Cooling Fan

[240SXS-14]

Is the stock belt driven fan on my KA24DE better to use than converting to an electric fan?

I saw one car with the electric suction fan and it freed up a ton of room.

[kandyflip445]

If you need the space then get an electric fan with it's own thermostat control. If you don't need the room the clutch fan will more more air than an electric one could.

[nismo2491]

lets see here, you be the judge:
1) electric fan runs off battery power. no hp loss due to parasitic loss
2) clutch fan runs off motor, hp loss from parasitic loss = YES
3) more room from electric fan
4) YES SWITCH TO ELECTRIC

it's been covered thousands of times bud, use the search button and you'll even find how to wire it up.

kandyflip: if installed correctly, and you use a good fan, the electric fan should move as much if not more air than the factory clutch fan.
KEvin

[240SXS-14]

Thanks

What is a good site to buy one from? I want to get the nicest one I can.

[kandyflip445]

Even with the correct shroud for an electric. At higher rpms the clutch fan will out do most electric fans.

[PinkPanther]

Go to a junkyard and nab a decent working Altima fan, they are OEM and they mount with minimum customization. Or...you could go the flex-a-lite route if you like wasting cash. Also, don't forget to remove your A/C fan on the install, it will get in the way a little(sarcasm).

[the head]

Even with the correct shroud for an electric. At higher rpms the clutch fan will out do most electric fans.
yes but at higher rpm also means higher speed which implies more air being pushed through the radiator without the use fo the fan

does anyone know what the CFM is on the clutch fan

[nismo2491]

I ran a flex-a-lite fan, www.summitracing.com has a great selection
KEvin

[projectRDM]

Thanks

What is a good site to buy one from? I want to get the nicest one I can.

You already have an electric fan.

[240SXS-14]

The a/c fan doesn't flow enough air. I tried it and the temp at idle went higher than it should.

[Drunk Bastard]

oem nissan altima fans from a mid90's altima.
www.ebay.com they are like $60-80

[srpowereds14]

Stay with the clutch fan and YES it does pull more air than electric...... LOOK at the jdm cars in JAPAN almost all of them STILL USE THERE STOCK CLUTCH FAN... :squintd:

[Phlip]

I went to Advance and got a $69.99 14" Hayden electric fan at the advice of a friend who runs his with NO clutch fan on his KA-T... My car isn't on the road yet, his has been for months without issue

[MakotoS13]

i have the same setup as phlip and my car doesn't overheat at all BUT i haven't had any extremely hot days BUT i've pushed it pretty hard for a lot of low speed high rev stuff and it seems fine.

p.s. who the hell cares if a clutch fan cools better at 5K rpms? once you shift into second you SHOULD be going fast enough to where it doesn't matter.

[Drunk Bastard]

Hi Lloyd (it's Joe from Excel, thanks for the offer on the hood)

Stay with the clutch fan and YES it does pull more air than electric...... LOOK at the jdm cars in JAPAN almost all of them STILL USE THERE STOCK CLUTCH FAN... :squintd:

........so does this mean that since the Japanese do it, we should to? lol :p

[Phil St John]

OEM, JDM or USDM both come down to budget and the clutch fan is way more cost effective than electric ones. At one point in time, lets call that time the 80's, electric fans were craptastic at best at the affordable level but noe you can go get 2 12's on crazt little moters for not much that flow more air than you'll ever need. I belive that it's been pointed out several times that you can gaffel the fans from an Altima. That is a wondefull point, Same engine and no clutch fan and I know they run super cool. Hell I even deleted one of the coolong inlets and it still ran cool. Electric fans rule, clutch fans are Ok but damn it we're livin' in the 'OT 5, give me my electric fans, and where the hell is my robot!

[Phlip]

........so does this mean that since the Japanese do it, we should to? lol :p
Man, ANYTHING they do in Japan is cool...


