Paint "Stripper" (NOT)

[secluff]

sciabola13, there was never a problem with the DOAE-A or D1AE-CA five blade fans. The 7 blade fans that were fracturing were first production installed on the 72 Torino/Montego line and were later phased in on other car lines. The 7 blade fan was replaced by a series of 5 blade fans as I posted with the ID numbers in the  August thread. They were eventually all replaced by the D9AZ-8600-A (D9AE-EA) which was also used in production through 91 on the Crown Victoria and was a trouble free fan. Hemikiller also had some good suggestions and part numbers for a fan/clutch setup.

 

[libram]

Ok so now I'm thoroughly confused, we have 1 member that seems to have worked in the manufacture of this type of fan that says it should never have been used and its a death trap, don't use it, never use it, and so on and so forth, and another that says wait no, the deathtraps were only this model and that model. So whats the deal, do I need to just do a close model check and if its not listed its not a hazard or is this really a wow.......almost 50 years and that thing didn't fly apart............. huh............... kinda thing.

 

[secluff]

libram, I understand your concern. Whether flex, fixed or clutch type fan, all fan designs are susceptible to damage. Tip speed of the blades, road debris, normal wear and tear, metal fatigue, etc all add to the problem. You may need to read the August thread referenced earlier in this thread. I'll repeat,there was NEVER any problem with the original DOAE-A  or D1AE-CA fans. From what I was told, Ford was trying to increase air flow through the cross flow radiators, With the cut in compression in 72, engines being tuned leaner, the 73's with the EGR system, the load on the cooling system was extreme. Unfortunately while the 7 blade fan looked good on paper, there was design and manufacturing flaws that surfaced once these fans were in the "Field". Don't recall what the failure percentage was, but a lot of these fans are still in service today with no problem. The D9AZ-8600-A (D9AE-EA) replaced ALL previous edition 5 and 7 blade flex fans and WAS trouble free. It was used on the 79-91 Crown Police Interceptor. I knew the shop managers for the State, County and City maintenance shops and checked with them regularly. They never had any fan failures with this fan vs the fans used on the previous 73-78 model

If you are not concours level showing your car and you are still concerned, look at the fan/clutch option or even the electric fan. Many forum members here have gone that route. But.....with ANY fan, it's just good maintenance while changing your oil or just poking around under the hood to check your fan for cracks, loose blades, or even where some road debris has hit one of the blades.

Hope this has helped some and not worried you further!    

 

[Helicopter]

Helicopter, hope you had a Merry Christmas and look forward to a safe Happy New Year and another great year here!

I'm going to post a link to a thread from August where we discussed the flex fans. Please read the entire thread. It contains a lot of info on the original numbers, the defective replacement numbers, and what replacements were safe to use. Unless your car is going to be a "Show Queen", I would even consider a fan/clutch set up which was also discussed. I would be concerned about doing much in the way of "Maintenance" on these flex fan blades. As Geoff stated the blades must be treated carefully so as not to alter their balance, the integrity of the blade material or the critical area where they attach to the hub. I'm presently out of town for the Christmas Holidays until January 3rd so I don't have access to any of my Ford reference material, but if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. There are a lot of knowledgeable folks here.  

https://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-correct-fan-blade-for-1973-351c-4v

Thanks a bunch.  This bloody fan has been a total pain in the neck.

I did manage to strip, sand, stip, sand, wire bruck, sand.  and got it fairly clean but I may go with the replacement fan.

I would feel a lot safer.

Roy

 

[Stanglover]

Well done Roy, you got it cleaned so now you have a nice piece of wall-art for your shop. Not intending to be sarcastic, but for reasons mentioned many times, I would not attempt to use it.

Steve refers to a previous post. In it, re-read his post #9 and my post 12 and 14. In 14 I mention harmonics. These fans were designed for a specific engine and it's specific harmonics, which is why one should never just go get one from the junk yard that "looks like it'll work".

I have not been able thus far, to contact the engineer who's job was preparing data for evidence in law suits back in the 70's. I'd still like to talk to him for my own interest at least.

All I can confidently say is this; BE WARNED!!

Geoff.

 

[Hemikiller]

Doing a copy and paste from the linked thread.

Gotta agree here, the flex fans are best left on the shelf if you drive your car at all. Besides the potential failure issue at high rpms, the noise drives me bonkers. The four blader isn't much better.

My solution was a thermostatic clutch fan. The clutch you need IIRC is the Hayden 2710. The fan blade can be off of anything that fits in your shroud and matches the clutch. You can buy a new Hayden 18" 3618 fan blade at RockAuto for about $35.

--- I've been running clutch fans for over twenty years on my performance vehicles. Buy a good quality thermostatic clutch like a Hayden and you're good to go. The clutch fan only loads the engine when it needs to pull more air, so you get the bonus of freeing up HP -and- and MPG increase. In my old daily driver 71 Cougar, it was worth 3 mpg over the factory flex fan.

Here's the links to the parts I recommend from Rock auto

Thermostatic fan clutch:   http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=1793512&jsn=260

Fan blade: http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=1793644&jsn=403

Stud kit: http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=616253&jsn=496

 

[Stanglover]

Doing a copy and paste from the linked thread.

Gotta agree here, the flex fans are best left on the shelf if you drive your car at all. Besides the potential failure issue at high rpms, the noise drives me bonkers. The four blader isn't much better.

My solution was a thermostatic clutch fan. The clutch you need IIRC is the Hayden 2710. The fan blade can be off of anything that fits in your shroud and matches the clutch. You can buy a new Hayden 18" 3620 fan blade at RockAuto for about $35.

--- I've been running clutch fans for over twenty years on my performance vehicles. Buy a good quality clutch like a Hayden and you're good to go. The clutch fan only loads the engine when it needs to pull more air, so you get the bonus of freeing up HP -and- and MPG increase. In my old daily driver 71 Cougar, it was worth 3 mpg over the factory flex fan.

 As you say, a GOOD clutch fan hub and fan, I'd definitely stay away from anything cheap or used. The only real downside to s clutch fan is looks as they are somewhat bulky.