351C 4V - 72 Mach 1 Engine fan

[baz70]

hi, just wanted confirmation from anyone with a 72 Mach 1 that the below is aftermarket and not an original Ford part. I don't see a Ford or Fomoco logo anywhere.

That said, were originals 6 finned like below, or 5 ? I've seen some and can't tell.

If it is not an original, I may be interested in replacing it with an original as part of the engine rebuild so if anyone has one going let me know. thanks.

Ps - i put some rust removing gel on the center casting in case you noticed....

 

[Canted 393]

No that's not an original fan blade looks like a flex a lite or derale.

 

[Stanglover]

Sorry, but that's a piece of sh*t, don't use it!!

My 72 Q code had a solid 4 blade fan on it, but to be honest, it did not have the original block in it so I can't be totally sure the 4 blade was "correct"

The '73 had a Fram made 5 blade flex fan, but I still would never use one, I've seen the damage they can do first hand when they blow up.

Buy an original solid 4 blade or a good clutch fan. Also, don't buy those aftermarket aluminum P'sOS.

 

[jorgem2]

Agree that is an aftermarket fan.

However original Ford mustang flex fans commonly exploded. I had one disintegrate and luckily only took out the shroud and a small dent in the hood.

This is one time where a reproduction fan or good aftermarket would be better choice.

I think Ford had a recall back in the 70’s and there may be an updated part number if originality is important.

Good luck

 

[Hemikiller]

Aftermarket junk - toss into the nearest bin.

Factory would be an 18 1/2" diameter 5 blade flex fan for the '72 351CJ. If your car is automatic with standard cooling, you'd use the D0AE-A or D1AE-CA, Otherwise, its the D2SE-AA fan.

http://www.mustangtek.com/fan/D0AE-A.html

http://www.mustangtek.com/fan/D2SE-8600-AA.html

Either way, I would never use factory Ford flex fan. Beside the disintegration issue, they are noisy as all hell. Switch the fan to a thermostatic clutch fan unit and enjoy not having to listen that fan thrashing away under the hood, free up some HP and get extra fuel mileage to boot.

The clutch you need is the Hayden 2710. The fan blade is Derale 18" 17118, online for about $40.

 

[3514boltstang]

hi, just wanted confirmation from anyone with a 72 Mach 1 that the below is aftermarket and not an original Ford part. I don't see a Ford or Fomoco logo anywhere.

That said, were originals 6 finned like below, or 5 ? I've seen some and can't tell.

If it is not an original, I may be interested in replacing it with an original as part of the engine rebuild so if anyone has one going let me know. thanks.

Ps - i put some rust removing gel on the center casting in case you noticed....

I have an original 5 blade fan from a 72 CJ motor.50 bucks plus shipping.

 

[ITMike5.0]

So this is good information for me as well. I have the original fan from my '72 351 CJ w/AC and from what I'm reading here I should not use that ever again?? I did have to get a new fan shroud due to a big hole at the top. Would that have been from a previous flex fan failure or would the damage have been much more substantial than that?

 

[Stanglover]

So this is good information for me as well.  I have the original fan from my '72 351 CJ w/AC and from what I'm reading here I should not use that ever again??  I did have to get a new fan shroud due to a big hole at the top.  Would that have been from a previous flex fan failure or would the damage have been much more substantial than that?

 Way more substantial. If one of those blows up and your head is/was in the way, its gone!! I have seen where these blades have exploded in the test rig an buried pieces well into 4 inches of oak. Fram (and other companies) made thousands of these type flex fans back in the 70's. Most will never be an issue, but after many miles of use, some failed due to stress or incorrect handling. The chances of one blowing up on your car are slim. but would you really want to take that gamble? Not me!!

Geoff.

 

[jpaz]

I took the original one off and replaced it with a clutch fan. Mine was missing a blade! I really don’t know how it happened but one blade was broken off where it is riveted. The flex part was completely gone but I had absolutely no damage from it. It must have been put back on by the previous owner and I never noticed it? I can’t believe I never saw that it was missing but there’s no way it broke off and didn’t cause any damage.

So anyway I would really think twice about putting one of those back on.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

As has been stated there was a recall on the fans. I got the letter but never took mine in. It did kill some people even a Ford tech. I would expect it to happen to high mileage or high reeving engines.

You should be able to inspect the fan and see any cracks starting to form. It is not just a boom and it breaks it starts slowly. I am not going to change mine.

I use to design cutter heads for machining viscous drive clutch fans. Pretty simple design has a bunch of grooves with a silicone based oil sealed in it that varies the amount of rotational force with heat.

