Budget E-fan setup, will it work?
#21
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: South Georgia/East Florida
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I have the Extreme 180. Amp draw is very low for a 3300 cfm fan, about 18 amps. Other than the slight hum, which my exhaust drowns out unless I'm idling, I'd never know when it kicks on.
It comes in it's own shroud, but I mounted that shroud in the stock shroud. It's almost a perfect fit (on a 3rd Gen anyway) and just screwed thru the sides of the stock shroud into it's shroud to mount it. The kit comes with everything you need down to controller and temp probe.
I've also helped two friends install fans out of a Ford Taurus (do a search, tons of info) and they work well, have about 2600 cfm and are dirt cheap either on ebay or at pick 'n pulls, but they pull a ton more amps than the Flex-a-Lite. I've never measured, but I'd guess over 40A.
It comes in it's own shroud, but I mounted that shroud in the stock shroud. It's almost a perfect fit (on a 3rd Gen anyway) and just screwed thru the sides of the stock shroud into it's shroud to mount it. The kit comes with everything you need down to controller and temp probe.
I've also helped two friends install fans out of a Ford Taurus (do a search, tons of info) and they work well, have about 2600 cfm and are dirt cheap either on ebay or at pick 'n pulls, but they pull a ton more amps than the Flex-a-Lite. I've never measured, but I'd guess over 40A.
#22
I run those fans.. fwiw- I run two of those fans.. One pushes and one pulls.. They are mounted offset.. remember my truck is a third gen so it is a little different than 'yalls.. The pusher is mounted on the outside of the rad, on the far passenger side.. the puller is mounted on the drivers side, still inside the factory shroud..
here is my logic, again- fwiw:
I went cheap on the fans, but didn't skimp a bit on the wiring and controller.. I look at the fans as consumables.. they simply won't last for a terribly long time. I bought them off of eBay, and for under $20 each..
I got the controller from Summit, and dropped about $50 or so- or maybe it was $70.. It is the flex-a-lite, with separate 'channels' for each fan, and a **** adjuster for the selected engage temperature. I have the **** set about 1/8 turn from cold.. It works great.
2750cfm rating is deceiving- and the temperature of your truck isn't something you wanna eff with- so, I dualled up on them.. In a pushing mode you lose a good bit of flow- which would have dropped the box cfm rating from 2750 to 2200 or so... But the other side is pulling 2750 still- those numbers have huge environmental variance.. I'm not running anywhere near warm, so they are good for me.
I still carry the clutch fan in my tool box, just in case.. It's not like it will be too difficult to slap on there if a problem arises..
I rate the efan near the top of my list for mods.. Off the line torque was pumped by at least 20ftlbs.. at least.. but the biggest motivator for me was cooling that engine while backing a load or trailer.. Any time I've come close to overheating was in that situation.. those things flat out eliminated that concern.. plain and simple.. the gain in hp/tq was just a bonus for me.. the slight bump in mpg was nice too..
When the engine nears the temp where the fans kick on, I catch myself, to this day, watching and listening- but anyway, when they kick on the needle dives back to the cooler side very quickly.. As in, there is a helluva lot of air moving through that rad.. I'll tell you this- there is a helluva lot more air moving through that rad than the clutch fan ever produced.. It has been said that the clutch fan moves upwards of 4500cfm.. I've got that beat with two of those fans you linked.. I could likely get by with one.. I'd rather not try it though..
If one fails, the other should carry it.. If the other fails too- or if the controller soils the sheets, I have the clutch fan in the toolbox- it would take like three minutes to put the thing on.
here is my logic, again- fwiw:
I went cheap on the fans, but didn't skimp a bit on the wiring and controller.. I look at the fans as consumables.. they simply won't last for a terribly long time. I bought them off of eBay, and for under $20 each..
I got the controller from Summit, and dropped about $50 or so- or maybe it was $70.. It is the flex-a-lite, with separate 'channels' for each fan, and a **** adjuster for the selected engage temperature. I have the **** set about 1/8 turn from cold.. It works great.
2750cfm rating is deceiving- and the temperature of your truck isn't something you wanna eff with- so, I dualled up on them.. In a pushing mode you lose a good bit of flow- which would have dropped the box cfm rating from 2750 to 2200 or so... But the other side is pulling 2750 still- those numbers have huge environmental variance.. I'm not running anywhere near warm, so they are good for me.
I still carry the clutch fan in my tool box, just in case.. It's not like it will be too difficult to slap on there if a problem arises..
I rate the efan near the top of my list for mods.. Off the line torque was pumped by at least 20ftlbs.. at least.. but the biggest motivator for me was cooling that engine while backing a load or trailer.. Any time I've come close to overheating was in that situation.. those things flat out eliminated that concern.. plain and simple.. the gain in hp/tq was just a bonus for me.. the slight bump in mpg was nice too..