... AUTOMATICALLY, if only because they do it in Japan, no matter how little sense it makes

[Brian]

i run JUST off of the AC fan
thats it.
it only got hot one time.
it was in the middle of the desert. in summer. after doing probably 10 runs in a row drifting on the street.
it runs at a steady 80 degrees daily.

i do have a clutch fan here in my room. i'm going to put that on as well. better safe than sorry eh?
well.... it IS a KA, so it's not TOO important.
hah

[Jeff240sx]

When driving, you should get enough ram-air cooling on the radiator. The fan is for sitting in traffic. So, we have - clutch fan which pulls more air at 5k+. Awesome. But wait. My car doesn't idle at 5k. I wonder what the clutch fan pulls at 800rpm? My dual 12" Flex-a-Lites pull 2500CFM. That's more than enough at idle! And I gained 6" of clearance losing that bigass shroud.
I also didn't go thermostat route. The FAL thermostat is a POS and fried on me in 2 weeks. Mine's wired up to a pair of relays I added in the stock relay-box.
-Jeff

[ass15]

JEFF : i don't have an AC belt on ( it broke when a towel got sucked by the AC belt was trying to clean with a towel under my car when the car was ideling *pretty stupid))

any way so my clutch fan is not operating. my neighbor said something about relay. how i should turn the fan relay on, so whenever i start the car the clutch fan turns on?

can you plse help me out on this..

MUCH APPRECIATED

[ass15]

i'm wondering where to look for RELAY and what to do..(sucks can't find my manual cd)

[sideviewcivic]

Im running a perma-cool 12" fan that flows 1800CFM and i just put back a clutch fan also(my OE one was cracking badly causing te car to shake) no cooling issues and im not running the fan shroud top,botton,or sides. Temporary setup until i make more cooling ducts.

[ass15]

my battery is in the trunk COULD that be the reason? may be its not getting power?

[ass15]

the fan gets power from ground? or BATTERY?

would it turn on when i turn on the AC? but my AC belt is not there...broke :(

[MELLO*SOS]

I didn't like my 240 sounding like a UPS truck at 5000 rpm... Also I wanted to have a little more open space in the engine bay, so I dumped my stock fan and swapped in a set of Altima efans. I wired them off the ACC relay in the driver's side black relay box (there is a blue wire underneath I tapped). They are on when the ignition is on, no thermostat or anything... I live in California so freezing weather is not an issue like it would be if you lived in a colder climate.

I think the clutch fan has it's advantages and is just as good if not better at cooling than efans... To each his own. If you want the efans for more quiet and more engine bay room you'll be happy. If you're expecting a power increase or way increased cooling, you're most likely going to be disappointed and you'll end up going back to a mechanical fan setup.

[projectRDM]

the fan gets power from ground? or BATTERY?

would it turn on when i turn on the AC? but my AC belt is not there...broke :(

Holy shit you need to be slapped. The fan does not run off the compressor. Secondly, if the fan is going to work it needs a ground and power, common sense. Third, the relay is under the hood, in the fusebox, the one marked RAD FAN or FAN LO. And lastly, the clutch fan is not powered by the electrical system. Your neighbor telling you to repair an electrical problem to fix something mechanical really tells me to avoid your entire state if people are that stupid.

[lilredstiffy]

Just a/c fan here...no problems for 3 maybe 4 years?

[g2ic02]

i definetly run a perma-cool 14" fan and it works great. Only overheated one time.....damn passenger flipped the toggle switch when i went into the store quick....Maybe they thought i had cool neon lights......
I didn't like my 240 sounding like a UPS truck at 5000 rpm..i second that

[JuJuBee]

whatever you do dont be stupid and take off the fan shroud because even a crazy good elec fan with no fan shroud will suck ass

KEEP FAN SHROUD ON! (be it oem or custom)

[wootwoot]

So consensus is if you like to just sit not moving doing burnouts clutch fan is better. I want to put in the Altima fans but with a temperature sensor/relay deal so they kick in at say 140degrees

[sdtouge]

its a myth!!!! e fans still use up hp! they put more strain on your battery and there fore more is needed of your altenator!!!!

stick with the clutch fan, the only good things about e fans are you can control when they are on or off.


i am going back with the clutch fan (aftermarket one from jegs) and putting my 2 elecrtic fans on the outside on pusher mode wired up to a switch that i already have and am only going to use them at the track.

