I have seen a few people mention converting your radiator fan to electric in order to gain a little power (free it up I suppose). My question is has anyone done it and if so was it worth it. I know the fan would run around 150 $ or so. I'm guessing there is some control unit for it as well. Also is it as simple as removing the old fan and clutch and just leaving the pulley?

 

Yes, you just remove the fan clutch with fan, water pump pulley has it's own bolts that hold it on.

Volvo fan in to Ranger conversion here: Volvo Electric Cooling Fan

You can spend as much or as little as you want.


Yes, this conversion is one of the few things that adds power AND increases MPG.
Mechanical fan spins regardless of radiator/engine temp, so uses power and fuel, not much but not 0 either.

E-fan does use alternator power, but only when cooling is needed, not full time

 

I did catch wind of one Ranger owner having their truck go up in flames after dong an efan swap. I do not know the particulars of his/her instance, but know that there is a risk of fire if you don't do it right. Hopefully someone knows what I'm talking about.

 

Yea something like that Volvo conversion is what I was looking for, Though I'm not too sure about the dual speed part. Looks like more things to break kinda thing.

Wow that sounds unfortunate, my main concern is having enough cooling and reliability. The wiring shouldn't be too hard for me and I know that twisted wires wrapped in electrical tape is not the right way to make a connection...

 

Just throwing an idea I had out for opinions. What if I did a dual fan system, no shroud / directly to the radiator. This would still cover the majority of the radiator but would also allow for freer air flow at speed. For redundancy I would connect each fan to its own control and have an override switch (more of a just because thing) to turn them both on. I would probably find the two biggest diameter fans I could and would go for around 15,000, to 25,000 cfm each. Then have the one on the passenger side of the truck (which is where my aux trans cooler is) come on about 10 degrees cooler than the the other.

 

I suppose total load on the alt. becomes a concern as well. I know the alt is rated at 95 amps, and two fans would be around 30 amps max I believe... so 95-30 = 65 left to run the truck, though I would not want the alt. to be maxed out so I would say 55 amps left for the truck... hmm not sure how realistic that is as I honestly do not know how much the truck draws.

 

You definately want to keep the shrouds. The shrouds provide something akin to a pipe, directing the air for maximum efficiency. You might be able to take a dual fan with a shroud from a Buick Rendezvous, or something like that.

As for the alternator, a wise upgrade would be to ****** a 130 amp alternator from a junkyard and swap that in place. I got my 130 alternator off of a 95-01 explorer then had it tested at Advance Auto Parts to confirm it was working properly. Of course, if you would rather, you can buy one on rockauto too. I hear more powerful alternators exist too, 200 amps or better but I bet those are pricey.

 

I realize what the shrouds do, but I question the need. A shroud on a single fan at 3,000 cfm which theoretically covers 100% of surface area, or two shroudless fans mounted directly which could cover aprox. 42% of the same space and net roughly 13% more air flow (1x10inch, 1x12inch). All while allowing more air to flow at speed because the shroud is gone.... I'm not saying you're wrong for saying I should keep the shroud, just giving you a little bit of a glimpse at my reasoning.

These are the fans I am thinking of Aftermarket Performance Engine Bay Radiator Cooling Fan

I prefer new of used for reliability

 

I suppose it I went with one fan of the 16 to 18 inch range with one auto switch and one manual I would still have a redundancy on the switch and could possibly use my existing shroud. I also my not need a new alt. then. But getting my desired airflow may be a bit of a challenge.

 

The radiator fan, mechanical or electric, is only needed at lower speeds, driving above 40mph pushes more air thru rad than a fan can.
Which is why removing the mechanical fan frees up power and makes for better MPG, it is hooked up all the time but only needed part of the time.

Shroud allows the fan to pull air thru the whole rad surface, so you don't end up with hot corners and edges while idling, and in the case of fan clutches it gets the fan locked faster since air can't be pulled from the side, it can only be pulled thru the radiator.
Fan clutch is warmed up, and locks, by the radiator's heat

But even e-fans benefit from shrouds, a fan will pull the air that is easiest to move, if it is close to the radiator then some will be pulled thru the rad, some from the side, with a shroud all the air is pulled thru the rad, corners and edges.

You will probably want a 130amp alternator.
An alternator rating is at 2,000 rpm, so 95 amps at 2,000 rpm, engine rpm.
At 650rpm, engine warm idle, alternator is usually at 35% of rated output.

Ford has already done the math for you, if your vehicle does have a 95amp alternator then it has enough amps, at warm idle, to run all the stock electrics, heater fan on high all lights on.
95 amp would be 33amps at idle
130 amp would be 45amps at idle

Extra 12amps for the e-fan at idle

 

Correct and at higher speeds the shroud builds pressure on the opposite side of the radiator which in turn slows flow. How much? I don't know, more than likely it is just a small percentage of the actual airflow. It is a thought though.

I would put the fan literally on the radiator thus its own enclosure should direct the airflow through the fan.

Even so I'm sure they would allow a little extra. If the 33 amps is the max at idle then it is probably safe to say that the truck and all electronics can use 96% (4% safety factor is probably as low as they would go) that means the truck is capable of demanding 32 amps at idle... so yea. That is just more expense though.

On another note pro tuning labs was unable to provide me with accurate specs for any of their fans so I will not be using them. I like the idea of getting one from a junk yard for money but not sure about it otherwise.

 

When you mention mounting, I get the feeling you want to bolt it through the fins of the radiator itself.

If this is the case, kiss your radiator goodbye. Even if it doesn't kill it outright, the vibrations, heating and cooling cycles, as well as the potholes in the road will all contribute to the radiator springing a leak.

A word on junkyard parts, though. I see where you're coming from, and I often feel this way about many parts myself. My junkyard alternator for example, I was hesitant about actually getting one from there and not online. It may come as a surprise that brand new or reman parts can come dead right out of the box, too; some parts more frequently than others.
One thing to consider, though. Let's say you decided to buy the fan you want from say, for example, Rockauto.com. If they have a core charge on them and the fan you pulled from the junkers was dead, there's your core to send back. This is what I would have done with my alt if it had come back bad.

 

I'm not sure how exactly I would do it IF I were to do it that way. And yea I know things can come doa. But I'm planning a visit to a junk yard soon anyway so I might as well see what they have for this while I'm there. (the closest one is about an hour away)

 

Other ideas here: https://www.ranger-forums.com/genera...ersion-134629/