When the engine nears the temp where the fans kick on, I catch myself, to this day, watching and listening- but anyway, when they kick on the needle dives back to the cooler side very quickly.. As in, there is a helluva lot of air moving through that rad.. I'll tell you this- there is a helluva lot more air moving through that rad than the clutch fan ever produced.. It has been said that the clutch fan moves upwards of 4500cfm.. I've got that beat with two of those fans you linked.. I could likely get by with one.. I'd rather not try it though..
If one fails, the other should carry it.. If the other fails too- or if the controller soils the sheets, I have the clutch fan in the toolbox- it would take like three minutes to put the thing on.
#23
Using nice round numbers for the sake of argument, let's suppose you can spend $600 to get your 10MPG truck to make 11MPG. It's only one mile per gallon, but it's a 10% increase in fuel economy. So instead of a maximum range of 260 miles on a 26 gallon tank, you can now go 286 miles. The 26 mile difference is like getting another 2.6 gallons of fuel for free at each fill-up.
At three bucks a gallon, that's a payback of $7.80 per tank. If you're going through a tank a week, you'll hit break even in less than a year and a half, and be keeping the difference in your pocket with every fill-up afterward.
If gas goes to $4/gallon as is predicted, break-even comes along at 58 weeks.
If you double your investment to $1200 and get 2MPG out of it, break-even happens on the same schedule but you save more afterward. If gas is at $4/gallon, and you use a tank per week, over the course of a year that 2MPG will save you over a grand. ($1081.60 to be precise.)
It looks like a pretty darn good idea, to me.
#24
I didn't want to get into that Unreg, but I don't mind sharing- my mileage went up about 1~1.5mpg.. It's a great mod. It's easy and it's quick- and the gains all around make it well worth it.. I have about $120 total in my rig- that is using the flex housing, heat shrink, solder, tape, 10 and 12ga wiring, zip-ties, fan and controller.. I'm certain it's paid for itself several times over..
oh- and relay.. I used a 40a relay, and it is fuse protected- always fuse and/or relay protect power hungry critters..
oh- and relay.. I used a 40a relay, and it is fuse protected- always fuse and/or relay protect power hungry critters..
Last edited by drewactual; 01-23-2011 at 05:06 PM.
#25
#26
i ran a e-fan for a little bit,, loved it, nice tq and what i liked was out in the sticks the passing power was better for me
the only reason i when away with it was i have a licon mark111v or whatever fan, i pulls alot of amps, alot
and at a stop lights a/c up fan on the fan would kick on and that alt would just drop to low for my liking
i now have under drive pullys that i run when im not useing the a/c
this is a mod that i would love to revist, but i will need more money, to find a high cfm fan or fan with a lower amp draw
also had thought on a ctd alt they put out more amps but i just dont want to frie sum thing
the only reason i when away with it was i have a licon mark111v or whatever fan, i pulls alot of amps, alot
and at a stop lights a/c up fan on the fan would kick on and that alt would just drop to low for my liking
i now have under drive pullys that i run when im not useing the a/c
this is a mod that i would love to revist, but i will need more money, to find a high cfm fan or fan with a lower amp draw
also had thought on a ctd alt they put out more amps but i just dont want to frie sum thing
#27
I run the same set up as Hammer and it works well.Only like 260 bucks includes everything I needed.I still need to put the shroud back on but I will wait till Im done with the plenum,headers and maybe heads before I do.
Here is where I got mine.
http://moesperformance.com/index.php...42c61b341fb750
Here is where I got mine.
http://moesperformance.com/index.php...42c61b341fb750
#30
i ran a e-fan for a little bit,, loved it, nice tq and what i liked was out in the sticks the passing power was better for me
the only reason i when away with it was i have a licon mark111v or whatever fan, i pulls alot of amps, alot
and at a stop lights a/c up fan on the fan would kick on and that alt would just drop to low for my liking
i now have under drive pullys that i run when im not useing the a/c
this is a mod that i would love to revist, but i will need more money, to find a high cfm fan or fan with a lower amp draw
also had thought on a ctd alt they put out more amps but i just dont want to frie sum thing
the only reason i when away with it was i have a licon mark111v or whatever fan, i pulls alot of amps, alot
and at a stop lights a/c up fan on the fan would kick on and that alt would just drop to low for my liking
i now have under drive pullys that i run when im not useing the a/c
this is a mod that i would love to revist, but i will need more money, to find a high cfm fan or fan with a lower amp draw
also had thought on a ctd alt they put out more amps but i just dont want to frie sum thing