To fan clutch or not the fan clutch... that is the question

[wolf83]

so, i put in a new radiator the other day, and i got to staring at my ugly old fan and fan clutch.

then i remembered these sweet looking new fans at bronco graveyard...

blue & stainless flex-a-lite fan

problem is, i would need to remove the fan clutch and put in a spacer.

does anyone recommend removing the fan clutch and just have a constant, on all the time, fan?

why or why not?

if so, then this leads to my second problem. my clutch is a left hand threaded center shaft *****-on type and i can't find a spacer to fit over the exposed threads that come out from the waterpump...

here is an example of what my clutch DOES NOT look like:

this clutch DOES NOT have a center threaded shaft(thanks to adamdude04)

 

[wileec]

I would not recommend it. This is a result of a bad clutch, on all of the time.



The dust cloud is all from the fan. You should have seen what my air filter looked like after that trip.

 

[Seabronc]

It buys you nothing to have a on all the time electric fan. I have one and would recommend it as it only comes on automatically when my engine water temp exceeds 185. On top of that I have it controlled by a switch which allows me to force it on, force it off, or run by the electronic fan control. You would be surprised how little a good running cooling system needs the fan. In the winter it almost never comes on, this time of year it only comes on when I set at a light over 5 minutes, on the hottest days in the summer with surface temperatures in the 130 degree range it will come on under 30 MPH.

Most electric fans that you can buy don't pull enough air when they are on. That is why I use a Lincoln Mark VIII fan since it pulls 4200 CFM. However, just putting that fan on isn't good enough, it also may require an upgrade to the alternator.

Some pictures of my installation http://www.supermotors.net/registry/212/30394

The main pro is that if you do a proper electric fan conversion, it frees up some power for the drive train that was formally used to sling the mechanical fan around. However, when it is running it puts a load on the engine which is why it needs to have a controller. Mine has about a 100 amp start current settling down to 32 amps in a bout 1 second. Also, for off road you need a way to insure those blades are not spinning when the front end goes under water or it will most likely snap the blades.

I'd give a better answer, but I have to get back to work

Good luck,

>-

 

[AdamDude04]

Deff keep the fan clutch. It'll be annoying with it running all the time soundling like a jet

I just bought a new clutch. Apparently mine stopped working years ago..and just recently started to squeek. Now I hear rushing air when it's on.. <_<

 

[wolf83]

all good points. i guess i'll just keep the clutch and buy a new fan to go with it, since my fan's tips are bent. thanks for the advice.