Flex Fans...

[85GTKid]

Do they cool well running around town and on the highway? If in stop and go traffic while its hot outside my temp will start to creep up on me. I just have a stock cooling system on my car. I DO NOT want to go electric due to cost and difficulty...

Thanks for any input

Dustin

 

[795.0pacecar]

Your fan is not the problem I would look into getting a new clutch for the fan.

 

[my67falcon]

I had one on my Falcon and personally hate it. During warm weather the car ran hot when in town. On the highway the fan isn't as much a factor in the cooling as the air rushing in at 65 mph (or more) so a flex would work, but they will cause drag. The clutch style will disengage when at higher speed. I switched to an electric puller style and haven't regretted it yet. If you look around EBay you might get one at a great price. My 12" fan keeps mine cool even with the 39 year old 6 banger radiator.

 

[HISSIN50]

I am with 79Pace - go with a clutch style fan. It is more effective than a flex fan IMHO anyhow.

The choice on clutches is up to you. I run a HD unit but some people like the SSP version instead, while others just use a stock replacment Ford piece (it is said that the Ford units dont lock up as tight as aftermarket and HD units, so there is less parasitic loss). But it takes parasitic loss to make a mechanical fan move air.

Good luck.

 

[85GTKid]

I am with 79Pace - go with a clutch style fan. It is more effective than a flex fan IMHO anyhow.

The choice on clutches is up to you. I run a HD unit but some people like the SSP version instead, while others just use a stock replacment Ford piece (it is said that the Ford units dont lock up as tight as aftermarket and HD units, so there is less parasitic loss). But it takes parasitic loss to make a mechanical fan move air.

Good luck.

How would i test my current fan to see if the clutch is still functional? its a stock 85 5.0 fan....

 

[HISSIN50]

How would i test my current fan to see if the clutch is still functional? its a stock 85 5.0 fan....

I dont post the test because it is pretty subjective. And I will preface this with saying that I dont know of the differences in the fan design on your '85 vs my '88.

Basically, for a thermal clutch (like aero foxes have), with the car off (DUH), if you spin the fan by hand on a cold motor, the fan should spin easier than if you do the same test on a hot motor. There are spin tests, where you try and count revolutions, but how hard you spin the fan makes a difference (the subjectivity I mentioned earlier).

Other things to look for are silcone leaking out of the hub of the clutch. A lack of silicone will affect the lock-up of the clutch (the thermal spring in the clutch modulates the flow of silicone through an orifice to control lock-up).

And otherwise, running hot at idle, but not at other times, does suggest a fan issue. If the old clutch looks original, it is probably high time to replace it (as you know).

Good luck.

 

[85GTKid]

I dont post the test because it is pretty subjective. And I will preface this with saying that I dont know of the differences in the fan design on your '85 vs my '88.

Basically, for a thermal clutch (like aero foxes have), with the car off (DUH), if you spin the fan by hand on a cold motor, the fan should spin easier than if you do the same test on a hot motor. There are spin tests, where you try and count revolutions, but how hard you spin the fan makes a difference (the subjectivity I mentioned earlier).

Other things to look for are silcone leaking out of the hub of the clutch. A lack of silicone will affect the lock-up of the clutch (the thermal spring in the clutch modulates the flow of silicone through an orifice to control lock-up).

And otherwise, running hot at idle, but not at other times, does suggest a fan issue. If the old clutch looks original, it is probably high time to replace it (as you know).

Good luck.

Well to start my cars fan is metal and has a metal something which i always assumed was the "clutch"but i have been looking at some post and it looks like some of the newer aero nose cars had plastic fans? Either way i dont see where there cold be silicone in my fan....looks like more research is in order

 

[Look Its Aaron]

Maybe you have a flex fan and don't know it?

and the spacers

 

[wild86stang]

To answer your original question, I have the exact fan from the previous post (Flex-a-Lite) and it works fine for me. I live in Ohio, but I drove the car around southern Florida for a few weeks on a vacation. It did fine in stop-and-go traffic. That was with the stock thermostat too. It was cheap and an easy install.