To machine one of them took I think 3 seconds. Every feature on the casting was cut at one time not a single point tool. The equipment that Borg Warner used here was originally designed to machine projectiles for large military cannons. When CNC came out they switched to the latest and greatest CNC and soon found the the old was way faster and better so went back to them, lol.

Just keep check on the fan you can magnaflux to be sure. It is a harmonic thing that causes the issue. That is one reason the fan blades are not equally space on them. That helps kill the harmonics. Sort of like breaking a glass with a constant sound wave does the same to steel at the right harmonic rate.

 

[rackerm]

hi, just wanted confirmation from anyone with a 72 Mach 1 that the below is aftermarket and not an original Ford part. I don't see a Ford or Fomoco logo anywhere.

That said, were originals 6 finned like below, or 5 ? I've seen some and can't tell.

If it is not an original, I may be interested in replacing it with an original as part of the engine rebuild so if anyone has one going let me know. thanks.

Ps - i put some rust removing gel on the center casting in case you noticed....

There has been much discussion about the issues with the original 5 blade fan. If you are determined to use a Ford replacement fan then read thru what Steve AKA Secluff and others wrote in a couple of posts ... https://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-check-your-fan-assembly-blades?highlight=D9AZ-8600

"There was a massive recall because of blade fracturing in early 1972 and remained active through the early 80's. Since all the fans have engineering numbers on them, I'll just list them and not the part numbers. These are the most commonly used 5 blade fans: DOAE-A, D1AE-CA, D2SE-AA, D3OE-AA, D4OE-AA, D6OE-AA, D7AE-AA, D8OE-AA, D9AE-EA. Unfortunately there was also a problem with some of the replacement 5 blade fans fracturing. So the easiest and safest solution would to be to use the D9AE-EA as it was in use on a lot of later models such as the 79-91 Crown Vic. It was also a service replacement for all the ID #'s I've listed above and was the fan listed for the 73 302, 351 AC Mustang in the final issue (Nov 88) 73-79 Master Parts Catalog. Part number for the D9AE-EA fan is D9AZ-8600-A"

 

[baz70]

hi, just wanted confirmation from anyone with a 72 Mach 1 that the below is aftermarket and not an original Ford part. I don't see a Ford or Fomoco logo anywhere.

That said, were originals 6 finned like below, or 5 ? I've seen some and can't tell.

If it is not an original, I may be interested in replacing it with an original as part of the engine rebuild so if anyone has one going let me know. thanks.

Ps - i put some rust removing gel on the center casting in case you noticed....

I have an original 5 blade fan from a 72 CJ motor.50 bucks plus shipping.

PM sent.

 

[baz70]

thanks all, this is all good info and I would like to replace fan at some point, is it a priority ? probably not.

I did try and search for this topic to avoid reposting, but it appears google does a better filter on searches than the forum as i found more detailed info from an earlier posting on this site ! after i posted, so in future i will check that first. These cars keep you on your toes...

 

[secluff]

Rich, with all the fan blade related postings, I had almost forgotten about posting that one earlier. Never had a problem with either of my 71's since they had the DOAE, D1AE style fans. Of the three Gran Torinos I owned, two were Q code cars and had the 7 blade fan. My 429 powered Torino had a 19 1/2" clutch fan and was not involved. The 72/ cars were running leaner, emissions controls, NOX and later EGR systems were adding to the cooling system load. The 7 blade fan was an attempt to pull more air through the cross flow radiator. As Geoff will tell you, looked good on paper, but was a disaster out in the field.

If you want originality or have a show car, use the D9AZ-8600-A fan (Motorcraft YA-153) . It was the final "Fix" fan and replaced ALL previous versions of 5 and 7 blade flex fans. It was the OE fan on my XR-7 Cougar and remained in use through the 90's. Due to previous experience with my Torinos, I inspected the blades very carefully on the Cougar every oil change. Never had any problems with that fan but did respect it, especially with the hood up and engine running. Green sales does still show three of them.  DO NOT risk your safety with a used one!!    http://www.greensalescompany.com/

For a daily driver or if originality is not a concern, I would take Hemikillers suggestion and go with a clutch fan. They are quieter and take the load off your engine since the clutch disengages the fan when not needed. I hit the books and found a clutch fan setup for the 79-91 Police Interceptor that used a 18 1/2" fan and worked great for my setup.

 

[Don C]

Or an electric fan from a Taurus.

 

[3514boltstang]

Pics of fan

 

[Stanglover]

Pics of fan

 Best used as "Wall Art"