jsut spend the money on electric fans...

[JDMClifford]

yep so a week abo ago i broke my clutch fan, and it cut a hose. and today i broke my fuckin waterpump! broke clean off! so now i had to spend almost 200 bucks to get a water pump and aftermarket pulleys... ohh and a fan relay. sooo, chuck the clutch an and get electrick ones, just my 2 cents.

[redsuns3838]

clutch fan has been proven time and time again to cool better and be more reliable than electric fans in daily driving.

[sky53line]

Yep. With my clutch fan, my temp gauge never rises. It looks like the car is still off. never rises about 1/2 when drifting.

[DriftSpecial180]

Yep. With my clutch fan, my temp gauge never rises. It looks like the car is still off. never rises about 1/2 when drifting.


Well thats not good. You want your car to warm up to operating temp, not stay completely cold... maybe you're thermostat is broken.

About the clutch fan being proven to work better... were the electric fans tested, adequately rated to flow enough air to cool our motors. I'm sure a single 8" or 10" would not be enough. I'm just curious because i was going to invest in electric fans in the near future.

[Dutchmalmiss]

Stock fan/shroud ftw. doesn't budge over normal operating temp.

[TurDz]

The temperature gauge is one of the worst ways to determine your car's temperature. Just because it stays constant doesn't mean there isn't large temperature fluctuation.

[CKAMC]

Someone mentioned Hydro pump to me the other day... my google search terms seem not to help me but supposedly its a mix between electric and clutch or what is it?

I agree about the gauge... factory unit = complete shit

just tap the top rad hose and put a temp sensor there....then an aftermarket guage and then you will have an accurate idea of what the temps really are... after you calibrate the guage of course

[C. Senor]

yeah i've personally been told that the clutch fan works great, i went with a koyo and can no longer use clutch fan, so i went electric, i'm using the taurus fan, and works great. i can drive spiritedly with the ac on and then just sit at a light and the car doesnt over heat, but keep in mind i changed radiator, all hoses, thermostat, and water pump. but i wil say i have no problems with electric fan, taurus fan works really good....but that's just me.

[corey240]

my car had dual 12" flex-a-lites and it has not once over heated even when racing, we thought the thermostat was broke so we got a new one and had an after market temp gauge for a couple months befor my rod knock was noticed and it never over heated

[blitz180]

After fucking around with a crappy 12" autozone electric fan, I opted to go with an electric fan out of a 3.8l Ford Taurus. It has a shroud, looks stock and flows high cfm. forgot the exact number, but was above the FAL kit most people get. 25$ at the junkyard.... can't beat value for the buck.

[Cloud9]

Here is some good info on fans http://home.satx.rr.com/nissanweb/RadTest/RadTest.htm

[kouki_s14]

thats not too bad, it happened to my friends bmw twice. clutch fan locked up and shattered, cutting into everything up, including his radiator and put a dent in his hood, TWICE

[redsuns3838]

Well thats not good. You want your car to warm up to operating temp, not stay completely cold... maybe you're thermostat is broken.

About the clutch fan being proven to work better... were the electric fans tested, adequately rated to flow enough air to cool our motors. I'm sure a single 8" or 10" would not be enough. I'm just curious because i was going to invest in electric fans in the near future.


I cant recall, ive seen quite a few tests. Search around FreshAlloy i know theres atleast 1 test thats been done. I want to say it was dual fans being tested.

[KiDyNomiTe]

Ive known people to overheat with fan and shroud, ive known people to overheat with electric fans. They both are good setups, good arguments on both sides.

FAL makes a new kit for 240s, has a bigger shroud and better mounting brackets
http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/html/345-nissan.html

[sideview_180sx]

that link with the rad test and the link that kidynomite posted both state that ducting is the main catalyst in regards to cooling performance. Regardless if you go back to clutch or bump over to electric. Ducting will be the key that makes of brakes your cooling system.

[punxva]

here's what i'm running...

A single Perma-Cool 12" electric fan, wired into my cig. lighter so it turns on when the key is turned to the on postition and off when taken out. No shroud atm though. I'm also running a nismo thermostat, and nismo rad. cap, plus a 60/40 water to coolant, with redline water wetter. Although i currently do not have an aftermarket water temp gauge, i've never overheated, even sitting in 100* weather in bumper to bumper traffic for 2 hours.

Also something i learned, most of those switches and fan thermostats tend to go out, ive gone through 3 before i just decided to wire it in to the cig. lighter

[kouki_s14]

here's what i'm running...

A single Perma-Cool 12" electric fan, wired into my cig. lighter so it turns on when the key is turned to the on postition and off when taken out. No shroud atm though. I'm also running a nismo thermostat, and nismo rad. cap, plus a 60/40 water to coolant, with redline water wetter. Although i currently do not have an aftermarket water temp gauge, i've never overheated, even sitting in 100* weather in bumper to bumper traffic for 2 hours.

