I was reading about original Ford flex fans having the blades break off! Have any of you ever heard of this? I've got the original one on my car and is there anything to look for, or is this just misinformation!
I have heard of it, also remember someone on here posted pics of a hood torn up by one....I'll see if I can find it. Ok here's some talk about it...... http://mmb.maverick.to/showthread.php?t=67453&highlight=flex+fan+blades
Dangerous Fans A gentlemen right here in Florida lost his life in 2009 when his flex-fax came apart and wounded him in the neck. He bled out before he could be helped . His widow still keeps in touch . It's a very real hazard. I advocate the use of clutch fans or electric fans only. Cometized
Well, as it turns out, I had put a post into this thread long ago! Guess the oldheimers disease is catching up to me! "rthomas771" has eased my mind a bit with his post about the recall. It apparently covered 65 to 72 vehicles so I should be good there! I also read to check where the blades are riveted on for loose rivets and cracks around the mounting area. I never overspeed my engine so I think I'll be safe keeping my fan.
Apparently my Comet has had the recall performed, it has a D4('74) flex fan... I'll probably go ahead and use it for now and switch to electric in the spring, think there are four electrics floating around here, but only one I'd consider using on a V8 with A/C.. As for overspeed, I'm hoping to get to the drag strip before they close...
Flex Fans: I would agree that if you're running a docile 6 cyl you'd be O.K. with the flex fan.. The person I've mentioned that had the incident was " winging" the throttle with the hood raised and him leaning over the engine when the fan let loose . His wife mentioned this when she called to let me know about it. I would think that high RPMs would add to the possibility of the fan blades separating. At any rate .. I have a new one still in the box that I'll let go real cheap and all my cars have Electric Fans that do their job just fine. Cometized
I swapped to electric fan after 2 people in one week told me they had lost friends to the metal fans. Scared me enough to take mine off immediately. Edit--It appears that i wrote about the experience on page one of that link above.
I just read the article and apparently it covered fans on 351 AC equipped cars. Did you happen to look at any of those ads? I forgot how cheap stuff used to be!!!
I have more fear of those fans "flex/non-flex" on a lot of cars w/o any kind of covering/shroud around the blades. I figure they are more of a hazard than the flex fans exploding. A split second loss of concentration working under the hood cud mean loss of limb or worse loss of life. I have electric fan and it pulls a lot more air at idle than the 7 blade OE one it replaced.
I guess u were referring to my post. Flex-a-Lite #118 puller, 3.375 deep, draws 18.5amps, rated @ 2500cfm mounted to the passenger side of the water pump pulley w/ a DIY shroud. I don't have to be concerned w/ getting decapitated by that rotating mass. It's worth it to me for the piece of mind...
Here is mine. I don't remember what I yanked it out of. but it fits perfectly inside my radiator. If anyone knows what it is, please let me know. My website says "Chevy Cavalier, early 90s model, 16X16.5X4.5", so can someone confirm, and maybe get a part number?
I have "read" (so I can't confirm if it's true) that aftermarket electric fans suck, and that if you want a good one, get a factory unit from like a Ford Taurus or something. As for the stock mechanical fan -- I guess I got a good one, because it hasn't come apart in the 40 years it's been in service.
