Aftermarket E Fans
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 6,200
Likes: 39
From: Easton, Pa.
Seperate feed? sure as long as you get the temperature sensor control in the right place in the circuit.
Depends on if you are running both togather or sequencing them in any manner as to how you feed them.
Both togather is the easiest and draws the most starting current.
Questions to settle on are, is the fans to be relay controlled or direct from the sensor and power, are they to be sequenced, is a soft start solid state controller being used etc.
Most fans that have to move a lot of air for radiator use will be in the the 30 + amp range and have to be powered by a well designed circuit or there will be problems.
It's a joke to look in the catalogs and see no current draws given under a lot of the listing.
One of the best cooling fan assemblies ever was on the Lincoln Mark 8.
Theses fans draw huge starting current and dam near pull the car along by themselves from the volume but they never fail to cool and have very long life. Needless to say, they are not run on simple controls.
Remember----Power = voltage x current. Ex. 40 amps x 12 volts = 480 watts and even more if the voltage is higher..
A heater/ A/C motor on high takes nearly this much, lights on at nite and the rest of the truck all draws these currents at various times togather, so the whole system has to be up to snuff. Underdrive pullies often cause a big problem with all this.
Electric fans are not all free power as some think.
It cost motor power to generate power to run them even though it is a bit more efficient. The water pump that drove the mech fan is still pumping coolant.
Only when the fans are off is there no power consumed and a total gain realized from there absence on the water pump.
Depends on if you are running both togather or sequencing them in any manner as to how you feed them.
Both togather is the easiest and draws the most starting current.
Questions to settle on are, is the fans to be relay controlled or direct from the sensor and power, are they to be sequenced, is a soft start solid state controller being used etc.
Most fans that have to move a lot of air for radiator use will be in the the 30 + amp range and have to be powered by a well designed circuit or there will be problems.
It's a joke to look in the catalogs and see no current draws given under a lot of the listing.
One of the best cooling fan assemblies ever was on the Lincoln Mark 8.
Theses fans draw huge starting current and dam near pull the car along by themselves from the volume but they never fail to cool and have very long life. Needless to say, they are not run on simple controls.
Remember----Power = voltage x current. Ex. 40 amps x 12 volts = 480 watts and even more if the voltage is higher..
A heater/ A/C motor on high takes nearly this much, lights on at nite and the rest of the truck all draws these currents at various times togather, so the whole system has to be up to snuff. Underdrive pullies often cause a big problem with all this.
Electric fans are not all free power as some think.
It cost motor power to generate power to run them even though it is a bit more efficient. The water pump that drove the mech fan is still pumping coolant.
Only when the fans are off is there no power consumed and a total gain realized from there absence on the water pump.
Thread Starter
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Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
From: San Diego, CA
Wanted to clarify a couple things that may have been lost since first opening the thread. All purchases are my responsibility, fully agree, bought from a trusted f150online sponsor, these fans were installed by a professional, there was a 40 page instruction manual included, if I cannot find the problem before I return them to the Sponsor he will in fact ship the same ones back, as this has already happen once with another product. Separate leads for grounds and power are connected, with separate fuses, and separate controllersand separate temperature sensors. Verified wiring was correct and grounded.
Here is what I don't know, does the fact that I have done lower pullies, a 1000 watt stereo and Amp Steps, and Electric fans on a 45k Factory battery effect the fans not getting full power and thus overheating. Also all these things were purchased from the same sponsor, so I expect not to have problems. I am taking it in today to verify and validate. Thanks for all the replies and for reminding me why I should have left this thing stock - at least the fans/lower pullies/and COPs...appreciate it.
Here is what I don't know, does the fact that I have done lower pullies, a 1000 watt stereo and Amp Steps, and Electric fans on a 45k Factory battery effect the fans not getting full power and thus overheating. Also all these things were purchased from the same sponsor, so I expect not to have problems. I am taking it in today to verify and validate. Thanks for all the replies and for reminding me why I should have left this thing stock - at least the fans/lower pullies/and COPs...appreciate it.
Last edited by Wraithenwolf; Oct 31, 2007 at 02:02 PM.
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 162
Likes: 0
From: North Idaho/Eastern WA
I think it's a voltage issue too
An under voltage situation could cause that kind of problem. A/C, 1000 watt stereo, and e-fans sounds like an awful lot of current draw to me. Underdrive pulleys would exacerbate the issue.
Monitoring with a cheap volt meter connected to the cigarette lighter while driving under normal conditions could identify this. I'm not sure what would be considered a low voltage situation, but anything below 12.6v would concern me.
Monitoring with a cheap volt meter connected to the cigarette lighter while driving under normal conditions could identify this. I'm not sure what would be considered a low voltage situation, but anything below 12.6v would concern me.
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 6,200
Likes: 39
From: Easton, Pa.
I wanted to address the same about the hi power amp use.
I don't know what your alternator capacity is or the 45k mile battery capacity might be now but consider this for perspecive.
"IF" your alternator were 130 amp capacity; consider that; at 14 volts, the alternator full output would be 14 x 130 = 1820 watts.
Subtract 1000 watts stero peak loads and it leaves you with 820 watts reserve.
Subtract fan starting current of maybe 400 + watts, that leaves you with 420 watts to run all the rest of the trucks needs.
Headlites and all other lites., A/C blower motor, motor starting rechargeing etc.
The kicker is the alternator in not designed to output full time at those high levels but only for short time intervals as needed.
Throw in possible cable, battery lower capacity and other small issues and you can see where problems might happen at times.
A rule of thumb about sizing alternator capacity is that it should be close to 150% of average load to be safe and not shorten it's life from overloads.
Good luck.
I don't know what your alternator capacity is or the 45k mile battery capacity might be now but consider this for perspecive.
"IF" your alternator were 130 amp capacity; consider that; at 14 volts, the alternator full output would be 14 x 130 = 1820 watts.
Subtract 1000 watts stero peak loads and it leaves you with 820 watts reserve.
Subtract fan starting current of maybe 400 + watts, that leaves you with 420 watts to run all the rest of the trucks needs.
Headlites and all other lites., A/C blower motor, motor starting rechargeing etc.
The kicker is the alternator in not designed to output full time at those high levels but only for short time intervals as needed.
Throw in possible cable, battery lower capacity and other small issues and you can see where problems might happen at times.
A rule of thumb about sizing alternator capacity is that it should be close to 150% of average load to be safe and not shorten it's life from overloads.
Good luck.