Also something i learned, most of those switches and fan thermostats tend to go out, ive gone through 3 before i just decided to wire it in to the cig. lighter

yea those fan thermo suck ass, dont even bother with them. It's gonna go out one day and your fans will shut off, then you overheat. Best option if you dont want your fans on all the time is to get a fan controller from HKS or something.

[240sx2jz]

i ran the dual flex-a-lites for a while on my setup (2jz) with the koyo and never had any problems. now im running dual 12" perma cools.....those things friggin rock, i would advise people towards those. even if you gotta make a custom shroud and run dual tens it worth it if you really need some cooling on a high strung motor.

[Wei240]

stock clutch fan AND shroud for the win,
don't know why some people don't run it with the shroud, it's a must

[cosil8e]

yeah i've personally been told that the clutch fan works great, i went with a koyo and can no longer use clutch fan, so i went electric, i'm using the taurus fan, and works great. i can drive spiritedly with the ac on and then just sit at a light and the car doesnt over heat, but keep in mind i changed radiator, all hoses, thermostat, and water pump. but i wil say i have no problems with electric fan, taurus fan works really good....but that's just me.
odd, my koyo fits fine using the clutch fan and shroud although it is a tight fit. oh and i haven't overheated in traffic or at the track.

[Jefferson]

Never seemed to have a problem with my stock clutch fan so I never bothered to change it, But then again I still have my piece of crap stock temp gauge

[kaotic]

I had the same problems when I ditched my e fans and put in the clutch fan.. my water pump broke in two... then, I found out that you HAVE to torq the bolts on the water pump to FSM specs.. otherwise I guess it blows up?

right now im running a stock clutch fan and shourd, vented hood, griffin radiator, and a pusher fan up front.. never have any heat issues.. even when its 110+ outside

[ixfxi]

here's what i'm running...

A single Perma-Cool 12" electric fan, wired into my cig. lighter so it turns on when the key is turned to the on postition and off when taken out. No shroud atm though. I'm also running a nismo thermostat, and nismo rad. cap, plus a 60/40 water to coolant, with redline water wetter. Although i currently do not have an aftermarket water temp gauge, i've never overheated, even sitting in 100* weather in bumper to bumper traffic for 2 hours.

Also something i learned, most of those switches and fan thermostats tend to go out, ive gone through 3 before i just decided to wire it in to the cig. lighter

how is your car supposed to run hot if its got a cold thermostat? of course its not going to get hot, its always COLD.

am i reading this right, you wired up your electric fan setup through your cigarette lighter? readup a bit about wiring, you need amperage and that cigarette lighter socket is the last place you want to tap power from. install a relay and have it activate via ON 12v signal.

jeeeeeeeeez.

[ixfxi]

clutch fan has been proven time and time again to cool better and be more reliable than electric fans in daily driving.

bullshit. clutch fan works but its far from efficient and is not more reliable.

both are good, but clutch fan is useless w/o shroud - i dont know why people dont install the shroud.

IMO, electric fans make the most efficient setups.

[mr_240sx]

Ive known people to overheat with fan and shroud, ive known people to overheat with electric fans. They both are good setups, good arguments on both sides.

FAL makes a new kit for 240s, has a bigger shroud and better mounting brackets
http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/html/345-nissan.html
hey Kid,

got a ballpark figure as to what those fans go for? i would assume they are made to fit aftermarket rads like koyo?

[punxva]

am i reading this right, you wired up your electric fan setup through your cigarette lighter? readup a bit about wiring, you need amperage and that cigarette lighter socket is the last place you want to tap power from. install a relay and have it activate via ON 12v signal.

jeeeeeeeeez.


I remembered that i wired it up a specific way, after i get out of class i'll go out to my car and check exactually how i wired it. I did it the right way, it was just so long ago that i dont remember

[MadScientist]

FAL - 345 Dual Electric for 240SX looks like most places are charging about $330ish. It more than the 220 series that most have but this is more specific to the 240SX needs and has an adjustable & manual Thermo switch.

Been seeing alot of people asking about better cooling parts lately.
Its simple to upgrade the components of the Cooling system, and even if you get top of the line everything... your looking at a little over a grand... most people spend more then that on their Turbo alone!!

Samco Hoses - $90-100
Nismo Thermostat - $70-80
New Water Pump - $80
Water Pump Pully - $90-180
FAL Fans - $220-330
Radiator - $300-600

Peace
Drew

[punxva]

ok went out and looked at mine, in between my fan and the lighter, i have a 30amp fuse so just wire it like that if you want...

BTW Drew what about us KA's all we have that is comparable to the samco's are the Agency Power hoses...

[GSXRJJordan]

ok went out and looked at mine, in between my fan and the lighter, i have a 30amp fuse so just wire it like that if you want...

BTW Drew what about us KA's all we have that is comparable to the samco's are the Agency Power hoses...

So you put a huge fuse on those tiny ass cig lighter wires... 18Ga + 30A = hot ass wires. And you'll never know if one of those wires burns up and your fan doesn't come on until it's probably too late. I agree with Mike, do it right, wire up with decent size primary wire (14Ga is cheap), a relay and just tap the +12V ACC or IGN leads to switch your relay.

