She's got a fever

[79BIG10]

Well today I was driving around town doing stuff for the wife and was inline at a bank and saw my temp was getting to about 200F and thought my electric fans should be kicking in soon. Well they didn't until 210F. The fans kicked on and cooled it down really quick. Well I drive home and was going to change the temperature control on the fan setup to a lower temperature but then I thought about something. The temp. gauge for the fans is in the radiator and the actual temp gauge in the cab is in the engine. So looks like tomorrow a new thermostat is in need. Glad I was able to get this caught before going on a long trip.

[Prerunner1982]

yeah.. say to okla city!

[swervin ervin]

Mine always come on at 210. That's where my temp switch is set. Works fine. 210 degrees isn't all that high. I think you'll be fine just like it is.

[79Chevypickup]

So how do you guys like those electric fans?
I still have it the same..
Is it a good investment to switch to electric fans?

[N2TRUX]

Alll the newer V-8 motors run at 210. As long as it "stays" at 210 you are good. If that is an indication that it will climb higher, fix it quick...

[Mike76251]

Originally posted by 79Chevypickup
So how do you guys like those electric fans?
I still have it the same..
Is it a good investment to switch to electric fans?

You have to ask yourself why do you want to switch...........
If it is for power forget it; When you take off the stock fan and add electrics something has to turn the electric motors.
Instead of the crank moving the air directly.......the load is on you alternator.
There is "no free lunch".
It might free up some space in front of your engine but I don't think I trust finding electric motors at a parts house in the middle of knowhere when they fail.

[swervin ervin]

Well, I've said it before and I'll say it again. The fans are off 99.7% of the time. When they are off, there is no drain on the alternator. Only time mine ever come on is maybe at a drive through window. Maybe once in a great while if I get caught at a long stop light. The rest of the time, they are off. Never come on when driving. Of course the rest of the cooling system needs to be up to par too.

It amazes me how much of the time a fan isn't needed. IMO, swapping to electric fans is one of the best mods you can make.

[79Chevypickup]

Dont suppose you know of a site or something that could give me the precedures for swapping to electric fans, do you?

Plus does anyone have a pic of how it looks with electric fans,
I would really appreciate it...

Thanks

[79BIG10]

Originally posted by swervin ervin
Mine always come on at 210. That's where my temp switch is set. Works fine. 210 degrees isn't all that high. I think you'll be fine just like it is.

I will try doing it again today. I just thought that the thermostat got up to 210 then opened up then fans kick on (which is where they're set. Just never really have them kick on like you mentioned on yours. They rarely run unless in traffic or in line like at the bank or a drive through.

[swervin ervin]

Here's my Spal fans.

[79BIG10]

Here's my Hayden electric fans.

[stan79chevy]

my fan was a big 7 blade clutch fan with the clutch seized up. my truck sounded like an airplane. i run my electric fans off a toggle switch. you dont need the fan on for 95% of driving.

[79Chevypickup]

Thanks guys for the pics!!

Did yall put them yourself or did you have someone else do it for you?
If you put them in yourself, how long did it take and do you remember the steps?

Thanks yall!!!!

[Mike76251]

I guess I needed to add I tow very heavy loads (7500lbs) over long distances with my truck and that might wear those electric motors out real quick.
If you don't use your truck like I do mine then go electric.

[79BIG10]

Originally posted by 79Chevypickup

Did yall put them yourself or did you have someone else do it for you?
If you put them in yourself, how long did it take and do you remember the steps?

I installed them myself. I mounted them with screws to the outer edge of the radiator (well above and below the radiator fins line). Then I used the ziptie kit they supplied to finish the other sides. It works great with no problems. (See pic below) I ran the wiring like the instructions mentioned. One temp sensor to the fins of the radiator closest to the return hose off the intake. Then the connections to the fans themselves. Each fan has a ground and a power wire. I grounded them on the screws I used to hold them in. There is a cushion to keep the brackets on the fan from hitting the actual radiator so this was no problem on shorting out. Then I connected the power wires of each fan to the wire harness's makred wires. The harness has color coded wiring so much easier than wiring yourself. The harness also has the temp sensor connected to it to kick on and off at a certain temp and off at another. Back to the wiring, the rest of the wiring is also easy. One ground (anywhere, I used frame), a power wire to have constant power if ignition is on, then wire to the AC compressor power wire. This is in case you have AC that this will tell the fans to kick on to help cool then engine more. Then mount the box itself to somewhere in the bay and you're ready to test it. Take your truck up to operating temp and see how soon the fans kick on. Adjust according to the instructions to to raise or lower the kick on/off to your wants.

I wired my fans directly to the battery this way that it would cool the radiator even if I have the truck off. For instance the truck over heats and I shut it off. The fans will still cool while the truck is off. This is just a safe guard I added. Also you can install a bypass power switch wired into the cab. If you want to kick them on anytime you want just wire in a switch to both of them before the wire harness to a powered switch this way you can control as well as have them on and off while not needed.

[79Chevypickup]

Hey 79BIG10,

Very impressive!!

[784X4GUY]

Guys that stuff sure does look nice id like to do it to my 78 4X4 mine has the clutch fan and it runs at 210 in 100 plus Arizona heat at stoplights

[79BIG10]

You can do it no problem. It's very easy to do and a great upgrade for sure.

[87 Shortwide]

[gchemist]

Nice pics. I'll be adding my pics soon too. I've started the conversion!!! All I need to do is finish hooking up the wiring. I even have two led lights wired to the bezel.

[79BIG10]

87Shortwide- Why did you place that sheet metal around the rest of the radiator? Don't you think it's just going to retain that much more heat?

[swervin ervin]

That's what I was thinking Brandon. We know while driving the air movement through the radiator is what cools it. With the metal, the air can't get through, trapping the heat.

[87 Shortwide]

it actually allows the fans to be more efficient. When I am sitting still what is blowing through the radiator to cool it? Nothing, only the fans are drawing air, and the shroud lets only air come through the radiator and not from everywhere else around the fans. This was a prob on a race car of a friend of mine where his shroud wasnt sealed off to the radiator, we covered all the openings around the outside where they came together and it ran much cooler. The idea of the fans is to draw warm air from the radiator. The aluminum makes it so that the radiator is the only place for the fans to get air. Does that make sense? or do I sound like an idiot?

[low 84]

i'm with steven. the hardest time to keep you engine cool is sitting at idle in traffic or something. with the shroud on his the only place for the fans to pull the air is directly through the radiator and also i think now it will do a better job at pulling air across the whole radiator not just directly in front of the fans, not from around the sides of the fans, its much more effiecinet with the shroud. thats the same reason engine driven fans need shrouds, so all the air they pull is throught the radiator.

[apstguy]

The problem with that one is that it basically just restricts air from going through the other parts. It would be much better if the fans were pulled out about an inch and then had the shroud around them. With the fans how they are in that shroud, they only suck air from specific spots.

That all is unless it is already raised and we can't see it because it is just a picture - not 3D. Are the fans still mounted just on top of the radiator or is there a buffer zone? If it has some space between the fans and radiator THEN the shroud would be a good thing. I'm babeling now so I'll just shut up....