plus, e-fans are not as reliable either, lots of things can go wrong.
matt

[JuJuBee]

that is true, elec fans are not that reliable

[ruthlesstyper]

hey matt got any pics of ur aftermarket clutch fan? hehe

[Jeff240sx]

Lots of things go wrong? Like what? The pancake motor dies? They're rated for 10,000's hours of use. And replaceable for cheap.
Stick with the clutch fan? It robs more power than an e-fan.
1hp=720watts. efan at 30amps = 360watts. That's 1/2hp. Tell me your clutch fan uses less power. TELL ME!
You speak utter crap. 1/2hp vs. 5-10hp. The efan can go bad. Ya? And what the hell did I do to my gf's z31 clutch fan? I'm pretty sure I replaced the clutch because the thing overheated. My dual efan setup.. if one fan goes out.. I'll notice and replace it. Not get stranded on the road.
As I said. The efan is the way to go. Clearance, nearly no power loss, and full CFM draw at idle, where you need it. Sure the clutch fan will pull more air at high engine speed. But I don't idle at 5k, and when I drive at 5k in 2nd gear.. I'm still going 50mph. I don't need the fan to pull at that point.
Like AMD and Intel, apparently efan and clutch fans have their own blindly faithful. Idiots.
-Jeff

[Phil St John]

Damn I thought I had headr it all then wham ("its a myth!!!! e fans still use up hp! they put more strain on your battery and there fore more is needed of your altenator!!!!")
suddenly the e- fan is the HP devil adn is coming for your children. I dont know how many cars you've been into but everycar with a clutch fan that I have ever had, ever has broken. My stoc electric fans have only thought about giving it up. Point is everything Can fail but the most common problem is lack of knowledge during install of an aftermarket unit. As for the electrical drain, buy an alternator with a higher output than the one your running and viola it's not working so hard any more. :mepoke:

[Jeff240sx]

Any electrical draw creates a loss of horsepower. A higher amperage alternator, when used to create additional current, will still make a parasitic loss. And.. adding 30 amps for an efan isn't something that would require a high-output alternator.
However, I stated the calculation. Current x voltage = power in watts. 1hp = 745.6998 watts. 30 amps x 12 volts = 360watts, or 1/2 hp. This isn't even something that I should be typing out. It's such a small, pathetic number. And for someone to even say that 1/2hp is worth contradicting by saying "Durr.. electric fans draw horsepower too.. nahh". Pfft. 1/2hp? I can take a shit and pick up more speed in the 1/4 mile than one half of a horsepower increase would gain me.
-Jeff

[Phlip]

I can take a shit and pick up more speed in the 1/4 mile than one half of a horsepower increase would gain me.
-Jeff
So, uhh... Jeff, what is your quarter mile time on foot before taking the browns to the superbowl?
... after?

[Phil St John]

Haha the dump and run its perfect, next time i go racing look out porta john. ;)

[sdtouge]

lol, haha efans will free up like 2 hp, there isd a good article i am going to attach when i can find it.

thing like bad connections, unknowledgable people wiring them up the wrong way (i did so im not hating)
and fuses blowing, human erreon forgeting to turn them on....

go ahead and hate, i could care less, but when you pulled over on the side of the road because you overheated or you blew a fuse and it just destroyed your fuse carrier, i MIGHT pull over and help you out...
:)
people believe and support diff. things, whatever makes you happy use it! have a midget farting on it all day for all i care, but if electric fans were better, all cars would have them...


ruthless- i havent orderd them yet but ill post some pics if i can...

also, cltuch fans can also break, but in my expirience they are more reliable than e fans.

and no, e fans are not robbing like 20 hp and coming after yyour children.

awaiting your comebacks
matt

[sdtouge]

ok i found it, credit goes to aaron cake (i think???) for this info. I rest my case.





The Myth Of The Electric Fan

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Electric fans are an often discussed modification on the various RX-7 forums. Unfortunately, it seems that there is also a lot of inaccurate information surrounding the "e-fan" and how it should be installed. This document will hopefully answer some of the most common questions with regards to e-fans, and debunk some of the myths.

Before we begin, let's just take a general overview of the cooling system on the RX-7. Forget for a moment that there is also an oil cooler. We will just concentrate on the water cooling system.

