What size electric fan would I need to replace my clutch fan? How many CFM? Does anyone have info on a direct fit kit? Brands? Any info will help.

1997 Dakota Sport 5.2L Automatic w/AC and tranny cooler and tow package

Thanks all.

 

Taurus fan off a 3.8 does a good job

 

Jondakotaguy sent me this a few days ago:

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...3-8l-efan.html

Not the same engine but it will give you a good idea as to what is involved.

 

Yeah; there is another for the smaller engine; you should not have to move anything that I can think of being there is a hudge gap between the Rad and the engine;; they got plenty of room for the fan..

For the bigger engines like the 5.2L and so.. there is not a lot of room so you have to make a bunch of modifications; for those engines; there is another solution, buying a Chevy HHR fan off Rockauto.com for like 30-40 bucks then your controller.. I'm actually about ready to do this once i get paid again..

Here was the link:

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...ontroller.html

According to the guide it almost fits perfectly except a few inches on the bottom; and you really want a good shroud.. to really help pull through the air; just as if you take your shroud off your Mech. fan it will reduce its effectiveness.. same goes for electric fans. And this HHR Fan gives just that. There is some debate about the effectiveness being these fans are for little 4-bangers around on other sites; but I think the best response Ive seen thus far is the comment on how these little cars have no real vents in teh front and these fans have to pull enough air to overcome that.. just to show how well usable they are. This seems to be the best bang for your buck really with minimal modification.

The guide shown used a DC Controller but there are some cheaper ones out on summit racing by Flex a lite and some others.. just gotta choose carefully.

 

Thanks for the great info everyone.

The HHR fan sounds like the way to go. What did the controller cost? Total investment for the conversion was? I am thinking about the conversion if I can talk the little woman out of the money so I need a good estimate of cost.

Exactly where and how did you install the temperature sensor? You couldn't splice into the temperature sensor on the engine?

Any idea of mpg boost from the modification? Curious about pay back time frame for the investment.

 

Here is picture of HHR install. I used a controller from Summit Racing. It is adjustable and you can see the temp. probe at the top left of the radiator. There is no payback, just a little more hp, and no noticeable mpg difference.

 

So the temperature probe just slides between the radiator cores in the fins. So you saw no mpg gain, that is interesting. That was one of the reasons I was considering the conversion was to try to boost mpg by lowering the drag on the engine from the clutch fan. Nice installation, you rivited the brackets to the fan?

Thanks.

 

Yes I made the brackets out of 6061 aluminum and just riveted them to the housing. I have a lot of other things done to my truck, so I really didn't notice a difference in mpg, but I did notice a difference in acceleration and power. I have the 3.9 and my mileage is 21 highway and about 18 around town.

 

The DCControllers used are kinda expensive. I've been looking at the ones from Summit; Flex-A-lite ones . If your looking for the fan to turn on with the AC on and all that then you might consider the DCController or one of the more expensive ones from summit; other than that.. a simple toggle switch on/off if you don't mind manual operation.

I did find this one it says it has everything it needs; I dont see the controller it self in the photo but Summit assures me that its there lol..

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/FLX-31147/ -29.95

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=1990720 -53.79

So you talking under $100 buck upgrade.

there are also some on E-bay a little less for the fan or you could browse local junk yards and see if you could find one.. maybe see if you can get one cheaper.

 

I'm still working the kinks out of my HHR/DCControl fan install. I need to move the temp probe further up the side of the radiator and I need to tweak the switch on temp setting. Plus I still need to hook up the A/C line to the controller so that it runs at 50% while the A/C is on.

So far everything has worked just fine through the Winter and Spring time but I suspect I may need to move the probe up near the top of the rad. It's just to low in the radiator right now to sense the temp perfectly.

What I do like about the DC Controller is the soft start and slow run. If the truck gets a bit above the temp threshold then it turns on softly and just kind of runs slow until it's cooled down again. But if the engine temp keeps rising then the fan runs faster and faster until the temp detected requires full speed. And at full speed it is moving a lot of air I just don't know how many cfm's or how it compares to the Lincoln fans.

My biggest fear this summer is towing my two ATV's up the 11,000ft. pass at 70 mph and then getting stuck in all of the traffic on the way down. If the HHR fan passes that test then it should be fine for any type of driving.