E- Fans for FC's
 

Alright folks Im looking for you word on e-fans ( For FCs)
good? bad? And what needs to be upgrade to take the extra juice to the fans. Stronger battery? Higher output alt ? Any recommendations ? This will be put on a car driven daily and spirited driving.

Not as good as the clutch fan. If your clutch fan works properly don't touch it.

^^+1 Mike. If it Ain't broke, don't break something else trying to upgrade.

If you are gonna replace it make sure it flows OVER 2100cfm...You'll need to get a relay and a 30 or 35 amp fuse (i got a breaker), DO NOT LET IT RUN ALL THE TIME or you'll kill your alternator. ALSO NOTE: you'll need a good shroud to ensure proper flow through the radiator...

Too bad you didn't ask when you got the flywheel, I would have shown you how I wired in the Fiero fan (with built in shroud). Less than 50 bux for that setup. I have mine on a thermoswitch but I don't like it's location...I'll be dealing with that when your motor goes in the NA though.

If you go the Fiero route make sure it's from the GT (V6) for correct cfm.

I grabbed a fan from the early 90's Ford Taurus SHO. The fan fits my koyo rad almost perfectly. I have it wired to a coolant temp switch with a relay as well. I like it. It works well, and it unclutters the engine bay. Makes working on the car much easier as well. I also have a FD alternator so I've got lots of power to run it. Another fan option if you really want to keep the car cold is the fan from a newer police interceptor Crown Victoria. You have to do some trimming to the shroud, but they will fit in the car. It full power though they draw over 40A so be aware if you go that route.

The biggest reasons to upgrade your electic fan:
Your clutch fan is dead - If stuck in the engaged position it is no big deal, mine has been like that for years. If stuck in the disengaged position, you should do something ASAP
You want that empty look when you open the hood
You want an excuse to upgrade to an S5 or preferably an FD alternator
You like wiring in all its forms.
There have been conclusive results on the 'other forum' that an electric fan helps your WHp on the dyno. This could be yet another reason (some are still sceptical).

:suspect:

I bought a $40 16" fan from Sherco-Auto, looks like a spal, could be built by Spal, but it's universal. Never had a problem, they say it flows 3000 cfm, it could, never bothered to have it tested. A draw is minimal.

There's nothing wrong with the clutch fan, especially if used on a good rad unless you've got a reason like NoDOHC pointed out. Personally, I would've kept the clutch fan if I could.

here's a question:

Why is it that you NEVER see a clutch fan on a new car nowadays?

Maybe it's because it just takes up way too much space for the proper shroud/fan combo?

And, why is it that cars like the FC and the Volvo 740 have these tiny engines, yet collossal engine bays, and cars of today have V10's stuck into engine bays sized for a Civic?

A rotary is soo small, yet stock, the engine bay is so full of crap, that it's difficult to work on it. I am personally all for minimizing this problem, no matter the cost.

http://bdc.cyberosity.com/main.php?g2_itemId=15624

theres this fan setup... seems pretty promising

1. Most new cars today are FWD, with the engines mounted transversely. E-fans are the only option in this case.

2. For all the modern RWD cars out there that don't use clutch fans, it's because: (a) modern cars already have beefier alternators than our 20 Y.O. FC's do to support all the electrical gadgets the market expects today, so it's much easier and cheaper to integrate e-fans into these cars from the start. (b) Given that modern cars already have the electrical system to support them, an e-fan offers less parasitic losses (better fuel economy) and may even be cheaper to produce (less belts/pulleys/brackets needed), and a well designed e-fan offers lower noise/vibration & harshness (NVH) characteristics.

like everyone else said, the FC alternator was designed for the electrical load the car came with. fans draw a fairly large amount of amps, so a better alternator is required. (FD alt i believe does the trick?)

but yah, a SHROUDED stock fan is best. they flow way better than most e-fans out there, and use less power (clutch disengages at like 3k rpm)

Some of us only need an e-fan when sitting static though ;)

True. And....

Alot of new model trucks and certain longitudinal engine setups still use fan clutches because they are very reliable and require no outside control. Also, a big part of it has to do with how the engineers set up the engine accesory pulley and timing system. To use a fan clutch there has to be a strong mounting location for the fan such as a water pump, and not all cars have them front and center and at the right height to mount a fan.

**Also, space can be a determining factor like in a FD... That setup (radiator mounting and intercooler) doesn't lend itself to using a fan clutch. Which came first? Losing the fan clutch? Or engine bay setup?... The world may never know.

The only reason I went to E fan on my car is because the stock one wouldn't clear the turbo, doh!

lumina van efans fit damn good.

alternator alternator..... I still say wtf? I got a new S4 alt and an Optima Yellowtop. My car runs just fine, no problems, so what do you mean? If it's such a big deal, then maybe I should have a bigger problem with it on my old pos car?

I think the problem might be elsewhere, like the rest of the stock corroded ass wiring in the 20yo charging system? Clean that shit up, yo, and your car will work just fine.

PS: I am recently noticing just how much people overthink all this shit.... and never fix the real problem. You upgrade to an FD alt, but what good is an FD alt when the wiring connecting to it is still really shitty?