The cooling system consists of 5 basic parts: the engine, the water pump, the radiator, fan and the thermostat. Water passages inside the engine are filled with a coolant/water mixture (commonly just called "coolant"). These passages allow the heat that is generated within the engine to transfer into the coolant. Coolant is circulated through the engine via a water pump, which is driven from a belt off of the main eccentric shaft pulley. The stock fan and fan clutch assembly also mounts of the shaft of the water pump, and is therefore driven by the engine as well. The pump's job is to circulate water though the engine and the radiator. Air flowing over the radiator cools the coolant, and thus the engine. A thermostat is used to open or close flow of coolant through the rad to maintain the engine temperature at a constant (180 F).

Now that we know how the cooling system works, let's be clear about the function of the fan, and how the clutch assembly works. As mentioned, the stock clutch fan is attached to the water pump shaft. This shaft receives it's rotation from the engine itself. The fan is not directly attached to the shaft, it is actually bolted to a viscous clutch. The clutch then sits between the fan and the shaft. The purpose of the clutch is to keep the fan at a (fairly) constant speed, and to only engage the fan when it is needed. Think of the clutch as a very simple mini torque converter. Inside is a fluid. When this fluid is cool, the clutch is freewheeling, and thus the fan turns relatively slowly as the clutch slips. As the engine heats up, so does the clutch as hot air from the rad flows over it. The fluid thickens up, engaging the clutch and turning the fan at engine speed up to about 2000 RPM. At this point, it begins to slip again to keep the fan at the most efficient speed. Thus, more air flows through the rad, cooling the engine. The clutch cools down as the engine does, and then disengages. Thus, the cycle repeats. The (very crude) image below illustrates the assembly.




What's important to note is that the fan is only used when the engine is idling, or the car is creeping along at low speed (less then 20 MPH). If the car is stationary or creeping, there is not enough natural airflow through the rad to provide adequate cooling. Thus, the necessity of a fan.

Now that we know the basic operation of the cooling system and fan, let's look at the electric fan.

By far, the most common misconception is that the electric fan cools better then the stock. People see the high CFM numbers in the catalogues (for example, the Black Magic is advertised as pulling 2,800 CFM, and the Perma Cool "finger chopper" is advertised at 2,950 CFM) and are impressed. The truth is that no one actually knows the CFM rating of the stock fan. It has simply never been measured by anyone but Mazda. All we do know is that it is rated at "a lot". And to be honest, who cares how much air the stock fan moves? It is more then adaquate as long as it's clutch and the rest of the cooling system is in good shape. The steeply raked blades of the stock fan move quite a lot of air, even if it turns slower then an aftermarket electric unit. Experience has shown that when in good shape, the stock fan is even easily capable of handling a 400HP engine (aftermarket rad installed). How much power do you make?

Many people also seem to believe that an electric fan will cure their "at speed" overheating problems. Recall that the fan is not even used when at speed, as the natural flow of the of air through the radiator is more then enough (much more then a fan, in fact) to keep the car cool.

Of course, you're not necessarily after better cooling. You've seen those TV commercials or catalogue ads that promise "Up to 17 free HP!" by converting to an electric fan. Well, that's simply not true. There will be a horsepower gain for sure, on the order of 0.5 - 1HP. But remember that the electric power to run the fan must come from somewhere, and that somewhere is the alternator. Electric fans draw quite a lot of current. Most pull surges of 35A or more to start up, then run at 8A-10A. This puts extra load on the alternator. Ever pedaled a bicycle with a generator powered light? If so, then you will know that as the electrical load on a generator/alternator increases, the generator/alternator becomes harder to turn. Suddenly, all that "free" HP you just freed up is once again being used. This time, though, it is being used to turn the alternator. There is also an inefficiency in the whole system. We are converting mechanical energy, to electrical energy, to mechanical again to run the fan. This very inefficient, much less then just driving the fan directly via the mechanical energy of the rotating shaft.

We can see that the electric fan is a large current draw. The '86-'88 alternator is rated at 70A, and the 89+ unit is rated at 90A. Real world tests have shown that actual output is somewhat less then the specifications would indicate. Add the load of the electric fan, and you are that much closer to overloading an already factory-stressed electrical system.

