How would i test my current fan to see if the clutch is still functional? its a stock 85 5.0 fan....HISSIN50 said:I am with 79Pace - go with a clutch style fan. It is more effective than a flex fan IMHO anyhow.
The choice on clutches is up to you. I run a HD unit but some people like the SSP version instead, while others just use a stock replacment Ford piece (it is said that the Ford units dont lock up as tight as aftermarket and HD units, so there is less parasitic loss). But it takes parasitic loss to make a mechanical fan move air.
Good luck.
I dont post the test because it is pretty subjective. And I will preface this with saying that I dont know of the differences in the fan design on your '85 vs my '88.85GTKid said:How would i test my current fan to see if the clutch is still functional? its a stock 85 5.0 fan....
Well to start my cars fan is metal and has a metal something which i always assumed was the "clutch"but i have been looking at some post and it looks like some of the newer aero nose cars had plastic fans? Either way i dont see where there cold be silicone in my fan....looks like more research is in orderHISSIN50 said:I dont post the test because it is pretty subjective. And I will preface this with saying that I dont know of the differences in the fan design on your '85 vs my '88.
Basically, for a thermal clutch (like aero foxes have), with the car off (DUH), if you spin the fan by hand on a cold motor, the fan should spin easier than if you do the same test on a hot motor. There are spin tests, where you try and count revolutions, but how hard you spin the fan makes a difference (the subjectivity I mentioned earlier).
Other things to look for are silcone leaking out of the hub of the clutch. A lack of silicone will affect the lock-up of the clutch (the thermal spring in the clutch modulates the flow of silicone through an orifice to control lock-up).
And otherwise, running hot at idle, but not at other times, does suggest a fan issue. If the old clutch looks original, it is probably high time to replace it (as you know).
Good luck.
The aero foxes had plastic fan blades stock, but one can replace it with a metal replacement (I did and it works well).85GTKid said:Well to start my cars fan is metal and has a metal something which i always assumed was the "clutch"but i have been looking at some post and it looks like some of the newer aero nose cars had plastic fans? Either way i dont see where there cold be silicone in my fan....looks like more research is in order
So if i wanted to replace with another clutch fan which is betteR? the plastic or metal? They must have switched for a reason?HISSIN50 said:The aero foxes had plastic fan blades stock, but one can replace it with a metal replacement (I did and it works well).
There would not be silicone in your fan, but rather in the fan clutch.
Good luck.
The fan blade and fan clutch are separate items.85GTKid said:So if i wanted to replace with another clutch fan which is betteR? the plastic or metal? They must have switched for a reason?
And it is not a flex fan just the stock 85 one
wild86stang said:To answer your original question, I have the exact fan from the previous post (Flex-a-Lite) and it works fine for me. I live in Ohio, but I drove the car around southern Florida for a few weeks on a vacation. It did fine in stop-and-go traffic. That was with the stock thermostat too. It was cheap and an easy install.
What are the specs of your fan? Size etc. I would need a reverse rotation correct?wild86stang said:To answer your original question, I have the exact fan from the previous post (Flex-a-Lite) and it works fine for me. I live in Ohio, but I drove the car around southern Florida for a few weeks on a vacation. It did fine in stop-and-go traffic. That was with the stock thermostat too. It was cheap and an easy install.
Serp belt for 85s and even my friends 83HISSIN50 said:I had thought that an 85 would have V -belts rather than a serp belt, ergo it would use a standard rotation water pump and the fan would need to be the same. Like I mentioned earlier, I dont have an 85 though and I very well could be wrong. It was worth mentioning.
I wont comment further, as I am not a fan of non clutched fans. In the heat here, they do not cool as well as a clutched fan.
Good luck.
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