When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
From: Lake Arrowhead - Georgia > 72 Base Coupe & 74 BB Roadster
Experience with electric fans?
I'm thinking of converting to electric cooling fans on my NO AC 74 big block. Anyone have experience with noticeable improvements in power, mpg or smoothness? Thanks for any experience on this one. I just finished a Borgesen PS conversion and it is amazing. After a rear and front alignment it handles like a Miata!
You won't get any power or mpg or smoothness from electric fans. At least nothing noticeable. I prefer the electric setup and run them on both cars. I feel why run the fans when not needed. Also makes working on a running engine better. You don't have to worry about getting hit by the blades. Lots of fan options out there as stated above.
If your cooling system is up to par, there will be no significant benefit with converting from stock temp-sensitive fan system to electric fans. You need the same amount of "work" to pull [or blow] air through the radiator. Whether you get that work directly from the rotating engine or from the electrical power supplied by the alternator means NOTHING to the engine...it still requires the same loss of horsepower to move that air.
And if your cooling system is NOT up to par, installing electric fans won't fix your problem.
Both methods of providing cooling airflow are GOOD. You just need to decide with the real problem is and fix it. Use whichever system you want to provide airflow, once fixed.
Last edited by 7T1vette; Feb 10, 2016 at 02:42 PM.
I converted to dual fans out of a focus, just for the fun/learning experience of it. And some extra room under the hood. Most has been said, except that these can pull quite some load and an alternator upgrade may be a wise thing to do. That also brings some wire upgrades along.
I converted to dual electric fans from the heavy duty A/C equipped clutch fan. On my SBC there was a noticeable difference in response and power available from the engine. On your BBC without A/C I'm not sure you would notice the difference.
I can drive on an 80* to 85* day and the fans will not run unless stopped for a prolonged period. That translates into power and/or fuel economy that was not available with the stock setup.
And it is much nicer to tune without that big ole' clutch fan always blowing on you and threatening to wack your fingers off should you stray too close.
Dual fans wired in parallel is nice for duplicity should one fan or relay fail the remaining one still operates normally.
Last edited by REELAV8R; Feb 11, 2016 at 11:34 AM.
I see a lot of misconception about the OEM ford fans on this forum so I'd like to take a moment to clarify some points. The Taurus fan is an OK fan but it's not the OEM fan of choice for hot rodders. A Taurus fan moves about 2500 cfm at full tilt, its only a single speed fan as well (iirc the plug port is a standard 3 port plug but only has 2 contacts). The be all end all of electric fans is the Mark VIII (mark 8 yrs 94-97). At low speed it flows around 2500cfm and high its over 4000cfm. In addition to the 2 speeds the blades are different. The Taurus uses 7 "C" or sickle shaped blades, whereas the Mark VIII uses 9 "S" shaped blades. (see below). Lastly, the Mark VIII fan (again 94-97) is 18" and the Taurus is 16". There are variations of the fans on different model years on both the Mark viii and Taurus. However the ones not discussed here are used but they are not the premium pieces (ie: 6 blade, 8 blade, single speed Mark VIII, etc.). Note* the inferior Taurus units are the same as the Mustang units so you will see Taurus and Mustang as interchangeable terms generally due to ignorance and not because they are talking about the same piece. [please scroll down to read further]
Mark VIII Taurus
Now lets talk about electrical draw: Once the fan gets rolling the drain is minimal (20-25 amp?), and an 86 amp alternator is sufficient so long as you're not burdening it with other electronics (sound system etc). The draw to be concerned about is the first 5 seconds of run up time or the 1 or so second ramp up between low and high speed. Now I'm going off memory here but from what I recall if you turn the fan from off to high the amp pull is a exponentially diminishing ~140amp for that 5 seconds. This is a fire concern. Not immediate but over time it can cause the wire to degrade. Now power wise this is fine to power off of battery, but in the C3 the battery location makes this a bit tricky because of additional load due to wire length. In my Malibu the wire runs through a 70 amp relay and about 1' of 8 gauge wire direct to the battery which gives me a satisfactory margin of safety vs fire. To run from the battery up to the radiator you'll probably want to run a 4 gauge battery wire to a distribution block up under the hood and then take off with your 8 gauge from there.
Availability and price: These Mark VIII fans can be found in a bone yard for about $50-75 or on ebay ~$150-250. (be careful that you identify the fan properly, because nearly all the fans advertised as Mark VIII are actually Taurus fans. People assume because the electrical connector can fit into either that they are the same fan.
My experience: I run one of these Mark VIII units on my Malibu, and my friend runs a Taurus on his Malibu. At low speed the fans are identical but the high speed is starkly different. My Malibu rarely gets over 175~180 even in the hot summer months in traffic. My friends Malibu is usually in the ~200-205 range during the same season. (FYI the radiator core size on my g-body Malibu is identical to the C3, just vertical not at an angle)
Why the difference? Ford made the Taurus with the single speed fan because it had a separate fan for the AC condenser. The Mark VIII just used the main fan unit for both engine cooling and ac condenser heat exchange; hence the 2 speeds.
I hope this helps clear things up.
Last edited by AW IR C3; Feb 10, 2016 at 10:46 PM.
You won't get any power or mpg or smoothness from electric fans. At least nothing noticeable.
Assuming you're replacing parts in good condition. The biggest noticeable difference might come in the smoothness category if you had say a bent blade.
