Cooling advice...

[rbonella]

I'll try to make this as short as possible, my 357 has had cooling issues (fine when driving) but stuck in traffic in 100* midwest humid heat...temps start to rise. I have a 3 core aluminum rad, 180 stat, factory clutch fan w/factory shroud and most important...FACTORY ALT!
I know markIII fans will hover on the floor because they are so powerful, but they draw 80amps on start up and settle to 45amps at full blast, taurus etc fans are pretty close. I know my alt will not be able to handle the start up spike. I know dcc has variable controllers and relays that will slow start up on these fans and offer the best control of fan speeds BAR NONE, but they are pricey. Spal makes great fans, but again $399 and up for some of their fans?
I have heard about problems with crap magic fans and such not lasting. I would like to remove the clutch fan and shroud and run an electric fan only, I have no problems if the fan was routed to a 12amp in-car switch routed towards the fuse box and manually operated...no big deal. But with that option, is a 3g a must, or would a solid 130 or so alt do the job with the spike it will receive? I am looking for great cooling (180* all day) ease of installation, and cost effective.
I have done a ton of research on this, and some guys are spending damn near $7-800 on an electric fan install
-Spal fan $$, dcc controls$$, 3g$, aftermarket catch can$, and time=$

Another option could be to buy a slim elec fan, flip wires to make it a pusher, mount it in front of rad w/factory turbine fan/shroud and run it to a in-cabin switch and call it a day. That would be cost effective, but no hp gain, and I'll have to keep the ugly fan/shroud.
What are you guys having success with? I know there are a lot of options and routes I could take, but I want to keep this an easy install/simple/cheap/ and effective as possible. Would a 3g handle a markIII Spike and my stereo blasting? How much are 3gs?

Sorry for all the questions, but I need a real world working solution. Iam in the process of piecing together port work on my heads, custom cam from J. Allen, and TFS R intake and I don't want to blow all my money on cooling
Thanks

 

[Mustang5L5]

Well, if you don't mind using junkyard parts, you can pick up a 3G alt and a taurus or M8 fan from the boneyard for well under $100.

Remans 3G's from parts stores are in the $100 or so range I think. Been a while since i priced one out.


I run one with an SN95 fan and it has more than enough power to do the job. I don't run the controller, i just have it wired to be on 100% of the time with a toggle switch to manually turn it off. I am thinking of changing this though because on a recent drive on a 75 degree day, i managed to drive around for an hour+ with the fan turned off and didn't realize it because the temps never rose above normal. So i'm convinced i no longer need the fan all the time.


How is your factory fan clutch? Is it loose? Does it freewheel when you spin it with the engine off? I don't really think an E-fan will outpull a factory clutch setup, so i'm not sure if a e-fan is the cure of your problem. I just wonder if your clutch fan just isn't spinning as fast as it should at idle because it's worn and slipping too much. Also, a copper rad is more efficient at removing heat due to the higher thermal conductivity of copper vs Al....but i'm sure you really don't want to swap out the radiator.

Also, you aren't running pullies? Are you?

 

[giddyup306]

First things first I'd pull off the radiator cap and make sure I have good coolant flow...

 

[rbonella]

I am not running pullies, but I just checked to see if the fan spins freely with the motor off and it does with a little bit of resistance, but not much. Common sense would tell me that the clutch is slipping a bit. What's normal? No spin at all, a lot of resistance? How do I fix this?

 

[rbonella]

I have good coolant flow w/ no leaks.

 

[RydeOn]

This is a low speed cooling issue. You could either buy a new fan clutch or upgrade to electric fan. A new fan clutch is $70 + whatever other pusher fans you want to mess around with. But, converting to an electric fan setup does not cost 7 or 800 dollars.

wiring - $60
alternator (95 mustang) - $85
contour dual fans (v6,svt only) - $140
dcc unit $140
billet overflow tank - $25

Total is $450 for all new parts, shop around. The mkviii fan would be perfect for your windsor engine.

 

[Mustang5L5]

I am not running pullies, but I just checked to see if the fan spins freely with the motor off and it does with a little bit of resistance, but not much. Common sense would tell me that the clutch is slipping a bit. What's normal? No spin at all, a lot of resistance? How do I fix this?

If it spins freely, then the clutch has failed. Normal behaviour is for the fan to not spin freely at all and turn with mild resistance. basically you can turn it east, but as soon as you let go it stops. You'll need a new fan clutch. This would be the cause of your low speed cooling issues.

Replacment fan clutch is around $70, but autozone has one for $40.

You can either go this route...or convert to e-fan.

 

[rbonella]

Wow, I'm glad this was figured out, thanks man! I can handle $40-70 at autozone. This really makes sense, I hear the hd clutches can be VERY loud, but loosen over time. I will probably opt for the standard factory clutch cause I like things to be as quiet as possible but still function. That saves me a lot of work and money...I like the simplicity of the mech fan too