And on topic - I run a cheap aluminum radiator (think ebay quality) with a single 10" fan from a BMW 318, and ducting, with no clutch fan or shroud ATM. As long as your fan setup can cool you down from any temp at a standstill, it's adequate. Its the ducting and your radiator that determine your cooling ability at speed.

Oh, and don't rely on anything the stock temp gauge tells you... it doens't start moving upwards until about 220*, and doesn't get into the hot until about 245*. I use Autometer liquid filled gauges, supposedly the most accurate, I like em, but just get yourself a good aftermarket gauge.

[punxva]

ohh i wired it all the way to the source with 14G, and it's been fine for about 2 years now

[JDMClifford]

Wow this tread is longer than i expected. Well to tell the whole story.... ok so i was driving and i blew up my clutch fan. Got a new one off a friend and used his clutch witch i noticed the clutch worked a lot better. Then a couple days after that i was driving with a friend behind his built civic and boom! Clutch fan shatters dented my hood, cut my rad hose, and shattered my waterpump! and guess what spun a baring and shot 2 holes in my block... From a damn clutch fan! And i just rebuilt the motor. 2600 miles on it and now IM back to ground zero... The motor ran so tits also. So bummed. So i got 2 10" electric fans, new flashy red pulleys for 80 bucks and a new water pump for my new motor im going to order after i get back from my trip.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b43/aifviper/100_1559.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b43/aifviper/100_1563.jpg

[ixfxi]

ohh i wired it all the way to the source with 14G, and it's been fine for about 2 years now

download a song by BDP.. its called YOU MUST LEARN.

seriously, you dont understand wiring. either read a book and learn how to PROPERLY wire up your circuit, or pay someone to do it right.

at the moment, you're fan is probably near the limit of consuming the maximum amount of current that the puny cigarette lighter circuitry can handle. the factory fuses that line for 10 or 15 amps max. from there, you wired the fan with heavier 14ga wire and a 30amp fuse - thats pointless. you'll blow your factory fuse before ever blowing that 30amp fuse.

bah.. you just need to read and learn what you are doing, or shall i say what you are doing WRONG.

- mike / clearcorners.com

[ixfxi]

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b43/aifviper/100_1559.jpg

look ma, no block.

[punxva]

download a song by BDP.. its called YOU MUST LEARN.

seriously, you dont understand wiring. either read a book and learn how to PROPERLY wire up your circuit, or pay someone to do it right.

at the moment, you're fan is probably near the limit of consuming the maximum amount of current that the puny cigarette lighter circuitry can handle. the factory fuses that line for 10 or 15 amps max. from there, you wired the fan with heavier 14ga wire and a 30amp fuse - thats pointless. you'll blow your factory fuse before ever blowing that 30amp fuse.

bah.. you just need to read and learn what you are doing, or shall i say what you are doing WRONG.

- mike / clearcorners.com


hey mike thanks alot for pointing that out man, i just rewired it to the fuse box in the engine bay to the ign with 14ga wire and the same 30amp fuse, and it still works flawlessly, thanks again for correcting my mistake

[Adikt]

^^^
Thats still wrong. Go buy a relay and wire up as follows
85 - Ground
86 - That ignition source that you tapped
87 - Battery 12v+
87a - Nothing
30 - Fan

[blu808]

You should really use a relay.

Anyways. the clutch fan blowing up would not cause a spun bearing, or a thrown rod. You would have to had either oil pump failure, oil pickup problems, extreme overheating, massive detonation, or exceeded the mechanical rotating assembly rpm to throw a rod.

[JDMClifford]

well what i was thinking is plughed the water jacket causing it to over heat on that one cilinder and probably sieze the piston and boom. all i know is im SOL on that motor LOL. i took an air compressor to a the water jacket you can see in the pic and so much metal and crap flew out of the ail and coolent holes. it was crazy. got a little in my mouth. looked like glitter.

[ixfxi]

hey mike thanks alot for pointing that out man, i just rewired it to the fuse box in the engine bay to the ign with 14ga wire and the same 30amp fuse, and it still works flawlessly, thanks again for correcting my mistake

like everyone said - use a relay. you can google search "electric fan relay" - i am sure that will provide the info you need, since many people have done this before.

the only thing you want to use of the OEM wiring, is a 12v SIGNAL from the "ignition ON" setting. That signal will activate your relay. The relay however, will acquire 12v (heavy gauge wire) direct from you battery and transfer it to your fan(s), direct. You can ground anywhere on the chassis near the fan, ANYWHERE.

peaceout maing

[Cloud9]

Im bumping this thread cuz it already has lots of good info, ive searched for over a hour and found nothing so here it goes. I just bought fal 220's and the hks fan controller. I cant figure out how to wire up the fans and where, should i use the oem AC fan realy? Also do i wire the controller to the fans at all? And last is there a write up on the fan controller install, someone said there was one on freshalloy but i have yet to find it. And yes i know everyones opinion on clutch fans being better, thats great.. I dont have one nor a shroud and dont want to buy one. Thanks for any help.

