47-55.1 Lincoln Cooling Fan

[mobileortho]

So the fan & shroud I have isn't up to speed and won't keep the LS cool. Been doing some research online & see lots of hype about the Lincoln Mark VIII fan. Anyone use on an AD?

[dsraven]

you gotta look at the whole picture of what you have going on there. does the rad have a straight shot at fresh air or is there an a/c condensor, a power steering cooler, a trans cooler and a grille blocking the flow? next in line is the exit area for the flow. you can't move air through an area that doesn't have an exit. if the rad has ability to get fresh air on the front side but then the rear side is nearly blocked off with engine accy directly behind the rad, there is no shroud around the fan to scavenge as much air from the rad as possible or the engine bay is crammed full of engine with no clear pathway for air flow, then those items should also be looked at.
if you can't find the perfect fan set up you may need to make your own. mock up with craft paper, like cardboard, then when you get it right make it out of sheet stock

[hogfarm]

Cooling components fan took care of all my problems, it moves a lot of air

[youngrodder]

Originally Posted by hogfarm

Cooling components fan took care of all my problems, it moves a lot of air

100% agree. I've used their fan on my last two builds. Its a 2 speed fan too and only kicks on high if needed.

Marc

[vintovka]

I used a big spal fan on stock 350 and it works fast!! the only issue was amp draw required. Up grade to 100 AMP alt seems to have worked. See specs on page 424 of link below.

[mr48chev]

The issue with Spal fans is you have to research the Spal site and find the one that moves the amount of air you need to move. All Spal fans are not created equal even the same diameter.

I haven't heard about the Lincoln MK VIII fan That is one of the things you want to do your own research on as far as CFM and measurements.

Now, I have to ask, does the temperature drop right down where you want it to be as soon as you hit 30-40 mph or so? If it does, you do have a fan/air flow issue, If it doesn't you most likely have a different issue. Unless it is super hot outside or you are pulling a pretty serious load or climbing a long grade the fan normally doesn't have much effect above 40 or 50 and my experience is that even with a suspect radiator the air flow from the truck moving usually comes into play at about 30.

Last, how hot do you feel is "too hot" or not cooling enough? LS engines aren't 235's and they operate at a higher temp than most old engines do. Meaning what temp is normal for that LS in the donor car it started and spent part of it's life in? If the car left the factory with a 205 thermostat as it's standard thermostat and you stuck a 180 in it and get your undies in a knot because it now shows 205/215 on the gauge at a stop light there really isn't an issue.

[Hcb3200]

Agree with MR 48 here.
What temp is it running on the road at speed and at idle?

My 6.0 LS in the 1956 runs at 188 - 195 and I can't get it higher unless 100 degrees outside I am in traffic and idling without the fan on. Because its not packed in with a zillion other things in the engine bay like modern donors have.

Stock in my 3 other LS vehicles of modern era is running around 200 - 210 all the time. 2006 chevy avalanche, 2012 Yukon, 2015 Silverado

Note. the 56 with the LS actually runs better when it gets up to 200 and I am in traffic. Because why. The computer wants it there. unless you have made those adjustments in the parameter in the programing then it will like to be in the range the original donor wanted it in. To cold is just as bad as too hot with the computers. They want all the numbers to line up to what all the settings are for optimal performance (or fuel economy) depending on the programming.

[vintovka]

Somewhere i saw a engine vs CFM table. The 350/5.7's were rated as needing 2800 cfm. Not sure where this was found or based upon or ambient weather/accessories. So i chose this:

Spal 30102113 Puller Fan (16In High Performance Race ; Curved Blade; For Use W/ 40Amp Fuse at 13V),

Think i would have been better off with an aluminum 5 core radiator and maybe dual pullers?

[Hcb3200]

You know why all the big suvs have dual fans and two speeds. Has nothing to do with cooling that engine under max load pulling down the hwy at 55. It has everything to do with running the AC while sitting still in traffic with no airflow. And a ac grill in front of radiator and an engine bay packed like a sardine can. Understand your needs before you build it.
If you plan on crawling in traffic with ac that’s one thing vs moving it down the hwy vs a nice back road cruise with the windows down and a few friends on a regular basis.

