Aux. Electric pusher fan

[Trooper1276]

Today I installed an electric pusher fan. Here is how it went....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54965061@N04/7761791332/

I have replaced just about every cooling component in the Bronco and it was running very cool driving down the road. Freeway temps around 180 degrees. The only times I would have trouble would be in very bad rush hour traffic. So in my infinite wisdom I decided to add an Auxiliary pusher fan that would turn on when the engine started to heat up.

Went down to O'Reiley's and picked up a 10" pusher and then went to Auto-zone and got a fan controller that would turn on at an adjustable temp and also had an A/C switch for when I get some air installed. All went well with the install. I started at 10:45 and had the truck running again by 12:30.

The Fan is an extremely tight fit! I had probably 1/32 clearance on the hood latch. Everything worked as advertised and wired up nice and neat.

I then started the bad boy up and let it idle.....

Heated up quicker than normal and the fan came on at 160 degrees at the temp sensor. I adjusted the relay to try and get to turn on at around 190. Things continued to heat up... got up to operating temp and then I went for a drive....Driving down the freeway temp stayed at around 210. When I stopped it went up to 230 very quick. I was running around town with the temp gun and all the reading were accurate. I am very disappointed . I really thought I had it beat.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54965061@N04/7761794578/

I have just returned from undoing everything and now I'm back to Square one.

I would never have quessed that that fan would block that much air and run 30 degrees hotter!

I think next week I will try a smaller pulley....

 

[TwoDalesDad]

I would pull the mechanical fan off the engine..then install all electric fans. I WOULDCONSIDER INSTALLING AHIGH OUTPUT WATER PUMP ALSO. I used chemical that was added to the water/coulant. Its supposed to lower running temps by 30degrees.....and in my motorhome it sure seemed too as we floor it pulling grades and it stays 190. I would startthere asit is cheaper than other upgrades...

 

[bronconut73]

I had a similar "running hot" but not over heating problem. It would get up around 215° F pretty quickly.
I replaced everything in the cooling system. Four core radiator, high flow water pumps & pulleys, fan cooled tranny cooler with no tranny fluid running through the radiator, as well as adding an auxillary electric fan like you (trooper) and only electric fans like two tales dad.
In the end none of that completely fixed the problem.....I mean this is an off road vehicle that needs to have a cooling system with enough balls to overcome some gnarly off roading scenarios right (?). So hovering around 210° F just cruising around the neighborhood is just not acceptable.
After all of that timduste and money chasing this problem my Mallory Unilite distributor bit the dust. I called up Jegs and got me one of their ready to run billet distributors. Installed it and readjusted the carb. It now will not run over 162° F! No matter how hard I drive it!
Isn't that amazing!
By the way I chased this "running hot" issue on my '73 for over 12 years never knowing my Unilite was over advancing and my Holley TA was running too lean.

 

[nvrstuk]

I'm assuming you never checked your total advance with your old distributor before it died? What's your static timing and total advance now?

 

[bronconut73]

My static with the Unilite was about 10 ° anymore than that and I would get knocking and pinging when I accelerated. 351W with a lopey cam, rhoades lifters and 9 to 1 compression.
With the new unit my static timing is at 14° (a big difference?) because that is where I got the highest vacuum signal after adjusting the carb. I never really knew how to adjust my mechanical advance on the Unilite and it seemed to do fine for over a decade. The Jegs ready to run billet distributor uses springs and I messed with the ones that came with it until it seemed to accelerate best without knock and ping.
Seems great.
Does all this sound good to you?
I can't believe how cool she runs now. I need her to run extra cool now since I have nearly completed my Vintage a/c install which will bring on more heat in to the cooling system than I have now.

 

[bronconut73]

I'm assuming you never checked your total advance with your old distributor before it died? What's your static timing and total advance now?

NVRSTUK Did you see my response?
I am here to learn so let me know if I am off track. It wouldn't be the first time I was little off track haha.

 

[bronconut73]

Today I installed an electric pusher fan. Here is how it went....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54965061@N04/7761791332/

I have replaced just about every cooling component in the Bronco and it was running very cool driving down the road. Freeway temps around 180 degrees. The only times I would have trouble would be in very bad rush hour traffic. So in my infinite wisdom I decided to add an Auxiliary pusher fan that would turn on when the engine started to heat up.

Went down to O'Reiley's and picked up a 10" pusher and then went to Auto-zone and got a fan controller that would turn on at an adjustable temp and also had an A/C switch for when I get some air installed. All went well with the install. I started at 10:45 and had the truck running again by 12:30.

The Fan is an extremely tight fit! I had probably 1/32 clearance on the hood latch. Everything worked as advertised and wired up nice and neat.n

I then started the bad boy up and let it idle.....

Heated up quicker than normal and the fan came on at 160 degrees at the temp sensor. I adjusted the relay to try and get to turn on at around 190. Things continued to heat up... got up to operating temp and then I went for a drive....Driving down the freeway temp stayed at around 210. When I stopped it went up to 230 very quick. I was running around town with the temp gun and all the reading were accurate. I am very disappointed . I really thought I had it beat.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54965061@N04/7761794578/

I have just returned from undoing everything and now I'm back to Square one.

I would never have quessed that that fan would block that much air and run 30 degrees hotter!

I think next week I will try a smaller pulley....

BTW. When I tried the smaller pulley I was warned to be careful with a high flow water pump and a small pulley as it may create too much flow at high rpm. I have a flowkooler high flow water pump and a smaller waterpump pulley with a larger crank pulley from BC Broncos. I have no adverse effects from this set up and it runs really cool. See below....

 

[bmc69]

I have a pusher on my 408 that was such a brutal PITA to get to cool properly. Howver, I never use it except when crawling hard on trails; the mechanical with shroud handles the regular cooling duties the rest of the time. My experience with an all-electric solution was terrible; it was OK idling or at very low speeds but quickly overheated on the open road.

 

[graniteguy]

is it possible you had the air blowing the wrong way on the e-fan?

 

[Trooper1276]

Fan

The fan was blowing the right way. I checked it several times before installing it.

With the fan in place the engine ran around 210 and would heat up at every stop light. Now that I have taken it off she runs around 185 and still creeps up in heavy traffic but she cools down very fast once I get moving again.