Still getting warm. Installing an electric fan. Some questions

[nele22]

All,

My truck seems to be doing better cooling on the highway. However when I am driving around in stop and go traffic it is still getting warmer than the thermo should allow.

I am going to install an electric fan and see if it helps. The truck is lifted 4" so I am wondering if the shroud and Fan are just not lined up well enough with the radiator anymore.

When installing the electric fan should I wire it constant on and remove the factory fan blade?

[cdowns]

what exactly leads you to think you have a cooling problem? are you counting on a 40 year old gauge to give you the results

me i always take a good old reliable known good thermometer and take the ACTUAL temp of the coolant

[Stocker]

An electric fan should be wired to a thermostat. Can't tell you just how to do it though.... I'm still doing fine with just a stock 18" seven-blade fan & clutch.

Lifting your truck shouldn't affect how the fan & shroud line up or fit. The shroud needs to fit fairly close to the radiator, and the fan should be centered in the shroud opening with an inch or so gap all around it.

Maybe your fan clutch is shot, or you need a heavy-duty unit?

[nele22]

I am using a newer temp gauge. It gets up around 230 on the gauge. I am not sure that it is getting that hot though.

[Kurt L]

if your truck is lifted that will put the fan at the bottom of your shroud= not getting enough air flow. but if your fan is in the middle of your shroud then you should be getting normal air flow. have you went to a four core radiator? like stocker said check your clutch fan.i'm talking bout if your truck has a body lift then the fan won't be in the shroud like it should be. but if you have a supension lift then there should be no problem with the fan in the shroud. unless your fan is to far from your radiator or your clutch fan is bad.

[nele22]

I am thinking that the fan is just too far away. Let me get some pictures on here. Would I do away with the fan all together if I went to an electric set up?

[nele22]

Here are some pictures

[Xeen]

Originally Posted by nele22

I am using a newer temp gauge. It gets up around 230 on the gauge. I am not sure that it is getting that hot though.

Water boils at 212 Fahrenheit at sea level and even lower at high altitudes so if it really was getting up to 230 then it would be spitting out water into your coolant overflow tank and making a chugging sound you would notice. Im pretty sure its not getting that hot, but if it is the electric fan setup will take care of it, this is assuming your radiator isnt all clogged up, you might try some Gunk radiator flush on it and see if that helps, but be warned if your radiator is crap it will remove all the deposits inside and it may start to leak. Also yes the electric fan setup is mounted on the engine side of the radiator and you will have to remove your fan and spacer so you will need shorter grade 5 bolts to do that.

[davepl]

Unless its just the photo, looks like way too much room between the top of your fan and the shroud. You'd like 1 inch, even 2-3 as most, but it looks like a lot more than that.

Imagine you're the fan... in its position, where's the easiest place to pull air from? Based on the photos, its not apparent that "through the radiator" is the answer.

[camrycurt]

Originally Posted by Stocker

The shroud needs to fit fairly close to the radiator, and the fan should be centered in the shroud opening with an inch or so gap all around it.

Originally Posted by Kurt L

if your truck is lifted that will put the fan at the bottom of your shroud= not getting enough air flow.

Originally Posted by davepl

Unless its just the photo, looks like way too much room between the top of your fan and the shroud. You'd like 1 inch, even 2-3 as most, but it looks like a lot more than that.

It looks like the center of your fan lines up just above the bottom of the radiator.

[bonnieclyde100]

what kind of rpm are you turning going down the road at highway speed? because adding a fan wont really help at highway speeds unless something is blocking you radiator from getting the air from getting to it.the fan usually comes into affect at low speed and at stops. on your pic it looks like your fan blade at the bottom is a little far from the shroud .about 1/3 of your blades should be inside the shroud in order to pull enough air through the radiator but again thats only at low speed and stop. also it would probably be better if you had a clutch fan not because those fans put extra load on engine especially at high rpm and a clutch fan releases at about 1500 rpm and just runs freely it wont turn 2500 or 3000 rpm like the engine will.

[Zeke's Garage]

It does look like your fan is too low, and too far away to be effective. Since you're cooling fine at higher speed, the radiator should be fine, and you will need to install an electric fan or two.

If you're going to go the electric route, look for one of the popular large fans being used, such as off the Lincoln MK VIII. It's a two speed fan that pulls like 60billion CFM and fits the truck radiator very well. If you use one of these, you'll either need to wire up a couple relays with temp sensors, or get an electric fan controller that will automatically adjust the fan speed to maintain the proper temp. These controllers use PWM controllers to control speed, and cut down on the amount of current it pulls (These fans pull like 40 amps on startup).

You might get away with a couple smaller cheaper fans controlled by one or two temp sensor switches but they aren't built as well and you'll replace them two or three times before the Ford OEM unit will fail (As much as that hurts to say).

[Stocker]

I wasn't thinking of a body lift, but that's what you seem to have. And yes, that would cause the fan to be too low relative to the shroud.

Your pics indicate a couple potential problems. Main thing is the lower 2/3 of the shroud appears to have been hacked up, so no fan can properly fit it. Secondly, that flex fan will never work as well as a clutch fan.

Since you have a body lift and a mechanical fan can't fit a factory shroud, I'd remove it and go full electric... with shroud(s) of course. It needs to be thermostatically controlled. I'm sure some of the guys here have done just that and can advise you, or you can search the board for more how-to information.

[69GWC]

Originally Posted by Stocker

I wasn't thinking of a body lift, but that's what you seem to have. And yes, that would cause the fan to be too low relative to the shroud.

Your pics indicate a couple potential problems. Main thing is the lower 2/3 of the shroud appears to have been hacked up, so no fan can properly fit it. Secondly, that flex fan will never work as well as a clutch fan.

Since you have a body lift and a mechanical fan can't fit a factory shroud, I'd remove it and go full electric... with shroud(s) of course. It needs to be thermostatically controlled. I'm sure some of the guys here have done just that and can advise you, or you can search the board for more how-to information.

What he said..

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[whoryou1979]

Is that the original fan blades? It looks like they are pitched the wrong way.
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[jborders]

dual electric fans out of camaros and firebirds fit our radiators very well. i got some off a 2000 z28 with the factory shroud for 75$ shipped off ebay.