own" matter, so if you dont agree that's ok. Just dont say "that isnt the right way" or "that cant/shouldnt be done".

BonsaiRX7

are there any write-ups on an e-fan install?

hypntyz7

What do you want to know? It's all sort of dependent on what fan you get...you need to know what it has in the way of variable speeds, what wires do what, etc. Wiring it up is only half the battle, you have to know how to physically mount the fan, which is different obviously for every kind.

BonsaiRX7

well I WANT to get a fiero fan or a escort fan (like you ) But I have always had the HARDEST time getting the shroud off, cuz I dont know how to pull the plastic tab off the bottom (or whatever thats called).

I'm NO expert when it comes to fixing things at all. My mechanic bolted my fan clutch, it robs LOTS of my power and makes an ungodly whining sound to my belts after 3k. You got escort/fiero fans for sale too? Anyways, I have no idea how to mount it, or wire it.

J-Rat

iTrader: (2)

FWIW, I used to run E-Fans, but have since become a fan (no pun intended) of the stock clutch fan.

I dont think that any electrical fan can flow the same air as the clutch fan. Plus I like the reliability and there is no drag on the charging system.

Just my .02

Jarrett

kevino

Black13B, The statement I made earlier was not directed toward you, so I'm sorry if you took offense. Also, my "logic" was not to say that having more posts means you know more, my "logic" was just the opposite. I was trying to be sarcastic, I don't actually think that the more posts you have the more you know. Even though I don't have many posts doesn't mean I don't know a lot about rx-7's, because I feel I know a great deal, but apparently I don't know squat because I don't spend all my time on this forum.

anyway, I do give thanks for the help and info,
kev

NZConvertible

Apart from the charging issue, I completely agree with you. This will not compromise the cooling system in any way, I just believe it's a backwards step from what was originally installed on the car. A thermoswitch makes an electric fan much more efficient in it's use of engine power. True, but how many people are going to completely overhaul their charging system just so they can run a fan constantly? Even those with thermoswitches have reported charging problems, especially on S4's. Even if you do have a healthy charging system, using a thermoswitch will put a lot less strain on the electrical system than running the fan all the time, plus it will lengthen the remaining lifetime of your already well-used junkyard fan. I like junkyard fans too (excellent value for money), but you can't expect them to last as long as a new fan. Like most things, you get what you pay for. The controllers I've used cost a lot more than US$15 and they performed faultlessly for years. I wouldn't use a cheap one because I know the consequences of a failure could be very expensive. Just because cheap switches may not be reliable, that's not necessarily a reason to not use one. Again, this isn't really an argument for not using a thermoswitch. Your absolutely right that there are some people who shouldn't go within ten feet of auto electrics, but that's the case with any area of car modification. There will always be those who should've sought the help of someone more experienced before they got stuck in, and I hope by (repeatedly) posting info on how to wire electric fans I'll help some of these people avoid problems caused by incorrect installation. Here's how I look at this. It takes a certain amount of work to move a certain amount of air to get the necessary amount of cooling. It doesn't matter how you do it, the engine still has to perform that work. An electric fan takes quite a bit of power from the alternator (I consider 10A from a 70A alternator significant), which uses the engine to generate that power through a conversion process that is far from 100% efficient. Perhaps I was overstating the case, but the fact is it's the engine that powers an electric fan, so the longer you run the electric fan the more often you are losing power and response (via the alternator) because of it. You don't get nothing for free.

As you said, each to his own. I don't consider your method "wrong" as such, I just think it's far from ideal. Buy quality, and wire it correctly, and you should have zero problems and maximum efficiency.