Fan options?

[ATPTac]

After seeing this thread: http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?115661-Turbo/page2 I was wondering if anybody actually had any experience or luck with any reliable alternative fan options. I found a few other threads that were talking about fan clutches and electric fans but the threads died off several years ago without any long term results posted. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough? I know that the power difference would be nominal, but every little bit helps. Plus better engine temp control in the colder months, and possibly warmer months.

Maybe this is a long shot and not worth the trouble/money that would be involved but I figured I'd see if anybody knows of any options with actual results or knows of any threads that didn't dead end. I think my eyes are starting to bleed from reading through various threads and haven't really found anything conclusive on long term results.

 

[Hottrodd789]

Check this site out http://www.electricfanengineering.com/app_truck_turbine_electric_fans.html

 

[patracy]

I would say that a pusher and puller setup with a shroud should work. Have you considered a clutch fan setup? Best of both worlds.


http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?65862-900-series-fan-clutch-on-a-LDT-deuce/page2 Post number 28.

 

[ATPTac]

I would say that a pusher and puller setup with a shroud should work. Have you considered a clutch fan setup? Best of both worlds.


http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?65862-900-series-fan-clutch-on-a-LDT-deuce/page2 Post number 28.

That was actually the thread that got my thinking on this. I just never saw any follow up to reliability especially with trimming the fan blades... My truck has 1100x20's on it right now and I'm wanting to eventually single it with 395/85/20's, and when I hit hills it falls flat on its face, so any little bit of power gain would help. I met up with wb1895 this past weekend (thanks for the help with the truck btw Walter) and he said its pretty normal for Deuce's to bog down on hills. This truck is going to eventually end up in the mountains on and off, and I'd rather not be going 20mph up a hill holding up traffic. Either way, I'm intrigued by the potential use of a clutch fan to try and free up some power.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Have you done the other stuff that makes a big difference first? Have your injectors tested and shimmed so they all are with in the spec-ed psi? Installed a pyrometer and adjusted your fuel? When was the last time you washed the air filter, or installed a new one? Mil-spec filters are washable.

 

[ATPTac]

Well, we've only had the truck for a little over 2 weeks. So I haven't really gotten a chance to do much of anything to it minus fix a few leaks and replace the fuel filters. I was looking through the receipts from the previous owner and saw that he had the fuel turned up, but the truck doesn't have a pyrometer. So I'm a little nervous about that, but I would assume if it was turned up too much there would have already been problems present already (it was done in 09 from what I can tell). The air filter isn't too dirty, not sure which type it is. I just discovered a pretty decent coolant leak coming from somewhere towards the rear of the engine (where I saw the puddle), so I need to get that taken care of before I start doing anything else with the engine.

Speaking of filters... My primary fuel filter was one of the washable full length ones. The only thing is that it seems to be some king of plastic. I was under the impression that the washable fuel filters are typically ceramic. So I have no clue what that is, unless its a really thin ceramic that feels/sounds like plastic. There is a part number stamped on it, I'll have to take a picture of it and post it up here tomorrow. All three of the filters on the truck were filled with quite a bit of sludge and other undesirables , so I'm glad that's done.

Thanks for the replies so far!

 

[DrillerSurplus]

That was actually the thread that got my thinking on this. I just never saw any follow up to reliability especially with trimming the fan blades... My truck has 1100x20's on it right now and I'm wanting to eventually single it with 395/85/20's, and when I hit hills it falls flat on its face, so any little bit of power gain would help. I met up with wb1895 this past weekend (thanks for the help with the truck btw Walter) and he said its pretty normal for Deuce's to bog down on hills. This truck is going to eventually end up in the mountains on and off, and I'd rather not be going 20mph up a hill holding up traffic. Either way, I'm intrigued by the potential use of a clutch fan to try and free up some power.

When the Deuce is grinding up a hill is when the fan clutch should be kicking the fan on since you will be pulling near maximum power and not much speed for airflow over the radiator. On the civilian trucks I've driven (300-500horsepower), the amount of noise when the fan kicks in makes me think it takes a fair amount of power to run the fan.

The web site for electric fans that Hottrodd789 mentioned in post #2 looks pretty interesting but they say it will work " provided the engine is under 450 hp and benefits from ramcooling." I'm not sure what they mean by ram cooling and I'd guess there isn't much of it when you are crawling up a hill. Has anyone installed electric fans on a Deuce or bigger?

 

[gimpyrobb]

Those white plastic filters are the newer version of the old ceramic filters. I have some of them. I have been able to clean them with brake cleaner. I am not sure I like them as much as the older ones though.

 

[steelypip]

The web site for electric fans that Hottrodd789 mentioned in post #2 looks pretty interesting but they say it will work " provided the engine is under 450 hp and benefits from ramcooling." I'm not sure what they mean by ram cooling and I'd guess there isn't much of it when you are crawling up a hill. Has anyone installed electric fans on a Deuce or bigger?

Ram cooling basically means that the radiator isn't so buried that there is little/no passive airflow over it. Most older vehicles only need a radiator fan up to about 30 MPH because above that ram air pressure is sufficient to force air over the radiator. I would be surprised if a deuce needed a fan at all above 40 MPH. The trick is, of course, that they spend a lot of time below 40 MPH, and for that you need a lot of CFM of fan-generated airflow.

The aardvark Kenworths and many other newer trucks have a small amount of frontal area to improve highway fuel economy. They need the fan running up to about 50 MPH to keep the engine from turning into slag. That would be a lack of ram cooling.

 

[Squirt-Truck]

I have a thermal clutch on a 5-ton and it is the way to go. The adapter is simple, but not sure of the fan to radiator clearance on a 2-1/2.
For what its worth, I did run one of the electric fan engineering units for several years. Did just fine except at high engine speed (2300 or up) and under heavy loads of 30 to 40,000# truck and load. For normal operation was just fine. Not near enough ram cooling for a 5-ton and I bet not enough for a 2-1/2, remember these are down-flow radiators not cross-flow.

But. . . . I also insist that the truck run at 190-200F, which is what I consider fully warmed.