Mark VIII vs. Taurus fan, pics for anyone trying to decide which to get

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

I got out a spare radiator and was sizing things up trying to decide how i'm going to mount it and thought i'd take a pic of the Taurus fan next to it for everyone to compare it to.

View attachment 333751


The best thing (i think) about the MVIII fan is that the shroud is almost perfectly sized to cover the whole radiator...about as good as you can expect from a junkyard. The down side is that it's really "thick" and if you're running a supercharger or something that takes up front-engine real estate then it'll take up too much space. You might also have issues with a thick 3 core radiator that sits further back than the stocker. I'm gonna look into using the Mark VIII radiator as well if the plumbing is right and if it'll fit. It's only a 1 core but if it'll cool down a DOHC 4.6 then it should be good for a mild 302.

The Taurus fan is a little thinner but requires a lot more trimming to get the shroud to sit flush on the radiator (really important IMO if you're gonna use it...it helps to distribute air throughout the radiator). Otherwise, my buddy figured out a way to suspend the fan without the shroud inside his stock fan shroud...it's a pretty cool setup and since the stock shroud fits the radiator perfect, it utilizes the air better than you'd get with the Taurus shroud.

Anyways hope that helps someone. IMO get the Mark VIII fan if you can get your hands on one. It pushes way more air and fits better in most cases.

 

[92mustanggt509]

i have some taurus fans, but they are double fans. i wonder if they work as good without a cover

 

[tmoss]

I agree about the Mark fan - only one I'd use again. I used a cutoff wheel and trimmed about 3/4" off the shroud.

 

[Rick James]

Did you upgrade your alternater for this?i have just put on a new alternater(stock replacement)i was thinking about getting a mk8 fan but when i put my lights on the gauge drops down pretty good and expect that the fan will probably kill my battery and leave me stranded somewhere.I dont know if the factory gauge is accurate or not as far as the charging system .

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

Yeah i've got a 3G and Optima Yellow top.

 

[tmoss]

I did a 3G also - and I use a variable speed controller - the dccontroller.

 

[cenok is family]

i need to get an E fan. where can i get a dccontroller, tmoss? and i'm assuming you have to have a 35A relay or something like that too, right?

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

i need to get an E fan. where can i get a dccontroller, tmoss? and i'm assuming you have to have a 35A relay or something like that too, right?

I've got an 80amp that i originally bought for my Taurus fan but it'll do for this one too. I'm just using one of those manually adjustable fan controllers. It's basic but you can set it to come on at whatever temp you want.

 

[7-UP BILL]

The SVT contour fan (1999) fits even better than the Mark VIII, and is a dual fan to boot. W/DC Controller it can't be beat. See it at www.Cardomain.com Search Fyrfyter303.

 

[tmoss]

I bought it a few years ago - Brain Baskin now sells then through links on this site or Coral, I don't know which as I have not seen it since the old site shut down. I'd try a search maybe.

 

[DMAN302]

I ordered a replacement fan for 92-93 taurus 3.0L engine...same motor as the 3.8 with fewer blades. Running a DC controller myself I can say with a fairly solid HCI car in 100 plus degress my taurus never ran 100 percent fan speed for more than a minute or two max on any given day...and temp was rediculously steady. I can only imagine what a mark8 fan would do. Here's the mock up I used on an old rad so you can see the limited size of the taurus fan...mark fan covers FAR more area. However the taurus fan is available at 70$$ brand new out of the box from any auto parts store.

 

[hunster87]

taurus fan

dude i got the taurus fan thermostatically controlled and i have not yet replaced the stock alternator. the voltage regulator sucks and the bearings are bad. i have it on low and drive it around phx, az a lot and keeps it cool as hell. (need to replace the alternator but o well)

 

[gregsmy]

Can someone supplt the outside dimension on the that taurus fan? I am looking for something to use on my project.

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

Can someone supplt the outside dimension on the that taurus fan? I am looking for something to use on my project.

Specifically what dimension do you need? The size of the shroud or diameter of the blade?


BTW i'm not bashing the Taurus fan....they're badass, i'm just pointing out that the Mark VIII is that much more badass. Either one is plenty sufficient for most Mustangs. I've got a friend who's running a turbo setup (hot as hell) with a Taurus fan and he doesn't have any cooling issues even with a stock radiator.

 

[gregsmy]

The outside dimensions of the shroud. Like what size (length and width) is the outside of rectangular shroud not including any mounting brackets. Also for the Lincoln as well if you dont mind and how thick are they from mounting surface to back of motor. My 36 Ford truck is going to have to have an electric fan due to clearance issues and I would like to see if either of these would work with the radiator in it. Thanks

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

Taurus:

22 7/8 wide with the side tab brackets that it mounts with from the factory
20 3/8 wide side to side at the shroud
17 1/8 tall
4 3/4 thick, but that was kinda tough to measure...i'd say in the neighborhood of 4 1/2 to 5 thick


Mark VIII:
22 inches wide, i didn't even bother with the brackets on this one because i don't know how you could use them
19 inches tall
5 3/4 thick, again that's a rough estimate. This one definitely needs some trimming of the shroud "depth" from the radiator because it comes so close to the water pulley.


The thing i really don't like about the Taurus is the shape of the shroud...it has some gaps in the shroud that don't sit flush on the radiator...kinda hard to explain without pics. That combined with 1000cfm more air flow on the Mark VIII and less trimming is why i'm going with the Mark VIII. I've actually got 2 Taurus fans i'm selling locally. I got them for about $15 at the pull and pay which makes for a ridiculously cheap fan upgrade on a stock 5.0, but they charge the same for any electric fan so why not run the better fan right?

 

[gregsmy]

How much on either fan do you think you could trim off to gain more clearance between it and the water pump?

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

That's a good question....i haven't looked into that myself. Obviously you can't have the fan hitting the radiator. I've heard around 1 inch is enough for the Mark VIII and i think the Taurus already fits but it's a close squeeze. I think the only problem would be if you have a really thick 3 core radiator or supercharger pulleys up front.

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

I agree about the Mark fan - only one I'd use again. I used a cutoff wheel and trimmed about 3/4" off the shroud.

Hey Tom, i'm about to trim mine down, are you certain you only cut 3/4 off yours? How's your fan-to-radiator clearance after that? I'm assuming you're not using the stock radiator right? The stocker has that thin metal rod that i guess is there for extra support or something, i think it's gonna have to come off because the blade is going to come in contact with it if it stays on.


Can anyone else touch on this? I don't wanna cut off too much and ruin it.

 

[tmoss]

wasn't a problem for me - I cut the shroud only enough to clear the pump pulley and I notched the shorund for the rod - everything cleared on mine.