I read somewhere that removing your clutch fan will increase HP and in so doing, fuel economy.

I was wondering whether or not you would absolutely have to put a 180 thermostat on if you removed the fan. Or whether I should just try it out and keep an eye on the temp to see whether it needs a lower thermostat.

Has anyone done this?

 

Well you really need some kind of fan over the radiator!! Most people who take out the mechanical fan typically put in an electric fan to replace it. I've never heard of someone just removing the fan altogether! What about when the truck is sitting still at idle?!?!

And it is true that depending on the fan, some big, heavy mechanical fans have been dyno shown to rob 15 horsepower when engaged (which its not engaged all the time). Obviously, that number varies, but a typical electric fan will consume less than 1 horsepower from the engine while runnning.

I have an electric fan on mine wired through a relay to a switch on my dash so I have full control over it.

 

ive done this as well as a lot of people i have the 4.7L v8 with a electric fan stock on it
removed mine a couple months ago and its gotten 100+F here with 100% humidity and ive got the stock tstat, no 180* one. my gauge gets to about the middle then the efan kicks on and it in turn goes back down
so no it is not necessary to put a 180* tstat in BUT it does depend on ur driving, i drive mainly rural roads 60mph+ but if u sit in traffic a lot u might as well put the 180 in just for peace of mind

 

yea^. durring highway driving the temp stays exaclty where it was with the clutch fan. stop and go traffic if will go up a little. as long as you are moving it keeps it cool enough.

 

Yeah my truck has an electric fan and a clutch fan. the only problem i'm getting to now is trying to figure out how to get the shroud off so i can get to the clutch fan lol. I'll go ahead and not replace the t stat right now and just see how it does. was is a recognizable difference in HP when you did it?

 

i kept my shroud on while i removed it. and the engine is quieter and just revs quicker.

 

i don't know how much hp u'll get but its worth it.
i took a 5 hr trip upstate w/ tons of traffic and everything
stayed cool w/ 80* weather. do it, you can always put it back on easy.

 

Only problem with leaving it on is I can't get to the front of the fan. Unless the thing your supposed to take off is the nut between the pully and the fan. In that case I'll be able to.

 

just answered urself lol, the nut is attached to the fan, i used a c-clamp to hold the pulley in place (clamp wedges itself on the water pump to keep the pulley from spinning) then used a big *** wrench to get the nut off 1-1/2"

 

sweet! lol I don't know a whole bunch about engines. All I know how to do is hook up systems lol