And when they put all those fans and shrouds in it restricts more airflow. At high speed.

[fauXGT]

It is a challenge to maximize cooling in a variety of situations. Build plates and shrouds only to restrict freeway speed function.
I used a 16” Spal with an infinite speed controller with the stock shroud on a 91 GMC without issue.
Sometimes experimenting is the best medicine.

[mobileortho]

Thanks for the replies. I'll be experimenting with a few options. I have a big Derale laying around that I might try. Also considering at the Spal brushless unit.

[vintovka]

I originally ran an older ford Taurus fan. Worked great until it succumbed to old age. Was a 2 speed with shroud. New Spal makes me miss it.

[leegreen]

for what it is worth I have a couple years use on 2 sets of cheap amazon fans and they seem to work fine. 8milelake was the 'brand' but they seem to be gone now. I'd buy from Amazon again based on this experience.

dual 10" is all I could squeeze behind stock AD rad, They cool the 250 fine, but I need to open some flaps in the back of the shroud I made for better low speed cooling on hot days.



A single large fan would have given more fan surface area but would have interfered with water pump on the inline 6.


I have dual 12" in front of LS swap in Sonoma using a 4.3 Blazer rad. Sequential control from ECU, I don't think the 2nd fan has ever turned on. But that swap has only been on the road since last winter, no real hot days yet. No shroud in this instance, fans just hang from rad using some m3 threaded SS rod and nylocs. (don't waste your time with the zip tie things, they won't stay tight)

[mobileortho]

I hung the two speed 17” Derale I had minus the shroud because it was too thick. I wired it to run on high & it definitely moves more air, but it still runs a bit warm. The temp creeped up to about 240. Interestingly enough I think it may be the water pump. When I rev the engine up about 500 rpm it dropped 20 degrees.

[leegreen]

are your crank pulley and water pump pulley from the same donor?

[mobileortho]

Originally Posted by leegreen

are your crank pulley and water pump pulley from the same donor?

Yes, I’m using the Holley mid mount system.

[dsraven]

Maybe sizing the pulleys a bit differently would help move more coolant at low rpm? Are they different sized than a stock pulley? Some aftermarket setups undersized pulleys to save that small amount of hp it takes to turn the accy. Made more for higher rpm destined use possibly. Not great for lower rpm use.

[mobileortho]

Talked to the Holley techs this morning. They think its trapped air in the heads. There's a built in steam port in the back of housing to hook up to the steam vents to burp the system. Going to grab some fittings & hoses to see if that helps.

[leegreen]

Please post the results.

I see the steam port is drilled in the back of the pump housing inline with the water outlet. That puts it well below the height of the top of heads. Its not immediately obvious to me this will let vapor escape. But Holley must have sold some of these and know how they work. ?

GM went to the trouble & expense of running a hose from steam ports UP to the top of rad. For peace of mind this is what I'd do, either direct to rad or into a tapped rad hose coupler.

steam port on Holley

location relative to heads


It is not just a matter of burping bubbles from coolant at refill but of letting steam out if it ever starts to boil, otherwise the heads just keep getting hotter

[mobileortho]

That makes sense too. I found this just in case it needs to be mounted higher.

[leegreen]

That is exactly what I have used on a couple swaps.

You might be able to confirm the steam venting is your problem just by routing steam port into the rad fill with cap off and running it up to temperature.

I'd also be curious to compare the idle RPM at your waterpump to that of a stock c7 corvette with the same style waterpump, by finding the OEM pulley diameters for c7 crank and pump

[leegreen]

According to Google, c7 corvette
crank pulley is 8.07"
water pump pulley is 6.33"

[mobileortho]

I looked it over when I got home this evening and see that it’s already tapped to the back of housing. Ordered the adapter for the upper hose to see if that helps.

[mobileortho]

I believe the water pump took a dive. I don’t see coolant flowing through the radiator.

[leegreen]

Are the heater hoses getting hot as the engine warms? then there is water flow. Flow in the radiator will only start once the thermostat opens

I'd look for a stuck thermostat or obstruction somewhere. A water pump that is failed so hard as to stop pumping would probably have other issues...like a seized pulley and a large puddle. It is possible the pump spit the impeller off the back, just not likely