While on the subject of the electrical system, let's look at how the fan is actually connected. The proper way to control an electric fan is via a thermostat and relay combination (fused, of course). Unfortunately, very few people actually do this. Many installations simply connect the fan to run all the time, or to a switch inside the car. In the latter case, your brain actually becomes the thermostat. Needless to say, this is a very poor arrangement as it is easy forget to switch on the fan as the temperature climbs. Worse still, the 1989+ temperature gauge is horribly inaccurate. By the time you see it move, the car is already too hot. Leaving the fan on all the time presents a different set of problems. It becomes an unnecessary drain on the system, and may actually over cool the car. This is not necessarily a flaw of the fan itself, but of the installer.

Lastly, there is the question of reliability. The stock clutch fan can have two failure modes: the clutch will fail, or the fan will physically break. The electric fan introduces many more failure points: fuse, all wiring connections, physical failure of the fan, failure of the motor, failure of the thermostat.

By now, you're probably wondering "Gee, why is this guy so against electric fans?". Well, I'm not really. But I recognize their disadvantages. There are also some useful advantages to the electric fan.

Since you are no longer tied to the shaft of the water pump, the electric fan can be oriented in any way, and moved around to make space. Without the stock fan shroud in the way, there is much more room in the engine bay, as well as room to route things like intercooler piping, cold air intakes, etc. An electric fan may also be required when going to certain aftermarket radiators that do not have provision for mounting the stock fan shroud.

The electric fan can also be left on after the engine is shut off. This allows continuous cooling to minimize heat soak. A small turbo timer like device can be used to run the fan for a preset amount of time. The 3rd gen RX-7 actually does this from the factory, but that is about the only good point in the 3rd gen cooling system.

Perhaps the greatest advantage of the electric fan is cost. It provides an affordable alternative to replacing a failed stock clutch fan. The stock unit is very expensive when purchased new, so it is possible to save several hundred dollars by purchasing an electric fan instead. However, this advantage is not as great if you have a decent wrecking yard in your area. Used clutch fans are very cheap.

There you have it. For the most part, electric fans are not recommended as an upgrade unless you have a very specific reason to do so. They provide inferior cooling to the stock fan, and may create other problems if improperly installed. If you want to install an electric fan, I have done a basic writeup of the generic process. Read How To Properly Install An Electric Fan.[

[Jeff240sx]

lol, haha efans will free up like 2 hp, there isd a good article i am going to attach when i can find it.

thing like bad connections, unknowledgable people wiring them up the wrong way (i did so im not hating)
and fuses blowing, human erreon forgeting to turn them on....

This is all caused by the same issue that you've listed. Human error. I don't have a fuse at all. Or a switch. RELAYS!

go ahead and hate, i could care less, but when you pulled over on the side of the road because you overheated or you blew a fuse and it just destroyed your fuse carrier, i MIGHT pull over and help you out...
:)

See above. If you wire it up correctly, with a relay, you have no fuse. No switch (it kicks on with the ignition). And no fuse carrier.

people believe and support diff. things, whatever makes you happy use it! but if electric fans were better, all cars would have them...

Hey. Maybe you can't understand something as simple as cost analysis. A car meant to drive like a car gets whatever works and is the cheapest. However, EVERY pure sports car runs electric fans.
Dodge Viper: http://images.auction123.com/A123IH/623bdc5b-20f9-4087-87ec-1485c8fd8c0c/1B3JZ65ZX4V101884/14/webimage001m.jpg
C6 Corvette: http://chevrolet.jbcarpages.com/Corvette/2005/Bilder/2005%20Chevrolet%20Corvette%20LS2%20V8%20Engine.jp g
The SLR McLaren: http://www.germancarfans.com/news/2040513.005/2040513.005.Mini2L.jpg

also, cltuch fans can also break, but in my expirience they are more reliable than e fans.

How much experience? It sounds like little to none, and you're simply having blind faith in things people have told you..

