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- Sep 13, 2010
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I prefer mechanical for safety reasons. Electric devices are prone to failure, a mechanical one will rotate when the engine is running. (Same reason I got a mechanical fuel pump).I prefer mechanical at higher speeds.
Right! At at speed the flex fan 'flattens out' to help reduce drag.Why would you need a mechanical fan at higher speeds? The giant grille should let plenty of air pass through the radiator without any fan when you're moving. The only reason you need a fan is to move air across the radiator when the car isn't in motion.
But many folks complain that their jeeps run hotter at highway speeds. A lot of that, I believe, is the fan is actually blocking air flow. My mechanical fans have a shroud that doesn't cover any of the radiator nor does it force the air to pass by the fan. Electric fans (espeically ill fit aftermarket ones) cover part of the radiator and force all of the air to pass through the fan.
Actually, I was talking about puller fans (engine side). normally 'pusher' fans don't have a shroud.But many folks complain that their jeeps run hotter at highway speeds. A lot of that, I believe, is the fan is actually blocking air flow. My mechanical fans have a shroud that doesn't cover any of the radiator nor does it force the air to pass by the fan. Electric fans (espeically ill fit aftermarket ones) cover part of the radiator and force all of the air to pass through the fan.
Good to think about as I consider an electric fan. Your point about the shroud & fan blocking air flow is a good argument to get a fan that pulls air (rather than pushes), and mount it on the engine side of the radiator, not the grill side. Electric is in my plans one of these days. I've been happy with the electric fans on my '86 Escort and '96 Ranger (and on my water-cooled Suzuki motorcycle). On my Escort the AC went out and the fan stopped working automatically, so I just rigged a manual switch in the driver's compartment. I only ever had to switch it on in traffic jams. My Mustang originally had an automatic, and I'm using the same radiator now that I have a manual trans, so I'm pretty sure that without hot transmission fluid cycling through there my cooling capacity is improved.
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