i drove my 67 today in 107* heat and the temp gauge didnt even get to the middle. if it works why change it? some empeegees mehbeh ;D

 

I can't find it, but I remember a HOT ROD mag article from 12, 15, or maybe 20 years ago when they did a test utilizing different types of fans. Thermo-clutch fan was the winner by far.

Not scientific, but I just started my 39, and simply stated at idle, when cold, (before the fan clutch even kicks in), it moves (a lot) more air than my son's 3,000 cfm electric. It Just does...

I am not saying that electrics wont work, and I am not saying that electrics won't work just fine, I am just saying that a well thought out mechanical fan WILL move FAR more air than any electric, and it will do so for less money, and less hassle (on a Mustang or similar car, not so for a Honda)

I will stand by this statement.... Because it is true, and common sense says so...

 

I'm curious as to which one works better for low speed driving or sitting in traffic.

I would think that a good electric fan would move more air at idle or low RPM since the mechanical fan isn't spinning very fast.

I currently have a flex fan and want to move away from it. I am considering a thermal fan clutch or an electric fan. The problem is, I only have less than 3 inches of space for a fan. Will a fan clutch setup fit in this tight space?

Part of the reasons I was thinking about electric are that when its cold weather you don't need the fan much at all and on the highway you don't really need it either.

My 95 F150 has a thermal fan clutch and even when its cold the fan still spins and does move some air.

 

Im bored so ill chime in a bit more.

I like my electric fan for about 3 main reasons.
1) I does its job of keeping the engine cool even in high temps at idle
2) It is quite reliable
3) its is very efficient. During a trip over 80 miles from a specific point A to point B the fan never came on once the entire trip with air temp at 90...if the air temp had been 100 it would not have come on once either. It seems dumb to me to spin a 4 blade fixed fan with massive amount of pitch for 80 min at 2600 rpm shaft speed while it accomplishes exactly nothing...a 100% waste. This is the main reason I got rid of it and went electric. The train story works well here: Some will say that the steam locomotive will get something like 1 mile on 1oz of coal (or some crap like that) they say its better than the modern DE (diesel electrics) and argue that it should be brought back. Despite all the complex data that explains this to discover the answer one must ask only a simple question: what is the goal of the railroad?? To make money! how often do I see a Steam engine pulling cars? Zero... the answer we arrive at through deductive logic is we don't see steam locomotives because they don't work as well (make money as well) as a DE.

Now we can apply this to mechanical fans vs clutch or electric... when did I last see a modern car produced with a mechanical fan...zero. that says a lot right there. Really that's probably the best argument against mech fans you don't think engineers thought about this???? Be it a KIA, Toyota, BMW or Porsche the engineers of each all came to the same conclusion and I doubt it was to save money in manufacturing in fact I bet the reverse is true...it cost way more to make an electric or clutch system yet they still make the electric setups simply because they are that much better.

But I digress. the above is an average and these classics are hardly average and I'm willing to bet in some cases a stock fan is the best solution.

SO. the question stock or clutch/electric for me??? The answer is simple knowing how you drive if you have ever considered switching or look at that stock fan and asked yourself "humm dang that dont look like such a good idea should I change it?" or if you have posted on this form asking if you should switch then by all means switch. its really that simple.

-Gun

 

My '06 truck has a mechanical fan from the factory ......

I think the discussion centers on electric v. thermo clutch, not electric v. fixed 4 blade. A thermo clutch fan would freewheel just like your electric one did on that 80 mile jaunt.

 

Wow what model truck I haven't seen a fixed fan setup on anything modern.

I put clutch and electric in the same category which of those is best is totally based on user preference alone.

 

I thought about addressing that earlier this morning but then decided not to, so thanks for bringing it up. (I was only going to repeat the core of my argument because I think it is enough)

A clutch fan will move more air for less money than any electric, for less effort, and with no sacrifice of reliability.

IMO, electrics are used on most OEM cars for lots of reasons, I don't think reliability over clutch fans is one of the reasons.

IMO they are mostly used because....

1. The water pump (fan mount) is not in the right place on most newer cars. Even where a transverse mounted engine is not used, hood lines, and radiator placement relative to the engine does not allow the use of a mechanical with lots and lots of late model cars.

1a. Because of "synergy" considerations among different car models, electric fans are more common on ALL cars, whether a mechanical will fit or not.

2. Car makers want to drag every 1/10th of an MPG out of a car, I concede that an electric may help MPG slightly.

Speaking of OEM.... anyone ever notice that OEM's often use two or even three fans on their cars? Of the units with only one fan often the fans are two speed and/or variable speed.

Even among these OEM makers, the electric fans are not as trouble free as their mechanical counterparts, (at least in the climates I have lived in), and imo the aftermarket fans and controls are lesser than their oem counterparts.

A few years ago Jim and I put good electric fan and a "high tech" variable speed controller on his 66 with a 408. It "does the job" and the fan has not failed but the controller has failed twice now. The first time it failed the fan would not come on, this time it wont turn off so Jim has to connect and disconnect it. He has about $300 in the fan and controller, and another $150 in the already replaced controller... I could replace the controller with a more economical thermal switch / relay, but why? for less than $100 a good thermo-clutch and fan will make the setup reliable for years and be less marginal in the summer heat.

Cause and effect? Early on, after the fan was installed, but before the hood was put on, the engine temp on this car ran about 185, after the hood was put on the temp jumped a full 10 degrees and even 15 or 20 degrees when it is hot out... Why?

Would a fan that moved more air help this situation? I think so...

"Bang for the buck" and "ability to cool",,,,,, clutch fan>electric,,,, every time in an old Mustang....

Certainly this is my opinion, I hold a lot of unpopular opinions.. Another opinion of mine is that if our government keeps spending half again it's receipts every year we are headed for serious trouble. Opinions should be weighed with common sense.

Again, IMO, A well installed and well selected electric fan CAN AND WILL work just fine, but a clutch fan will move more air for less money, and as used on these old Mustangs, there is virtually no downside.

Damn, I meant to keep this short and sweet... <lol>

 

im not sure what bang for the buck means to you but I have less then $60 bucks in my Taurs fan and relay that i dont KNOW a mechanical fan couldnt keep up with. A replacement motor is only 22 bucks, still under the price of thermo mechanical fan.

 

For the same $60, (if you shop around) you can get a new clutch fan... what do you think for used $15 or $20? I will have to admit to not knowing, but $15 or $20 sounds about right...

No matter what, a mechanical fan has a more powerful motor....

 

I could do that.............and my car would run hot again. I have a electric water pump, but either way, I will never use a mechanical fan again.