freshmoney

i haven't inspected the fan clutch by removing it but that fan spins pretty fast and powerful (fan on outside of radiator). Keep in mind i bought the car about 6 months ago. I dont have the fan in Image 19. i have two aftermarket electric radiator fans. Nothing fancy they are the cheap black auto parts store fans.

http://www.auctiva.com/hostedimages/...0,0,0&format=0<---- example......

they are not working. one doesn't spin and the other barely turns. i want to replace them but i see the same ones on ebay and the auto parts store. Kene your right there rated 1,200-1500 cfm. where do i find better ones. or will theses work if running properly.

freshmoney

@kene what are ways of testing and checking fan clutch

kene

iTrader: (2)

well for me I was told by a mechanic that I may want to have my fan clutch looked at as it didn't seem too strong. I can't describe it perfectly but before I changed it tried slightly touching the corner tip as it was spinning, and it was nothing serious. I could apply more pressure if I wanted to to maybe slow it down.

But with the new fan clutch I tried the same thing and just barely touching the corner tip of the fan I could have been scratched/cut. And every time I start my motor the fan clutch is engaged, and you car hear the roar of air that lasts for maybe around 40sec-1 min(never really timed it).


The best way to describe it is that it is similar to the sound the 2000'ish+ V-8 toyota/lexus trucks/SUV's make when their engines are started(their fans engage instantly upon start up too i believe).

If you are set on getting those electric fans replaced, you can look at the Zirgo website(http://www.zirgo.com/)
and find the right diameter fan to put in their place. If all the aftermarket relays, and wiring is in tact then you dont need to buy the whole Zirgo __?___ kit. Otherwise you may have to doa custom setup(not impossible, just a little more unnecessary work)

If it were me I would find out the proper way to diagnose the fan clutch and make sure it is perfectly operational. I might be able to help you look later on tonight.

I think maybe the previous owner used the electric fans as a band aid for a failed fan clutch they may not have known about.

For me personally I would only go electric if I need to(swapping in a bigger motor/different manufacturer[GM LS1..in near future] etc).

kene

iTrader: (2)

Forgot to add that with a properly working fan clutch, and properly working A/C/ compressor, turning the A/C on will not cause overheating.(Before my A/C would cause my car to overheat, once I changed my fan clutch that no longer occurs.)


Oh about those 2- elec fans cooling well if they worked... I believe you may be lucky and just get by, but I do not think they/or your system will be as efficient as the original factory(especially, if your fan clutch is not working). Here's why:

Assumption 1-
(assuming you are using the fans in the pic, mounted directly)

They may be mounted on the front of the radiator, with out a well designed fan shroud. Which means the fans will pull air, but a bit of turbulent flow will occur between the fan blade and the front of the radiator, and some loss of air flow will occur due to this.



Assumption 2-

Whether they are mounted on the front or back, since they are not pulling at the same flow rate of the properly running( 1 x 3,200cfm vs 2 x 1,500cfm) factory fan blade and fan clutch, they create drag and are now an obstacle for the air to flow around.
(Since the electric fans are close in combined cfm to the stock properly working fan clutch the losses maybe not be as bad it could be)


Assumption 3-
(Lets say strictly fan clutch vs. elec. fan...no combo)
Remember that your fan clutch is connected to the motor basically. Some one correct me if I am wrong, but my thoughts are as the motor speed increases so does the speed of the fan as the fan clutch is engaged whether with or without load.

Now on a purely electrical fan setup, as the engine speed and load increase the electric fan stays at its constant speed no matter the conditions. Now this is not bad if your fans will meet the minimum required criteria of 3,200cfm(stock), if not then you are not efficiently meeting the needs of the cooling system based on its design. And what very well may happen is the elec. fans will stay on all the time trying to cool and be "as good as" the fan clutch, but they never will. And in short end up shortening their lifespan(Hence, possibly what happened in your case.)


Now this is all just thoughts and theory based on how our systems are setup.


Remember a new fan clutch is only $50, vs 2 new electric Zirgo(2100cfm x 2) fans for ~160$(combined, fan only) or 1-Zirgo(3630 cfm, 225$ fan only) and possible electric work.

You can make an electric setup cooler than a mechanical, just make sure you find 2 good quality fans, make the custom fan shroud and custom mounts, and re-run the proper size cable wire for the amperage ratings of these 2 fans you will be installing.

freshmoney

my fan clutch also comes on when i start the car. now if i try to stop the fan i might lose a finger that's how fast and powerful it spins. but i will try to have a mech. check it out for me. as far as the fans already in there im gonna take them out and test them to see if they work. if they do i might try assumption 2..... im wondering if the fan clutch is pulling air and i place the fans on the back of the radiator to push air in the same direction of the clutch fan , how would it create drag? i also seen relays on ebay to turn the electrics fans off and on at certain temps.

kene

iTrader: (2)

I was saying it could create drag possible drag on the fan clutch due to the electric fans pushing a lesser amount of cfm's than the fan clutch behind them. So that fan clutch now has to work a tad harder at pulling the 3,200 cfms, through the radiator, and also through the electric fans that are moving slower(the fan clutch kinda speeds these up now just by pulling air because they are slower than the fan clutch).

So what I am thinking is that the true cfm with a stock fan clutch, & 2- close but lesser cfm electric fans is actually some what in the middle. This is all speculation...I have not done testing in this manner at all.