fan clutch? is it necessary???

any particular fan or setup thats good? What about if im on a budget? Also, how do you wire it so it turns on when your car turns on




oh and some guys stole one of my clint eastwood avatars a while back so i had to change it to this one, good thing i have like 5 of em, nonetheless i was still pretty pissed that someone stole it...
 
latham83 said:
yea dude i think i wasted my money on a HD fan clutch..i dunno everyone said it should be impossible to spin after its hot? should it? when i shut off my car its not like extremely loose but u can turn it easy..and when its cold its like harder to spin?? wtf....i spent like 80 dollars on that..and 40 on the stupid fan blades..ugh...
im sorry to hear you dont like the set up (i think i might have been one to recommend it). the fan should not be impossible to spin; it will be more difficult when hot vs when mildy warm (when bone cold, the silicone is so viscous, it can seem tight).

so how do the warm characteristics compare with hot? also remember that the clutch is tuned for a stock system (195*), so it might not lock up till later than the aftermarket stat you might run (it does not actually lock up, IME though - just a fair amount more resistance).

it is very important how a fan clutch is stored - im wondering if you could have gotten one that was improperly stored before you got it.

good luck with it - it should work well (stock set up really flows pretty well, in my experience). i am in 110* heat pretty often.
 
deft - you don't want the electric to run all the time the car's running. Part of the benefit of an electric is that it only runs when the coolant temperature requires it to.

Most folks use temperature switches and relays to wire up their electric fans. From the sound of your questions, you'd probably ought to ask a buddy that's more comfortable with electrics to help you with wiring your first one. However, I use this control device -- www.dccontrol.com. Not only is it the best, it's the easiest to wire up. You also need to be certain you get a fan(s) that have enough capacity to keep your engine cool. Many people on a 'budget' end up buying the cheap, no-name fans only to find that they won't do the job. A sure way to spend even more money is to not do the job right the first time. You could end up buying parts twice - worse yet, you could end up overheating your car - and that can get REAL expensive. Buy a good quality fan - you rarely hear folks with the Lincoln MKVIII electric, the Taurus 3.8L fan, or the SPAL twin 11" fan complaining about them.

Oh - and be sure your alternator is up to snuff. Depending on the fan and the controller you'll need a bigger alternator than the stock 65A unit. I use the dccontroller and a SPAL twin 11" unit and I can get by with a 95A fan. If you use relays/switches with any decent fan, you're gonna need a 130A alternator.