How old is your radiator?

 

Why do you want to get rid of the clutch fan? It pulls more air than an electric fan and is likely the cause of your overheating, 6K is a lot to pull with a Dakota, I for sure wouldn't want an e fan setup for that.

 

About 2 months old, was replaced after the coolant flushes to ensure no debris got lodged in it.
Power. Even if the HP gains are somewhat negated by the draw from the e-fan on the alternator, the immediate throttle response improved significantly when the clutch fan was removed. Also, the sound, truck sounds much better without that small airplane noise coming from under the hood due to the clutch fan.

 

If it stays cool while driving you don't have enough air flow threw the rad at slower speeds. What is the cfm of the fan you installed? Getting rid of the mechanical fan may be an issue when wheeling(mud/dirt get in the e fan).

 

https://ffdynamics.com/products/ols/products/dakext8704
this is the fan that went in there. I'm also believing it could be the fan, magnethead above did say it should be enough and I have to admit FF dynamics was somewhat thorough when asking my intended purpose ect when i ordered. I also emailed them for their opinion.
Seeing as how others have had good luck with the ff dynamics fan and Magnet Head above saying it's as good or better than the Lincoln one many others have used makes me want to ensure the rest of the cooling system is doing its job and I'm not missing something, although I don't believe I am.. lol

Want to exhaust all possibilities before going back to clutch fan and writing off the several hundred spent on e-fans, the way the truck performs with the e-fan vs clutch is significant and would hate to go back enless I absolutely have too.

The wheeling I did yesterday btw, was light, some sugar sand with a couple burnouts in it but mostly just trail riding. Def no dirt got in to block anything.

 

You old one might have been stuck, It shouldn't be that bad until it is warmed up enough to engage fully.

 

Here's some of the problems I've seen with custom fan installs over the years.

Have you verified that the fan is blowing in the correct direction? A fan blowing the wrong way would cool just fine when parked, and when vehicle speed forces more air through the radiator than the fan can force back, but at low speeds when the fan can overcome normal airflow it'll overheat. Simple enough to check, and it wouldn't be the first time someone wired them up backwards.

How are you controlling the fan? I don't see anything on the site on how they run the fan. It's possible the fan isn't getting full power.

Also, is the fan shroud sealed against the radiator? Air, like electricity, will follow the path of least resistance. It's easier to draw air through a large side gap than through the thin grid of a radiator. Likewise, if there's not enough space between the back of the radiator and the shroud, the shroud may actually be blocking off a large part of the radiator. I like to see 2 inches between the back of the radiator and the front of the shroud.

I agree on losing the clutch fan. I've been removing them from everything I buy that has a clutch fan. Not only does it increase power off the line, it improves fuel economy by only putting a drag on the engine (via alternator) when the engine actually needs extra cooling help. Air conditioning also works better at idle since the fan's speed is independent of engine RPM. Plus, dropping all that weight off the front of the water pump help the water pump last longer.

 

Going the right way, did the paper test when I first installed to be sure. Seems to pull alot of air.
Came with a relay and fan controller with adjustable temperature settings. I believe only 1 strength, wired directly to battery power with a key ignition fuse to ensure only running when key is in. Starts at temp I set, and when AC is engaged.

Has a partial shroud, I was concerned it wasn't a full shroud b4 I ordered, this was their response "It will be built 16x20, so the top 16" of rad covered, leaving approx 2 1/2" on the bottom open and approx 1 3/4" on each side open. This leaves enough rad exposed so that natural airflow can pass around our system and through the radiator at speeds over 25mph.

Thanks!
FFD"
The shroud itself is aluminum with a rubber type seal around the edges to seal the shroud against the rad.

I'd say there is about 2inches from the rad to the fan, give or take half an inch.

 

Checked it today, Cap says 20 on it.

 

Just saw another thread that may have a similar problem. Could my AC system be a potential culprit here? I assume that if it's running far too hot at the condenser that I'd then be pulling that super heated air across the rad preventing proper cooling of the coolant??

My AC system is... likely lacking. It blows cold but it was inoperable for almost 6 years (no freon). I replaced the condenser as the old one had a leak, refilled the system and got nice cold air but wondering if it's working far to hard and causing some of these overheating issues? Thoughts?