I see a lot of misconception about the OEM ford fans on this forum so I'd like to take a moment to clarify some points. The Taurus fan is an OK fan but it's not the OEM fan of choice for hot rodders. A Taurus fan moves about 2500 cfm at full tilt, its only a single speed fan as well (iirc the plug port is a standard 3 port plug but only has 2 contacts). The be all end all of electric fans is the Mark VIII (mark 8 yrs 94-97). At low speed it flows around 2500cfm and high its over 4000cfm. In addition to the 2 speeds the blades are different. The Taurus uses 7 "C" or sickle shaped blades, whereas the Mark VIII uses 9 "S" shaped blades. (see below). Lastly, the Mark VIII fan (again 94-97) is 18" and the Taurus is 16". There are variations of the fans on different model years on both the Mark viii and Taurus. However the ones not discussed here are used but they are not the premium pieces (ie: 6 blade, 8 blade, single speed Mark VIII, etc.). Note* the inferior Taurus units are the same as the Mustang units so you will see Taurus and Mustang as interchangeable terms generally due to ignorance and not because they are talking about the same piece. [please scroll down to read further]
Mark VIII Taurus
Now lets talk about electrical draw: Once the fan gets rolling the drain is minimal (20-25 amp?), and an 86 amp alternator is sufficient so long as you're not burdening it with other electronics (sound system etc). The draw to be concerned about is the first 5 seconds of run up time or the 1 or so second ramp up between low and high speed. Now I'm going off memory here but from what I recall if you turn the fan from off to high the amp pull is a exponentially diminishing ~140amp for that 5 seconds. This is a fire concern. Not immediate but over time it can cause the wire to degrade. Now power wise this is fine to power off of battery, but in the C3 the battery location makes this a bit tricky because of additional load due to wire length. In my Malibu the wire runs through a 70 amp relay and about 1' of 8 gauge wire direct to the battery which gives me a satisfactory margin of safety vs fire. To run from the battery up to the radiator you'll probably want to run a 4 gauge battery wire to a distribution block up under the hood and then take off with your 8 gauge from there.
Availability and price: These Mark VIII fans can be found in a bone yard for about $50-75 or on ebay ~$150-250. (be careful that you identify the fan properly, because nearly all the fans advertised as Mark VIII are actually Taurus fans. People assume because the electrical connector can fit into either that they are the same fan.
My experience: I run one of these Mark VIII units on my Malibu, and my friend runs a Taurus on his Malibu. At low speed the fans are identical but the high speed is starkly different. My Malibu rarely gets over 175~180 even in the hot summer months in traffic. My friends Malibu is usually in the ~200-205 range during the same season. (FYI the radiator core size on my g-body Malibu is identical to the C3, just vertical not at an angle)
Why the difference? Ford made the Taurus with the single speed fan because it had a separate fan for the AC condenser. The Mark VIII just used the main fan unit for both engine cooling and ac condenser heat exchange; hence the 2 speeds.
I did electric fans in a Trans-Am and had a very nice increase in response and power. It may take the same amount of energy to cool an engine, but remember you are talking about spinning a large mass as opposed to turning an alternator. There is energy spent in more than one way here with the stock fan.
If you are going to go to electric fans, this is the one you want... Brushless... uses far less current, like half!! so no need for 100 amp alternators...... , constant speed under any condition, computer regulated... thus if you are going done the freeway at 80 and the fan is self turning, the computer will only apply the needed power to get it to the proper RPM.... ... And noise??? I can never hear it turn on or off... and my Spals were as loud as fudge...
new technology... same computer controlled motors as used quad copters and drones... and Half the noise level... Half the current draw, Half the weight....Twice the efficiency.
I switched over to dual fan setup and love it. It's fun watching temp gauge drop sitting in traffic when its 95 degrees out. Purchased complete set up from Summit Racing. Don't forget the 100 amp alt. I notice different throttle response and engine smoothness. Some enthusiasts are against them. Oh and the A/C works better!!
And it works wonderfully. I was using a variable speed controller, but my sensor failed so I've been controlling it using the FAST EZ-EFI 2.0 controller.....pending me getting back to working on my projects
Below is a thread from where I investigated and assessed this.
Anyway, it works wonderfully. I bought a new one because i could not find one in the boneyard....and besides, with a new one I would be more comfortable in the long term.
my car already had e fans on it when I bought it but, they werent in a shroud and caused the car to try to over heat. I replaced those with focus fans which are single speed. I have a 2 speed Taurus fan waiting for the vette and I put one on my 93 sierra to try to make it warm up faster, not sure about a hp # being freed up but I can tell you throttle response is much better. Oh and there is a fan on the Volvos that is has the same motor as the Mark VIII and Taurus to make finding one in a yard easier.
Dual 11" fans solved my running hotter in town problem. She ran cool at highway speeds but stop and go city driving would put me at 220. I'm guessing this was because I've got a rough, low idle speed. The HD clutch fan would not pull enough air at 5500 rpms to keep her cool as I wanted. Installed the electric fan and no more 220 in traffic. I can't speak of any improvements in power, mpg or smoothness. But the fan only comes on in town so on the highway power and mpg should be better.
shouldn't the e fans be mounted more upright like the original? that way the air flows around the motor and out the side vents? facing down the air is forced under the car.
Experience with electric fans?