 

[dragnazz5.0]

yeah, ive got a flex fan on my car and it cools great. if you have your hand behind the fan and rev the motor it will blow your hand back. but some people dont like them because if they get out of balance they can become deadly weapons under your hood. i had a friend lose a radiator, fiberglass hood and hoses because his fan came off

 

[HISSIN50]

Well to start my cars fan is metal and has a metal something which i always assumed was the "clutch"but i have been looking at some post and it looks like some of the newer aero nose cars had plastic fans? Either way i dont see where there cold be silicone in my fan....looks like more research is in order

The aero foxes had plastic fan blades stock, but one can replace it with a metal replacement (I did and it works well).

There would not be silicone in your fan, but rather in the fan clutch.

Good luck.

 

[85GTKid]

The aero foxes had plastic fan blades stock, but one can replace it with a metal replacement (I did and it works well).

There would not be silicone in your fan, but rather in the fan clutch.

Good luck.

So if i wanted to replace with another clutch fan which is betteR? the plastic or metal? They must have switched for a reason?

And it is not a flex fan just the stock 85 one

 

[HISSIN50]

So if i wanted to replace with another clutch fan which is betteR? the plastic or metal? They must have switched for a reason?

And it is not a flex fan just the stock 85 one

The fan blade and fan clutch are separate items.

A metal blade moves more air IMHO. But it is noisier and a little more parasitic (less deflection, greater mass, etc). In 115* temps in the desert here, I take all that I can get.
The plastic fans were prone to cracking, and though redesigned to help with that issue, some folks (like me) still dont like them. And metal fans are available at the parts store - these are reasons why someone might have switched the fan blade on you.

For that same reason (needing max cooling) I used a HD Imperial fan clutch from the parts store. A standard clutch might work for you - input from others who use a standard clutch (not HD) would be needed and I dont have that input to give.

My two cents. Good luck.

 

[_jb_]

To answer your original question, I have the exact fan from the previous post (Flex-a-Lite) and it works fine for me. I live in Ohio, but I drove the car around southern Florida for a few weeks on a vacation. It did fine in stop-and-go traffic. That was with the stock thermostat too. It was cheap and an easy install.

That's what I had to, worked great. Moved some good air at idle. I also had a 3 core radiator hooked up, not one problem with overheating.

 

[85GTKid]

To answer your original question, I have the exact fan from the previous post (Flex-a-Lite) and it works fine for me. I live in Ohio, but I drove the car around southern Florida for a few weeks on a vacation. It did fine in stop-and-go traffic. That was with the stock thermostat too. It was cheap and an easy install.

What are the specs of your fan? Size etc. I would need a reverse rotation correct?

 

[wild86stang]

My fan is Flex-a-Lite's 18" diameter fan for reverse-rotation systems (yes, it does have to be reverse-rotation). Summit Racing and Brothers Performance list it as part number FLX-1518. It's $50 plus you will need a 2" spacer which is around $15. The fan blows an insane amount of air, I noticed a huge difference after installing mine, plus it looks great! For some reason the fan at Summit Racing has a natural finish while at Brothers Performance it is blue like mine (and the one pictured). Hope this helps some. By the way, I did have to shave a little off of the bottom of my fan shroud, but I think my engine was sitting a little low because of old motor mounts. If I left anything out or can be of more help please let me know.

 

[HISSIN50]

I had thought that an 85 would have V -belts rather than a serp belt, ergo it would use a standard rotation water pump and the fan would need to be the same. Like I mentioned earlier, I dont have an 85 though and I very well could be wrong. It was worth mentioning.

I wont comment further, as I am not a fan of non clutched fans. In the heat here, they do not cool as well as a clutched fan.

Good luck.

 

[wild86stang]

Good point, mine is a reverse rotation, I'm not sure about 85. Sorry, I completely forgot about that. Hopefully my information is correct pertaining to 86-93 reverse rotation engines.

 

[85GTKid]

I had thought that an 85 would have V -belts rather than a serp belt, ergo it would use a standard rotation water pump and the fan would need to be the same. Like I mentioned earlier, I dont have an 85 though and I very well could be wrong. It was worth mentioning.

I wont comment further, as I am not a fan of non clutched fans. In the heat here, they do not cool as well as a clutched fan.

Good luck.

Serp belt for 85s and even my friends 83

 

[wild86stang]

Cool, then I am 99.9% certain my information is correct. Unless there is something strange or unique that I don't know about. If there is anything else please let me know. BTW, I was able to install mine without removing the fan shroud, but make sure you wear gloves b/c the radiator will slice your knuckles open!