[ixfxi]

clutch fans suck.. they take up space and for homos that want to make excuses as to why a bigass shroud and OEM fan are better than electric - they're not.

a quality electric fan setup is fantastic. your car cools naturally through the bumper's ducting (when at speed), and if necessary.. the fans turn on at idle to cool down the car. There's really NO use to have a fan turning 24-7 in the engine bay, unless you want to murder a co-worker at your office when you show him your engine bay and his neck-tie gets sucked into the bladezzzz...

yeah, thats fuckin badassed.

[rj240sx]

ever heard "if it aint broke,don't fix it"? why waste money on an e-fan setup if your stock stuff does the job? Thats like when people put a large ugly tach on their dash when they already have one in their gauge cluster. I had an e-fan setup and recently ditched it for the stock stuff and now my car cools so much better. not only that but i got rid of all that ugly wiring mess. plus everybody knows mechanical is more reliable than electric in anything. but i guess it's a matter of personal opinion. i just get better cooling and peace of mind with the mechanical.

[steve shadows]

clutch fan has been proven time and time again to cool better and be more reliable than electric fans in daily driving.

the funny thing about this argument is that if you simply install a cooler thermostat and use the electric fan youll cool better than simply keeping the clutch fan.

Plus a lot of shmucks dont run a fan shroud which makes the advantages of the clutch fan totally void.

I mean on 3 different cars now, lower thermo, aluminum radiator, shitty shitty shit crap electric fan, water temps dont go over 180-189 degress F under some hardcore 1-3minute top mount abuse runs.

I wouldnt want it to run any cooler than that, I would be concerned with oil temp being TOO cold.

[blackej7]

plus everybody knows mechanical is more reliable than electric in anything. but i guess it's a matter of personal opinion.


really. i disagree with you on that one.

[steve shadows]

really. i disagree with you on that one.

me too

way too subjective but i know where he's headed in his reasoning for the statement.

[rj240sx]

really. i disagree with you on that one.
lol, i knew i shouldn't have used the word ANYTHING. ok, explain a situation in which electric is more reliable than mechanical. im not trying to argue, just maybe find out something new, im always up for learning. you know, knowledge is power. It's just hard to believe otherwise being an aircraft mechanic who deals with life support systems, and emergency egress.

[DriftSpecS14]

they both work. i like stock fan its does the job fine and looks good for my daily driver. no extra wiring and my car is making 396 to the rear wheels and doesnt over heat at all. even in hot cali weather. i run an electric fan tho on the back side of my IC to bring air through to my oil cooler and then whereever else it goes too.

[nrg]

I just got rid of my electric fan and went with the stock clutch fan. my cooling temp drop 10-15c. I'm running nismo thermo and greddy rad with brand new water pump.

[blackej7]

lol, i knew i shouldn't have used the word ANYTHING. ok, explain a situation in which electric is more reliable than mechanical. im not trying to argue, just maybe find out something new, im always up for learning. you know, knowledge is power. It's just hard to believe otherwise being an aircraft mechanic who deals with life support systems, and emergency egress.

Im sure in 90+ degree weather, the clutch fan will cool better.

the 1 thing i dont like about the clutch fan, is that its always on. I dont know about many of you, but i daily drive my car. no matter what the weather is like, i start up the 240. I run the Pivot fan controller, with 2 10inch electric fans. (both wired though relays). 1 fan is set to turn on at 185F, both are on at 195F.

in the winter, my coolant temps BARELY reach 185F, unless im driving for a long period of time. and my 2nd fan has never had to turn on during winter. it takes a very long time for both oil and water temps to go up the winter. my question is, if the fan is always on, is your engine warming up enough? i would think the engine is most vulnerable to damage during the warmup cycle. so for you clutchfan people..... what are your temps in the winter?

in the summer, my car takes no time to warm up at all, and one fan is pretty much on all the time, and the 2nd fan turns on and off through out the drive, with temps maybe climbing to 200F in 90+ degree weather after some long pulls. since, (according to the FSM), the A/C fan is set to turn on high when coolant temps are 212F, i think 185-200 is fine.

it seems like properly installed electric fans would be able to control water temps more accurately than the stock fan, with no worries of it breaking off and damaging engine bay components.

someone correct me if im wrong about anything..... because id like to know more info too.

[rj240sx]

well, since I've never experienced a "winter" with my sr(been living in San Diego and Hawaii the past 5 years) I'm not really sure of the temp during cold starts. I see what your saying, i agree you could control your cooling more acuratly with that e-fan setup. but in my case, it been more than enough. also, remember that the clutch fan and shroud are what the factory engineers determined to be the most reliable source of cooling,hence being the primary. Not that all stock features aren't subject to modification.lol just my 2 cents.

