which controller and set up were you using?

 

I am not here to bash anyone. I only feel comfortable saying it was a very well known reputable dealer and many people on this board are using their products.

My main point was, if this is a daily driver like mine I would think twice about EFans. The strange part is every time they failed it would destroy one side of the fuse and melt the holder. I have pulled at least 6 fuses out where one of the fuse legs is completely gone or severely melted. The first failed fuse holder was a molten mess...

I have many other mods that are very reliable. Just letting everyone know my experience with EFans has not been one of them.

 

I wasn't looking for a bash. I just wanted to know want brand for my own reference and my EFans.

 

kind of hard to blame it on efans themselves when we don't know what was used. (i'm assuming it's the troyer setup)

faulty connections, and undersized wire for a given distance will increase resistance. resistance turns into heat and that can easily melt connections like you're talking about. this is another reason why i like the DC Controller with it's soft-start feature. it's not throwing all the current at the fan at once.

you can create an efan setup relatively cheaply (not that the troyer kit is cheap) but for reliability, you must absolutely over-engineer the electrical system.

 

Quite frankly those plastic fuseholders were never designed for that kind of current draw, they are probably rated for 110v AC applications and not the 12v DC applications. DC controls does the proper thing and puts a fuseable link in their kit.

 

Please don't assume what EFan kit I was using it only starts fights on this board. My point was I was not satisfied and wanted to give my experience regardless off whose EFans I am using.

My issue was specifically arcing in the fuse block, and thus the legs on the fuses melting, in one case causing a direct short. I am totally amazed that none of these fuses blew, they only melted.

I was going to attempt a better fuse block but just decided enough was enough. My truck is a daily driver and I cannot risk having it down. It just seemed to me the logical thing to do was to remove them.

I guess the best thing when purchasing is to get as much information from people that have experience with different kits. The fuse block is only a small part of the complete package, yet extremely important. Ultimately you need to look at the whole package and make sure that all components are quality parts. The great thing about this forum is you will get others experience and that in itself is priceless.

I do however miss all that open space in front of the engine that is now covered by the fan shroud...

 

I agree, we are here to share and learn, I have heard of many having the fuse holders burn up, obviously a bad design.

 

Well I finally put my FAL 270 kit in today and will report back on any improvements or problems. If the weather gets better I will try to snap some pics. I still need to set the temp with a heat gun and run wires to the A/C but I rarely use it anyways. I was happy with the finished product and had no real issues with the install. I had great luck with FAL on my 5.0 so I figured I would give them another shot even though they carry a high price tag.

 

Hello Sleddog, I was wondering how you get 20 mpg in your truck. I have a hard time hitting 17 on the freeway running her real easy. How is your truck set up, engine, tires, gear ratio, 4x4 ? What were you getting for fuel mileage before the electric fan / underdrive pully set up? Thanks, Mike

 

I was getting 15.5 when I 1st bought my truck. 1999 Flareside F150 4.6l Auto 4X4 3.55 stock size tires. I have added underdrive pulleys w/new Gatorback belt, FAL-270 fan, FMS plug wires, Accel coil packs, Motorcraft plugs, Ford Racing Lightning style exhaust, AF1 intake, VMP tune (all of these had a tank or 2 run minimum before installing another item except plugs, wires, packs as they were all done at the same time. My last fuel run netted 19.9 MPG's. This was driving from central NH to northern NH, doing some off roading with 4X4 use (looking for wildlife), driving home, some short trips around town and hauling some heavy stuff to the dump. If I had to do only one of the mods above I would go for pulleys. I noticed 1.5-2 MPG improvement although I know others will dog pulleys. This is just my personal experience.

 

What did you go with for under drive pulleys? Ive noticed different ones out there, some with three pulleys and some with two. Thanks again, Mike

 

Hey Sleddog, one more thing. Out of all your mods, which do you feel was the best bang for the buck? HP and MPG. Thanks again ..........Jerseymike47

 

ASP....They seemed to be the highest quality. I paid just under $200 which is usually a lot for pulleys but considering you are replacing the harmonic balancer as part of the swap you don't want to go cheap.

 

FWIW,

I did the Motoblue underdrive pulleys, I think I paid $109 3 years ago and they have been great with no problems at all.

http://www.rpmoutlet.com/f150asp.htm

Looks like they have increased the price though...



Oh, and an update on my e-fans. In almost 3 years since the install I have had 2 of the Troyer / Derale fan controllers burn out on me (mounted behind passenger side headlight, so no overheating issues...) and the fans mounting pins that came with the fan kit have worn holes in my radiator tubing creating the need for a new radiator......Other than all the problems, I have been really happy with the increase in performance and extra working room under the hood..

I get about 15-16mpg in the 8000lb Expy around town and even better mileage on long hauls on the freeways

I will be installing a new 2 core radiator and SPAL fan controller also looking at the Derale Dual 16" fan mounting brackets or possibly the Derale Billet ones.

 

Would have to say yes to the fans. Very good mod and go with the Flex A Lites mounting the controller near the passenger side headlight to keep it from overheating.