Electric add-on radiator fans

I've used them for years when I was into the hotrods. There's been times stuck in traffic, leaving a large car show idling forever, or parades they can really come in handy. Haven't seen a need yet for one on the ambulance but in your climate things are probably much different Richard. For yours i'd recommend an aftermarket pusher fan that covers as much of the radiator opening as possible. Don't opt for the automatic on/off thermostat feature, when they fail (and often do) you can't use it when you need it most. Put it on a heavy-duty toggle switch, they push a lot of air & pull some amps. You can also re-fit one you find in a junkyard but I don't recommend it, they don't push as much air & are used to begin with... and not as flat.
 
electric radiator?

Richard,
You know better than to post something without pictures. I have a small electric fan installed on the 61 M-M. It works very well on those hiway days when the sun is high and so is the temperature. I suppose you are talking about something else as you said electric radiator instead of fan.
Inquiring minds want to know.
Mike
 
waste of time and money. just swap out for the aluminium radiator and keep it simple. but your not having problems with over heating are you? the flex fan on the car will pull enough air. don't put on a bug screen as they restrict the air flow to much and clean out the fins on what you have and it should be good to go. if I was down there I would have a 160 deg thermostat in the car no higher then a 180. I find the more add on stuff you add on the more problems you have. nothing added on beats good preventive maintenance
 
Electric Cooling Fan

Richard I have one on all of my cars except my '53 Henney amb. and it will have one once it is finished. My 55 Miller amb is wired so that it comes on when the A C switch is on . Should I EVER need it and not want the AC on, I can simply unplug the wire to the compressor and it won't come on and the cooling fan will. The Henney will be wired the same way. The others have a toggle switch(Heavy) to turn on and off. My '40 Henney hearse has no fan but the electric one. It has AC and no problem. KNOCK ON WOOOOOOD.....Gene
 
Great advice and appreciate it very much. Actually it's not the Lifeliner but the Vette I'm thinking about here. Installed a 160 thermostat, replaced the engine temperature sensor, but the temp with A/C on while crusing the interstate will go over 200 up to 200 degrees. This is the tricky part. It has a new radiator, new water pump and all the hoses are new as well. When the car is at 215 degrees it has no signs of overheating. No antifreeze spillage, no hard starting, no gergiling, and car runs fine. I'm thinking my temperature guage is reading high and need to replace it which brings me back to the reason as to why I was asking about adding electric fans.
 
That doesn't sound right...I wouldn't think the temperature would creep up that much while cruising on the highway, even with the AC on? What was the outside temp?

I have two electric fans on the GMC, but I never need them for driving, even in hot weather. The only time I use them, and the reason I installed them, is for cruising in things like the Woodward Dream Cruise, which is in August and usually results in cruising all day at idle speed. Doing that will get the temp up over 200, but the electric fans bring it back down. I have them wired so they are only on when I switch them on.
 
Richard Vyse said:
Great advice and appreciate it very much. Actually it's not the Lifeliner but the Vette I'm thinking about here. Installed a 160 thermostat, replaced the engine temperature sensor, but the temp with A/C on while crusing the interstate will go over 200 up to 200 degrees. This is the tricky part. It has a new radiator, new water pump and all the hoses are new as well. When the car is at 215 degrees it has no signs of overheating. No antifreeze spillage, no hard starting, no gergiling, and car runs fine. I'm thinking my temperature guage is reading high and need to replace it which brings me back to the reason as to why I was asking about adding electric fans.
Click to expand...

What engine does it have? My 49 has a 350 crate engine and it runs 200-215 pretty consistantly and has no signs of overheating.
 
I have used them on a few of my cars. I had one on my 34 Ford pickup, it had a built 350 with a 671 blower, and it would run hot sometimes. After puting a aluminium radiator and eletric fan on it, it never ran hot again. I also had dual eletric fans on my S10 drag truck with a aluminium radiator, and the same set up on my Ford Courier, and Ranger drag trucks. I plan on puting a aluminium radiator and eletric fans on the truck I'm doing now when its finished. Never found a need for one on a pro car though.