[CKAMC]

I have seen some really good electric fan setups lately. One of the big things they incorporate is bumper shrouding.

makes a lot of sense as well since your not allowing air to go anywhere else because its being directed where it needs to go.

basically goes like this: bumper opening then sides and top and bottom after fiberglass ends has aluminum directing right to radiator. the hole way is sealed so air cant go anywhere else.

on the back side of the electric fans is some more shrouding (top portion gets directed/bent upwards for vented hoods). Most people only consider this when doing v-mount but I have seen it work well on regular front mount setups as well.

you would also be surprised on how many different temp sensors there are along with differences in fan controllers.

electric fans arent bad, just need to be setup correctly.

[Cloud9]

Does anyone know of a site that has a write up on the hks fan controller, if not then i will figure it out this weekend but i would rather see how someone else did it beffore i play with my ecu wiring again

[ixfxi]

I have seen some really good electric fan setups lately. One of the big things they incorporate is bumper shrouding.

makes a lot of sense as well since your not allowing air to go anywhere else because its being directed where it needs to go.

basically goes like this: bumper opening then sides and top and bottom after fiberglass ends has aluminum directing right to radiator. the hole way is sealed so air cant go anywhere else.

on the back side of the electric fans is some more shrouding (top portion gets directed/bent upwards for vented hoods). Most people only consider this when doing v-mount but I have seen it work well on regular front mount setups as well.

you would also be surprised on how many different temp sensors there are along with differences in fan controllers.

electric fans arent bad, just need to be setup correctly.

spoken like a TRUE pro.

many people either use SHITTY electric fans and/or temp sensors. not to mention, many people dont even know how to work with wiring, relays, or anything of the kind.. and end up having fans that dont cool, dont turn enough air, or just SUCK.

then you have the mechanical clutch fan, yes... your motor turns, so does it. and on hot days, your car sounds like an old fuckin volvo - very cool. when you need to change your belts, you reach down into a pit of thorns.

been there, done that - no use for clutches and shrouds. mine failed at one point, made lots of noise and after that - joined the dumpster, with the rest of shit parts.

not saying clutch fans are useless, but they're the less expensive performers of the bunch.

[JDMClifford]

ohh i forgot about this thread, speaking of fans i just bought a PIVOT Water/Oil Temp +Fan Controller...deal....thing. because im not gona just whire up my fans to a switch, that totaly defeats the point of my turbo timer, and what would happen if i forgot to turn them on! BOOM! headgasket gone. so i bought one of those pivot controllers so it will stay cool and quiet when it needs to. and tuen off when my car does. or a short time after.

[Gnnr]

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e367/gambit25/stupidfan.jpg

I think that sums up my experience. Popped at 5K RPM, cut distributor harness, car got towed home. Not fun.

[ixfxi]

ohh i forgot about this thread, speaking of fans i just bought a PIVOT Water/Oil Temp +Fan Controller...deal....thing. because im not gona just whire up my fans to a switch, that totaly defeats the point of my turbo timer, and what would happen if i forgot to turn them on! BOOM! headgasket gone. so i bought one of those pivot controllers so it will stay cool and quiet when it needs to. and tuen off when my car does. or a short time after.

Its posts like this that always get me pissed...

Why do you need a switch for your electric fans? Do all cars require a switch? NO, only ones where the engineer doesnt know how to use:
- relay harness
- temperature probe and/or electro-switch

Forget those "wedge inbetween your radiator" probes.. those suck balls. Its as simple as this: use a thermoswitch that runs through your coolant (after radiator). That switch is supposed to activate your relay, which will then send clean power to your fans.

You dont need a fancy PIVOT(c) brand controller, you just need some basic electrical knowledge.

edit:

I was running dual 12" FAL fans with alum radiator, car ran super cool. I eventually went with a lower temp thermostat (the mfg I wont name, because we all know it) - the car actually runs TOO cold... stock is just fine honestly, unless the car gets some serious beat-downs. Most street cars are OK with stock thermostat. Anyway, if you feel like getting fancy, you can always run a variable-speed fan controller.. this is the one i ran: http://www.dccontrol.com/

at the MINIMUM, people.. you guys should atleast run an aftermarket water temp gauge.. not that stock SHIT.

[CKAMC]

I like expensive products... which is why I like PIVOT(and okachan)

I have heard two different deals regarding where its ideal to run the temp sensor. some of the aftermarket alum radiators have a spot for them but some have it on the bottom and others have it on the top.

cant remember the direction in which coolant flows (bottom to top or do I have it mixed up?) but for the most part i have seen bext results with reading off the top hose or top of tank.

read some post a long while back where some guy used the bottom radiator plug with aftermarket sensor and ran one off his top hose and somehow got it to work(wiring and displaying temp*s) and swore left and right it was the best method...idk that sounds like over board to me

I guess I will scan in tommarow a little heat display of good ole s15 motor.

[Yum-Yum]

yep so a week abo ago i broke my clutch fan, and it cut a hose. and today i broke my fuckin waterpump! broke clean off! so now i had to spend almost 200 bucks to get a water pump and aftermarket pulleys... ohh and a fan relay. sooo, chuck the clutch an and get electrick ones, just my 2 cents.

