I put a Lincoln fan on my Lightning over the winter. They flow over 3000CFM but draw some insane amps on start up, somthing like 120!
My grandpa had a flex fan on a '56 Thunderbird years ago. It came apart and parts of it went straight through the hood, never to be seen again. My dad had one on his Comet that started cracking also. I'll never use a flex fan.
Flex fans are garbage IMO and I wouldn't use anything else other than an electric fan. But hey, that's just me.
this should only tell you that the switch is on...not that the fan is turning. if the fan motor shorts out the light would still be on. ...frank...
One of the main reasons I went for an electric fan and scrapped the flex was that I heard two stories of guys getting a fan blade in the neck/head while working under the hood when the fans came apart...I assume they were revving the motor while adjusting stuff under the hood, placing them in the line of fire when the fan scrapped. Two different victims, two different tellers of the story, same week. I spend a LOT of time under the hood adjusting things, then revving it up to see how it is running. I had a 35 year old fan blade. I began to get nervous, and installed the electric. As for electric failure, my fan is loud enough (at least with no carpeting or inside door panels, and no hood) that I can hear it when it is running or not. It is almost as loud as my blue Holley electric fuel pump. Except maybe at highway speeds. I also keep a really close eye on my temps due to location of my gauges. It will not stop running for too long before I notice it.
I've never had the fear of any of my electric fans to quit working. It's a bout as likely as the aftermarket fuel pumps to quit, and I've had nothing but good luck.
the highboy tossed a blade from its flex fan going up a hill with the camper on a four hour drive. we were out on a mountain back road several miles out, and it sliced the rad hose as it projectiled out. made it an all day trip. i still run a flex on it but am working on switching because it gets warm when im idleing (launching a boat or putting on/off the camper) and i really dont want to walk that far again. does the brand of flex fan seem to make a difference in how long they last?
The ones that were bad about coming apart were the aluminum versions. I have noticed that they haven't made them in aluminum for at least 10 years now. They are either steel or plastic. The steel is heavier and doesn't flex flat like the aluminum, but it is a lot safer. Any of them, even the super light plastic fans, take hp away from the engine. Much more than I ever would have thought. I guess I was lucky, I alway ran aluminum flex fans, and many times have revved the engine to the moon with me and my son under the hood. When he was only a year old, he would stand on the front of the car, leaned in over the shroud grinning ear to ear when I revved the engine. Probably would have sliced his head off if it had come apart.
hind sight is always 2020. when i was real young i always fell asleep on the gas tank of my dads motorcycle while riding on the freeway. now i wonder how i survived
I sure am glad I didn't go with the flex fan with all the negatives, unless the OEM is considered a flex. I have had someone tell me that it is but I don't think so, seems kinda hard to me.
The ones I used would only light up if there was a power draw. If it shorted out, then it would blow the fuse and my light would go out. Anyway, I'm sure a relay would be just as reliable if not more so since you could take out the human factor. Does anyone sell a solid state relay that doesn't have any moving parts?
could you draw me a pic. of the way to wire it so the light would go out if the motor stops?...thanks...frank...
Dang it! Now you've gone and made me think about it, and I found out I'm mostly wrong again! It's a three pole switch. So, one is + in, one is - out, and the other is grnd. So essentially it puts the fan and the light bulb in parallel and the fuse in series with the whole thing. So, if the fan were to fail closed (short out) then it would trip the fuse and kill the whole circuit, which would make the light go out. If it failed open (no connection to + or grnd) then the light would stay on even though the fan was off. Now, If I were to try to think out of the box and put the switch on the - side of the fan, then no matter how the fan failed, the light in the switch would go out, but the light would not be as bright or may not even be visible. My recollector's better than I thought! I don't even have that car anymore, and I think I did that little job 3 years ago.
Fwiw: Strolling through the junkyard today I checked out a few fans. The ones that looked very usable were smallish late model GM cars. I got one out of an Olds Achevia that looks perfect sized and blows like crazy. I put it in my F150 because it is not cooling as well in the heat and the AC is suffering because of it. Drove it a few minutes ago and the temp is way down and the AC is almost frostbite cold. Anyway, I saw a late Pontiac Sunbird that had nearly the exact same fan... So these cars ought to be good sources. Dave