JOsh
 
sounds to me like some one left off one of the air baffles. the radiator in the vet sits at a angle and needs them to force the air into it at Hw speeds. slower speed the fan will pull it threw. but on your vet with the spastic set up GM put on them a electric fan pushing air threw the radiator would be all most necessary. they were a problem when new. be sure all the baffles are in place and all the fasteners are holding. sometimes they look good but when you get going down the road they separate and let the air bypass the radiator. with out them even your electric fan will not move the air at Hy speed. the good news is they make a working set up for the vet. the bad news is. people think if you own on you never have to ask the price.
 
I have had great sucess with the electric fans, I run electric fans on my Caddy. I have fans off of a nissan altima and when I removed the factory manual thermal fan my fuel economy went up 3 mpg and I have the fans hooked up to relays, one on temp and one with the a/c compressor switch. So when I am doing normal trips the fans kick in at 195 degrees or when I turn on the a/c. I was able to get the fans, relays, wiring, and mounting brackets for $50.00. I only had to drill four mounting holes to install the fans. They are pushers, and I mounted them on the front of the radiator support in front of the a/c condensor.
 
Todd Merrifield said:
That doesn't sound right...I wouldn't think the temperature would creep up that much while cruising on the highway, even with the AC on? What was the outside temp?.
Click to expand...

Down here temps have been pretty much in the lower 90's. Doesn't make sense to me either thinking usually the engine temp goes down when on the interstate.
 
I put a 15" (aprox) transmission cooler pusher fan from a 95 Caddy limo with hidden switch and fuse on the 73 last fall. At idle in the driveway with the temp about 80 degrees it seemed to drop the temp at least 20 degrees. Haven't had the big test in a parade, heavy traffic or while cruisin yet to see have it works in those conditions. It gave problems overheating last year during our towns Fourth of July parade and I decided I'd put a fan on it after that. I'd rather get knocked a couple points at a car show for having the fan than having to sink $3K in rebuilding an engine again! :specool:
 
Last edited:
Richard Vyse said:
Great advice and appreciate it very much. Actually it's not the Lifeliner but the Vette I'm thinking about here. Installed a 160 thermostat, replaced the engine temperature sensor, but the temp with A/C on while crusing the interstate will go over 200 up to 200 degrees. This is the tricky part. It has a new radiator, new water pump and all the hoses are new as well. When the car is at 215 degrees it has no signs of overheating. No antifreeze spillage, no hard starting, no gergiling, and car runs fine. I'm thinking my temperature guage is reading high and need to replace it which brings me back to the reason as to why I was asking about adding electric fans.
Click to expand...

Richard When are You putting Lights and a Siren on the Vette

Russ
 
Russell Dalziel said:
Richard When are You putting Lights and a Siren on the Vette

Russ
Click to expand...

Soon my friend soon!

Jeremy D. Ledford said:
I put a 15" (aprox) transmission cooler pusher fan from a 95 Caddy limo with hidden switch and fuse on the 73 last fall. At idle in the driveway with the temp about 80 degrees it seemed to drop the temp at least 20 degrees. Haven't had the big test in a parade, heavy traffic or while cruisin yet to see have it works in those conditions. It gave problems overheating last year during our towns Fourth of July parade and I decided I'd put a fan on it after that. I'd rather get knocked a couple points at a car show for having the fan than having to sink $3K in rebuilding an engine again! :specool:
Click to expand...

Funny, I've never had an overheating with the Lifeliner running all lights and siren in the summer and at a slow crawl.
 
Richard Vyse said:
Great advice and appreciate it very much. Actually it's not the Lifeliner but the Vette I'm thinking about here. Installed a 160 thermostat, replaced the engine temperature sensor, but the temp with A/C on while crusing the interstate will go over 200 up to 200 degrees. This is the tricky part. It has a new radiator, new water pump and all the hoses are new as well. When the car is at 215 degrees it has no signs of overheating. No antifreeze spillage, no hard starting, no gergiling, and car runs fine. I'm thinking my temperature guage is reading high and need to replace it which brings me back to the reason as to why I was asking about adding electric fans.
Click to expand...

Double check your fans installation, Just in case it got put on backwards. My kids did that to me once and going down the interstate, the force of air was stalled. fan pushing and air flow from vehicle in motion equalled out and I had no airflow. At an idle or low speed it was ok.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top