You probably had a damaged blade which caused an imbalance, or it was hitting something, the same thing happened to me when my clutch fan was hitting the ole heavy throttle rad hose extension kit for the KA radiator.

[JDMClifford]

accualy the fan was perfect, i think it was accually the clutch part of the fan died. and why not spend the money and get a controller that also acts as a water temp gauge and a oil temp gauge, kills 3 bids with one stone. and i am accualy going to tap a probe into the water outlet that the hose connects to so its right after it exits the motor. and hay is automaticly changes the speed of the fans depending on the tempature. sounds like a great $120 investment if you ask me.

[nrg]

with the E-fan, my temp neddle used to be above the number 2RPM.
here it is with the oem clutch fan & shroud, greddy rad, nismo thermo; with a temp of 85 outside; been driving on the freeway for 20mins.
http://img71.imageshack.us/img71/2659/dsc00555ww4.gif

[McRussellPants]

Has anyone mentioned that Electric fans are the most horrible mod ever?

All I saw was tool bag JDM clifford whining about how he blew his motor up after he ran it with a broken water pump.

Cars with E-fans can barely make it down the highway without overheating, My car has never gone above 80c at a drift event.

Mechanical Fan > Electric any day of the week.

[Kouki]

the 1 thing i dont like about the clutch fan, is that its always on.


Actually that is a very common but very wrong thought. The fan may appear to always be on but most of the time it is not. Why is it called a clutch fan??? Think about it. It has a mechanical type clutch with a coiled spring in it that reacts to the temp. When the temp rises the metal expands clamping the coil to hold tight on the fan and engages it, when it is cool the metal contracts losing its grip and allows it to slip. When the engine is running regardless of if the fan is engaged or not it will still spin, but when it is not engaged the fan only spins as an effect of the basic laws of motion. When it is cool and spinning slowly(not engaged) you could, BUT I DO NOT RECOMMEND IT, grab the fan and stop it or even spin it the other way. I'm totally not biased I actually have an e-fan on my car, but the clutch fan does work great! I only switched because I needed the extra clearance with the radiator I'm using and the stock fan would have been in the way and hit the radiator. Either fan will efficiently cool your engine as long as you have proper ducting/shroud and not a pile of shit e-fan, make sure you get something decent. But as far as flow rate, it's very hard to beat the stock clutch fan and shroud.

[ctm_motortrends]

My car has 414 Hp on a dyno I am running dual FAL fan never have I had a problem with it. I race the car Drift the car and drive the car on the street in traffic and it always runs cool. This is the best fan for the moeny also fits great on a Koyo and looks sexy with a sr20det. Heres where I got it from.

http://phase2motorsports.stores.yahoo.net/fl210elfan.html

[McRussellPants]

FAL slims are notorious for overheating at speed.

They're designed stupid so the shroud causes a high pressure zone behind the radiator at high speed.

clutch fan or bust, I had one blow up too. it was because I put it on wrong, I wager that eveyone else whos had a fan blow up put it on wrong too.

[JDMClifford]

i never said i drove the car with a broken waterpump. i replased it. im not retarted. and what! you dont need a fan after 35 mph, unless you are drifting i guess. but i dont drift so i dont care. and thats all i have to say about that dumbass post reply

wait i have to add something, if clutch fans are so great why doesnt nascar use them? they use 16" metal electric fans. and lemans cars... guess what electric fans...also if clutch fans are so great why do most new cars use electric fans? they are not cheaper so make. go to a dealership and look at all the electric fans and shrouds. im not saying clutch fans suck. they work great. but there is a reason cars are using electric fans.

[Kouki]

Well you are right, most newer cars use e-fans. Why is that you ask? Well it is because most newer cars are FWD and the engine sits sideways in the engine bay. Therefore the use of a clutch fan wouldn't work. Go look at any of the new pick-ups, what type of fan do they use? Well they use clutch fans. Especially the diesel trucks. Why is that, well diesel trucks need very good cooling, they have huge radiators and huge intercoolers. The only way they can get the flow they need is by running a huge clutch fan with a good shroud.

[ixfxi]

with the E-fan, my temp neddle used to be above the number 2RPM.
here it is with the oem clutch fan & shroud, greddy rad, nismo thermo; with a temp of 85 outside; been driving on the freeway for 20mins.

hey buddy, you do realize that the main reason your car is running cold, is not the fans.

i can spray your car with a giant binaca-blast of ice and still, the reason your car is running colder is because of one thing: lower temperature thermostat. really, i mean really.. is there a reason why everyone has to say nismo? like when people say "i have a NISMO thermostat.. or a NISMO radiator cap" i mean, the radiator cap is practically useless.. no one benefits from it really. and the lower temp thermostat keeps the car cool why? because its fucking fully open most of the time.

last, get a real water temp gauge for chrissake. whats this bullshit about "yeah my car used to go above the "2" level of my rpm gauge. How about, my car runs at 190 degrees.. where it SHOULD BE.

i mean, celcius is cool too.. but lets realize one thing guys, we're in fuckin AMERICA. save your yen, euros, and celcius for overseas. AMERICA BABY.... where STANDARD TOOLS .................... suck. :-)

