Electric Flexlite Fan Now not running as cool

[91five-o]

I have recently installed a flexlite black magic extreme fan and now my car runs a fair bit hotter then it did when I had just an ordinary flexlite fan. I have run it with the new supercharger with the normal fan and now with the electric fan due to clearance issues and it does not run as cool as it should what could be the possible problem has anyone else experienced this same issue.

 

[seijirou]

What temperature is it running at?

 

[HISSIN50]

Is the fan controller working right?

 

[91five-o]

I believe the fan controller is running correctly. How would I be able to tell? The car is running just below the line that is above the the halfway line on the stock guage.

 

[Michael Yount]

First place to start trying to analyze the problem is to get some good data. That's gonna require you to get a real gauge.

What kind of controller do you have? What is the temperature set point? What temperature t'stat do you have in the car?

 

[90lxfoxbody]

hmm, does the black magic extreme have the same temp control setup as the black magic?

 

[91five-o]

I have a 160 tstat and the temp is set as low as the controller goes being 160.

 

[Michael Yount]

Well - if you have the fan set at the same temp as the t'stat, it's gonna run all the time ---- kind'a makes one wonder why you bothered with a controller....

The fan temp should be set 5F-10F ABOVE the t'stat temp so that when you're under cruise and enough air is moving across the rad to cool the car, the fan will be off. And without some solid temperature data from a real gauge, it's pretty impossible to know what's going on.

About the only thing you can check is operation of the fan -- with it set at the same temp as the t'stat - once the t'stat opens, the fan should be on all the time. If that's not happening, then something's either wrong or at least inaccurate with the controller. And even that assumes the t'stat is operating like it should. Have you checked the operation of the t'stat with a thermometer and a pan of boiling coolant on the stove?

How does the controller work? Where/how does it sense temperature? When you're under cruise for an extended period of time, does the temp come down?

 

[91five-o]

The temp does come down as I am under an extended cruise. It senses temp by a temperature probe which is inserted through the foils in the rad beside the inlet hose to the rad. The fan is not on all the time but is pretty close to that. I have not checked the tstat function as it worked fine right up to when I replaced my belt driven flexlite.

 

[Michael Yount]

Well, without actual temperature data - it's pretty much impossible to trouble shoot. If the temps aren't coming down to the t'stat temp under extended cruise, then you either have a problem with the radiator, the t'stat isn't working properly or something is interfering with airflow across the radiator at speed.

 

[91five-o]

Well what are the increments of on the stock guage if I knew I could tell you the temp.

 

[HISSIN50]

Well what are the increments of on the stock guage if I knew I could tell you the temp.

That is the point - the stock gauge is simply too inaccurate (by design) to interpolate.

Even a 10 dollar parts store stat is tons better. You can run with it sittin on the passenger seat for a few days if you dont want to install it permanently. But it (or datalogging, or some other means of grabbing real temp values) is the only way you are going to know what is going on, to even know if there is an issue other than a controller adjustment.

Good luck.

 

[stang8urimport]

I'm waiting for the from MY.

 

[86bluecobra]

this is quite normal for guys going to a black magic electric fan i would say. Any amout of mods to the car and the black magic fan is inadiquate. i believe it even says it is only for 300 hp. A fan off the water pump pulley will always cool better (ok i know there are some insane electric fans but for the most part guys buy cheap ones) then the electric variety.

 

[seijirou]

I don't understand the 160 t-stat mentality. It's too cold for the motor to operate properly. Espeically if it's fuel injected. And a thermostat can only make an engine run hotter than it otherwise normally would, not colder.

Get a real guage and see what your operating temperature really is. The stock guage is about as accurate as turning the heat on full blast and guaging temperature with your hand.

 

[91five-o]

Point taken.....I'll get a temp guage and start from there. Seems there are differences of opinion about using a 160 thermostat. Any thoughts on this ?

Ian

 

[Michael Yount]

I wouldn't use one - there's downside to running the car too cool; they're less efficient and wear/tear on components are greater. I'd get a 180F t'stat in it - that's what I run in mine. My fan set point is 187F with a 180F t'stat. So the fan only comes on when I slow down enough to limit air flow across the rad; conversely, when I speed back up, fan goes off. Coolant temps in the 180-190F range are safe and efficient; oil temps in the 210-220F range are just about perfect; and the coolest intake air you can find --- those add up to good all around engine performance.

Here's what I control with -- only way to control an electric -- www.dccontrol.com

By the way, there's a reason that your fan is nicknamed "Black Tragic" -- lots of people have problems with them moving enough air to cool their V8's.

 

[SamSnyder]

It's my opinion that electrics just can't cool as good as a correctly working mechanical fan. I did a conversion on a 94 Caprice from the factory mechancal fan that's part of the HD tow package to the factory twin electric fans stock on all others, including the Impala SS, and even with a reprogrammed computer turning them on at a lower temp, they just didn't do as good a job. And those are BIG electrics -- 100/240 watts. Guess that's why the mechanical fan is mandatory on the tow package. Don't get me wrong -- the electrics definitely yield a better seat-of-the-pants feel. But the only real solution if you want to keep the electric is to get a bigger radiator too. And I agree -- 160 is too cold on a small block Ford. 180 is where it's at.

 

[Michael Yount]

Sam - almost every car out there today is cooled by electric fans. Ironic that their development came hand in hand with the move to transverse mounted engines and fwd 30+ years ago -- when it became difficult to drive a mechanical fan 'cause the engine was turned the 'wrong' way. Nevertheless -- probably 15+ million cars and trucks a year are now built with electrics. The manufacturers didn't do that because a mechanical fan cools better. Fans just move air. The air doesn't know how the fan is being turned. The design changed because 1) the options for control of air movement and temperature control (especially important for fuel economy and emissions) are much greater with electric fans, and 2) the price of them came down with increased demand. And they're more efficient. Not only do they take much less power to turn than a heavy mechanical, they're off a lot of the time consuming no power at all. And with the variable speed controllers available today -- they only take as much power as necessary to keep the car at the set point.

Best of all - they run hard when you need it most (idle) and not at all when you don't need it (cruise). Just the opposite of the archaic mechanical fan -- it moves the least air when you need it most (idle). In fact, this is where the efficiency of electrics comes from. A mechanical fan has to be sized to move the correct volume of air at VERY low engine speeds. Consequently, it's much bigger than it has to be IF you could spin it faster when the engine is at low speeds. Just what the electric accomplishes.

But-that's what makes the world go 'round. You and I have different opinions of mechanical and electric fans.

 

[04sleeper]

I agree with Michael on his last 2 posts 100%.

And as far as Mechanical VS Electrical on Mustangs:

I had a brand new mechanical fan with a brand new fan clutch and it still did not cool as well as the SN-95 electric fan I put on. And I only had it hooked up to the low speed side of the fan.