You are bieng dumb about this, and you're going to lose. Hard. If electric fans weren't so expensive, they'd be used on every car. Every single FWD car runs e-fans. More because they have to, but do you see thousands of them littered on the road due to fuses blowing, or whatever other dumbass excuses you came up with? No.
E-fans give more power (they use 1/2hp vs. 5-10 depending on RPM and clutch fan size. And more power as the clutch slowly dies). E-fans give more clearance. E-fans give a margin of safety due to the fact there are usually two of them, and if one goes out, you can notice and fix it. If your 1 clutch fan goes out, you overheat. E-fans pull more air at idle, where you need it. E-fans are light enough to get pushed out of the way when air moves through the radiator. Clutch fans get in the way.
Accept and assimilate, or bring some much, much better proof that clutch fans are superior. Because if it's on a $418,500 McLaren SLR, it's good enough for my car.
Do I have to mention the $750,000 Jaguar XJ220? Or the $1,200,000 McLaren F1? Or the $1,400,000 Ferrari Enzo?
Because if these supercars run an electric fan, it's good enough for my car. And no ammount of internet heresay is going to change my mind.
Although, in the face of this overwhelming data and proof, maybe you should become slightly less close-minded and *think* about your unfounded beliefs.
-Jeff

[Jeff240sx]

/sigh. Stay tuned for the rebuttal to that novel that you posted.. even though you've already regurgitated all the info found in there.
-Jeff

[Phlip]

I love you, Jeff... If I didn't enjoy the sexual presence of women so much, I would pick you third, after Brandon and Russ

[Jeff240sx]

I rest my case.
Quit being arrogant. Your case isn't rested because some random guy posted this mess of garble!

What's important to note is that the fan is only used when the engine is idling, or the car is creeping along at low speed (less then 20 MPH). If the car is stationary or creeping, there is not enough natural airflow through the rad to provide adequate cooling. Thus, the necessity of a fan.
People see the high CFM numbers in the catalogues (for example, the Black Magic is advertised as pulling 2,800 CFM, and the Perma Cool "finger chopper" is advertised at 2,950 CFM) and are impressed. The truth is that no one actually knows the CFM rating of the stock fan. It has simply never been measured by anyone but Mazda. All we do know is that it is rated at "a lot". And to be honest, who cares how much air the stock fan moves? It is more then adaquate as long as it's clutch and the rest of the cooling system is in good shape. The steeply raked blades of the stock fan move quite a lot of air, even if it turns slower then an aftermarket electric unit. Experience has shown that when in good shape, the stock fan is even easily capable of handling a 400HP engine (aftermarket rad installed). How much power do you make?
Here is a contradiction. Fan CFM is rated by the RPM, angle of the blades, and diameter. I don't know of a formula to measure, but you can see that all these parameters have an effect on the CFM. Now, as he stated, you don't need a fan at speed. And stated the very high CFM ratings that electric fans have. And that's at full speed, which is "ON". There is no variance in rpm. The reason CFM for a clutch fan isn't stated is because it's rpm dependant, and they'd need to give you a chart, rather than a fixed number. So, his proof equates to:
"It works, so it HAS to be the same". No quantitative data anywhere.

Many people also seem to believe that an electric fan will cure their "at speed" overheating problems. Recall that the fan is not even used when at speed, as the natural flow of the of air through the radiator is more then enough (much more then a fan, in fact) to keep the car cool.
Hooray. About the only shred of truth in here.

You've seen those TV commercials or catalogue ads that promise "Up to 17 free HP!" by converting to an electric fan. Well, that's simply not true. There will be a horsepower gain for sure, on the order of 0.5 - 1HP. But remember that the electric power to run the fan must come from somewhere, and that somewhere is the alternator. Electric fans draw quite a lot of current. Most pull surges of 35A or more to start up, then run at 8A-10A. This puts extra load on the alternator. Ever pedaled a bicycle with a generator powered light? If so, then you will know that as the electrical load on a generator/alternator increases, the generator/alternator becomes harder to turn. Suddenly, all that "free" HP you just freed up is once again being used. This time, though, it is being used to turn the alternator. There is also an inefficiency in the whole system. We are converting mechanical energy, to electrical energy, to mechanical again to run the fan. This very inefficient, much less then just driving the fan directly via the mechanical energy of the rotating shaft.
Once again. The old "I have no data so I'll make inferences" routine.
I gave you the formula, and empyrical data. An electric fan DRAWS 1/2 OF A HORSEPOWER USING THE FORMULA! W=CxV!!