[ixfxi]

When it is cool and spinning slowly(not engaged) you could, BUT I DO NOT RECOMMEND IT, grab the fan and stop it or even spin it the other way. I'm totally not biased I actually have an e-fan on my car, but the clutch fan does work great!

thank you for the lesson, most of us here should atleast, know how a clutch fan works.

if you want to prove your point, i suggest reaching-in and grabbing the fan while the car is running, to demonstrate for us how little resistance the fan actually has while spinning. it must be my imagination everytime i hear a 240sx sounding like a Bissell Vacuum cleaner when its being floored.

i mean, you already admitted that you switched over to the side of winners and have an electric fan... why do people still mention clutch fans? because they suck, thats why.

clutch fans suck, period. they're for weaksauce drivers like mcrusselll panties... because hes a woman, with a small brain.

really, its science.

[McRussellPants]

dumbass post reply.

I'm not the one blabbering on about how you blew your motor from ovreheating it because you put a clutch fan on wrong.

wait i have to add something, if clutch fans are so great why doesnt nascar use them? they use 16" metal electric fans..

You realize stock cars overheat when the don't run in free air for more than like a minute right?

and lemans cars... guess what electric fans...also if clutch fans are so great why do most new cars use electric fans? they are not cheaper so make.

Because theres no possible way to run electric? unless you wanted your clutch fan chomping the ground and the radiator to be the back of the drivers seat?


go to a dealership and look at all the electric fans and shrouds. im not saying clutch fans suck. they work great. but there is a reason cars are using electric fans.

Packaging restraints?


hahahahahaha.


E-fans are the worst mod ever if your radiator is in the stock location.

[aznpoopy]

clutch fan or bust, I had one blow up too. it was because I put it on wrong, I wager that eveyone else whos had a fan blow up put it on wrong too.

haha yep. if you put the fan on backwards the fan clutch and the fan itself don't like it very much.

my clutch actually split in half right down the middle, taking out most of the fan shroud. needless to say i haven't made that mistake again.

[rj240sx]

haha yep. if you put the fan on backwards the fan clutch and the fan itself don't like it very much.

my clutch actually split in half right down the middle, taking out most of the fan shroud. needless to say i haven't made that mistake again.

Please enlighten me, how the hell do you put a clutch fan on backwards????

[nrg]

hey buddy, you do realize that the main reason your car is running cold, is not the fans.

i can spray your car with a giant binaca-blast of ice and still, the reason your car is running colder is because of one thing: lower temperature thermostat. really, i mean really.. is there a reason why everyone has to say nismo? like when people say "i have a NISMO thermostat.. or a NISMO radiator cap" i mean, the radiator cap is practically useless.. no one benefits from it really. and the lower temp thermostat keeps the car cool why? because its fucking fully open most of the time.

last, get a real water temp gauge for chrissake. whats this bullshit about "yeah my car used to go above the "2" level of my rpm gauge. How about, my car runs at 190 degrees.. where it SHOULD BE.

i mean, celcius is cool too.. but lets realize one thing guys, we're in fuckin AMERICA. save your yen, euros, and celcius for overseas. AMERICA BABY.... where STANDARD TOOLS .................... suck. :-)

um.. listen buddy. with the e-fan; i had the same greddy rad and nismo thermostat. I take that same freeway everyday to work. I always look at the temp gauge at that same location. It was a comparision from my e-fan to the clutch fan.

thanks for explaining to me how the nismo thermostat works. :P

btw, high pressure radiator cap are not useless. They're designed to open at certin PSI to grab more coolant. There's a reason why stock KA runs .07 bar cap while the stock sr20 runs .09 bar; the skyline stock rad runs 1.4bar oem cap. nismo is at 1.4bar too. It's all about balance when you mod your car; small changes effect others.

[DJ_Sunrise]

if im not mistaken, the SR radiators cool much better than ka radiators. my setup includes sr radiator, 50/50 coolant mix, oem clutch fan and shroud, and gp sports radiator cooling panel. s14 sr boosting at 12 psi. <-- surprised no one brought these factors, or cooling panels up yet. excluding last summer which reached 100F ambient in NJ, regular to spirited running water temp on my motor is 75-82C. autox ive seen 86ish? never more.. looking at D1 silvias, and other well worked shop cars.. lots of jdm tuners keep the stock radiator, stock shroud and clutch fan. if its good enough for them, its good enough for me. if i upgrade the radiator, ill be upgrading for the bling factor more than anything...

-Bart

oh yea.. have you noticed which isle all the honda ricers shop in? big ass decals, mufflers, shopping cart wings, 14" plastic spinners, ELECTRIC FANS. all in the same isle at your favorite pepboys or autozone location. wow. what a coincidence.

to each his own. both setups work well. it just so happens that my oem shit didnt cost me any money, but runs perfectly fine.

oh btw.. the reason most OEM is now using e-fans is because fan operation shows up during diagnostic scans. OEM gets a better idea of what douche bags are doing to their cars. kinda like BMW.. check engine light comes on at 150mph, and you loose your warranty. shit like that. or toyota sienna drivers who like to change their oil every 20k miles.. anyone familiar with GEL motors?

[240DriftKid]

Please enlighten me, how the hell do you put a clutch fan on backwards????

haha i remeber i put my fan on backwords...

[McRussellPants]

haha yep. if you put the fan on backwards the fan clutch and the fan itself don't like it very much.

my clutch actually split in half right down the middle, taking out most of the fan shroud. needless to say i haven't made that mistake again.


yeah, I dunno about putting it on backwards, that would be pretty intense.


I just tightened one side too much too soon and it got wedged on at an angle, screws backed out, shit got wacky.

[CKAMC]

DJ_Sunrise: OEM looking radiators yes... you should take a good look as you will find quite a few yashio and other oem looking radiators(take a look, see how many have metal tanks, and none of that plastic crap).

yes most of them do run clutch fan out there, should see some of the spacing idea's they use (closing in the gap between the shroud and fan to make the space tighter than what it is).

The key still is shrouding, if you want to see the gains from using an electric fans then do it correctly. If you want reliability, then SERVICE your clutch fun.

I really should do some scans... but I am lazy(and no one seems to want/care), need to find a review on cheap vs expensive radiators... I am sure there are better designs than koyo at a reasonable price.

[McRussellPants]

GTR fan is an improvement.


also people cut the top with a vented hood.


if i wasn't broke and I actually cared I'd get the bottom shroud peice that no one has.

[Gnnr]

if i wasn't broke and I actually cared I'd get the bottom shroud peice that no one has.

That probably has a lot do with why my engine bay being so dirty. Haha.

[nrg]

oh yea.. have you noticed which isle all the honda ricers shop in? big ass decals, mufflers, shopping cart wings, 14" plastic spinners, ELECTRIC FANS. all in the same isle at your favorite pepboys or autozone location. wow. what a coincidence.

to each his own. both setups work well. it just so happens that my oem shit didnt cost me any money, but runs perfectly fine.

oh btw.. the reason most OEM is now using e-fans is because fan operation shows up during diagnostic scans. OEM gets a better idea of what douche bags are doing to their cars. kinda like BMW.. check engine light comes on at 150mph, and you loose your warranty. shit like that. or toyota sienna drivers who like to change their oil every 20k miles.. anyone familiar with GEL motors?


um.. some cars have e-fans because they dont heat up as much. I've played with many cars and the sr20 runs the hottest out of any b/d/h/k series honda motors i've seen.

toyota sienna changes oil very 7-10k miles i believe. Same goes for my parent's 06 honda odyssey. Do you know that the factory oil change for newer BMW is around 15k?

[DJ_Sunrise]

sienna's change every 5k, the point is people are idiots, and OEM designs cars around those fucktards.. its funny how many new motors come back as GEL cuz people think they can drive their cars for 2 yrs without an oil change.. *sigh*

-Bart

[Gnnr]

um.. some cars have e-fans because they dont heat up as much. I've played with many cars and the sr20 runs the hottest out of any b/d/h/k series honda motors i've seen.

toyota sienna changes oil very 7-10k miles i believe. Same goes for my parent's 06 honda odyssey. Do you know that the factory oil change for newer BMW is around 15k?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but its my understanding that Honda motors having and open deck design allow them to run cooler. Is that right?

[nrg]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but its my understanding that Honda motors having and open deck design allow them to run cooler. Is that right?

HA HA HA.. You A Winner.

[CKAMC]

ok calling an sr hotter than most other engines is a real broad "apples to oranges statement"

ok will post up a scan now with that statement being said.

[Gnnr]

HA HA HA.. You A Winner.

Uhh, just asking a question. I remember reading something to that effect somewhere. :rolleyes:

[aznpoopy]

Please enlighten me, how the hell do you put a clutch fan on backwards????

it's quite easy. it's only meant to spin in one direction, but you can flip the faces and it still fits. i was installing it in the dark with no lighting trying to slap shit together as fast as possible. dumb mistake. it actually lasted for a few months like that.

yeah, I dunno about putting it on backwards, that would be pretty intense.

the fan clutch actually split in half, dumping the viscous fluid everywhere. the fan itself destroyed the shroud and bits and pieces of everything were dragged along the ground for a block or two. all kinds of crazy noises were heard. some decent sized chunks were ripped out of the fan itself, but it survived. i'm actually still using it. O_o

[240DriftKid]

it's quite easy. it's only meant to spin in one direction, but you can flip the faces and it still fits. i was installing it in the dark with no lighting trying to slap shit together as fast as possible. dumb mistake. it actually lasted for a few months like that.

yah when i did it and when i was like WOT the belt would screech the fan was rubbing a lil. i even told myself okay i better not put this back on the wrong way and i still ended up putting it backwards. but yah i guess my fan clutch i got from autozone was defective cuz it was leaking fluid. i returned it and got it right now. this was awhile ago tho...