We can see that the electric fan is a large current draw. The '86-'88 alternator is rated at 70A, and the 89+ unit is rated at 90A. Real world tests have shown that actual output is somewhat less then the specifications would indicate. Add the load of the electric fan, and you are that much closer to overloading an already factory-stressed electrical system.
Omg! It takes 8 amps to keep running! This is going to break our cars! Oh [email protected]!. A car takes very little of the alternator's power to run, or we would never recharge the battery. No.. I added a 400watt amplifier to my car. if W=CxV, then C=W/V. Current(amps) = 400watts/12volts. My subwoofers and amplifier take 33amps. Again, another 1/2 of a horsepower. And knowing that I'm running 2 electric fans, and my 400watt amp, as well as headlights, radio, ect. You can see that alternators have a *bit* of headroom.

The proper way to control an electric fan is via a thermostat and relay combination (fused, of course). Unfortunately, very few people actually do this. Many installations simply connect the fan to run all the time, or to a switch inside the car. In the latter case, your brain actually becomes the thermostat. Needless to say, this is a very poor arrangement as it is easy forget to switch on the fan as the temperature climbs. It becomes an unnecessary drain on the system, and may actually over cool the car. This is not necessarily a flaw of the fan itself, but of the installer.
Overcool the car? Maybe if it's super-cold outside. In which case, you should have an electronic fan controller (HKS), rather than a thermostat. My thermostat sucked, so I am running fuseless, off a pair of relays, and warm up to operating temperature in 5 minutes. You're not blowing snow on the radiator with an electric fan. You're pulling air through. So.. provided it's not snowing, you'll never overcool. This is just a dumb paragraph. Relays take less power to kick on, run, are fused internally, and ignition switched. Relay is the way to wire up a fan.

Lastly, there is the question of reliability. The stock clutch fan can have two failure modes: the clutch will fail, or the fan will physically break. The electric fan introduces many more failure points: fuse, all wiring connections, physical failure of the fan, failure of the motor, failure of the thermostat.
Ya. I have 1 connection in my system. A soldered, shrinkwrapped connection to the relay. And my wiring is loomed. This novel must have been written by and for complete idiots.


The electric fan can also be left on after the engine is shut off. This allows continuous cooling to minimize heat soak. A small turbo timer like device can be used to run the fan for a preset amount of time.
Yep Yep.

Perhaps the greatest advantage of the electric fan is cost. It provides an affordable alternative to replacing a failed stock clutch fan. The stock unit is very expensive when purchased new, so it is possible to save several hundred dollars by purchasing an electric fan instead. However, this advantage is not as great if you have a decent wrecking yard in your area. Used clutch fans are very cheap.
What!?! I paid $35 for a fan clutch on my gf's z31. I paid $200 for my efan setup, and another $60 in relays, wiring, shrouding, and other things to wire them up.

How can you even read that steamy pile of bullshit. He uses anecdotes and other worthless observations, as opposed to hard data, measured results, ect.
Thats a poor article at best.
-Jeff

[ryan hagen]

fans from a malibu or grand am, or grandprix work good, i m using dual fans from a 99 grandam i run one fan through a fog light harness on a aswitch and the other through a 89-90 lower hose temp switch. works good, if i have a brain fart the fans will still turn on around 195 deg, just make sure you cut the chaisis part of the fan harness cause then the instal is sweet, and u can take ur fans out easy later.

i robbed the relay for the fog lights at a junk yard, and the fans cost $50, and the temp switch was free on my garage floor

[sdtouge]

more digging my own grave...

the first time i wired up my fans i didnt use a relay, and i kept blowing fuses, then i got a switch (Already had a carier) and wired them up tha way, also, the article says that clutch fans free up at higher rpms, where as an lectric fan would stay on until your twmps dropped..

and your right, i dont have much expirience, but i try and say my 2 cents, and if i am wrong i learned something.

there is not really a right or wrong here, just opinions, and i am going backm to clutch fan. but its all good.

hes also refering to the price off a new clutch fan at nissan.

thanks for the formulas too jeff240sx