I picked up 12hp, and about 1.5mpg, but neal was making much more power than me.

 

In addition to the mileage and rwhp improvement, the e-fan also reduces noise when the fan is not on (most the time) and you seem to get heat out of the heater faster in winter.

BTW, I paid $180 for a universal set up (Flex-A-Lite Black Magic) from Summit about 7 years ago. Plenty of flow for my 4.2 in a hot climate. Install was not bad once I located the right fan wrench, and the fan and electrics have given me absolutely zero problems over the last 110,000 miles or so.

With an automatic tranny I could not feel much power improvement, but it absolutely helped mpg.

 

Another benefit...My engine seems to stay quite a bit cleaner than it ever did with the big fan. Also, and this was the biggest bennie for me...the engine just revs up so much more freely now. Like there's no drag on it if that makes sense. Seems like the motor runs effortless compared to before and especially at freeway speeds since you're not still turning that fan.

 

ya I agree^ mine reved up faster, and you dont hear the stupid noise of a fan. And it was no headache to install

 

Okay, and how many e-fan users on F150online have had their kits burn up or have problems in some form or another?

I've never had wiring burn or catch fire with a mechanical fan...

ETA: In fact, what was the start of this thread?

Fourth time that something's gone wrong. I'd throw that crap in the garbage before it catches my truck on fire if it was me, hell I probably would have ditched it after the first time it burnt up. Justify the gains anyway you want, I could care less, but there's something very wrong with a fan kit that's failed four times since it was installed. And I'm sure I could search this forum and the 2004-Present forum and find more than just this instance of problems with e-fans. But to each their own, I suppose.

 

HI!... Obviously you don't hear any problems from the guys who know how to wire up a kit properly..................

 

I'mma x2 on Quintin's remarks.

I don't like electric fans.

Why?

An engine fan is much more durable and varies with the engine RPMs providing proper cooling of not only the radiator, but the engine itself. It actually adds life to the engine. You don't see tractors, big rigs, etc, with electric fans usually. That's because an engine fan don't break.

If Ford wanted to equip the F150+ with electric fans they would have. In fact, my Dakota has both electric and an engine fan, as part of a dual layer fail safe cooling system.

I'd take my engine fan over an electric fan any day.

Not to mention you guys always complain about burnt up wires. Don't blame F150online.com when your truck catches fire...

 

Personally, I wouldn't worry about the wires burning up - I always go heavy there, solder what I can and use the sh^t out of dielectric grease .. What bothers me is controller life - What's the average life expectancy?? 3 or 4 years? I don't like the manual setup - I like it as an option , but if my dad or brother needs to borrow the truck - you know what I mean .. Hell , I might forget to flip the switch .. I definitely would have a controller ..

I sure do like the room in front of the motor an e-fan set up offers

How long does the typical controller last honestly ?

 

Agreed Quintin. So much of what I've seen written about e-fans seems to point to an inherent problem with the concept itself.

.............and I don't mean to be condescending, but the claim of a 3-4 MPG increase because of e-fans? Ain't no way in hell I can buy that one. If such an increase were possible with just a fan mod, I would believe that Ford would have engineered that one into the truck in the first place. Such a drastic increase would be a dream for Ford regarding overall fleet fuel economy. Considering all the pressure from the green-weenies these days you just know they would have entertained the idea. Additionally, if e-fans are quieter, that would have definitely been a plus to the engineering team because of their focus in that area. One look at the stock intake and the huge *** muffler will tell you that.

I have to believe the reason Ford did not include this mod into their original concept is because the MPG gains are minimal, and/or the possibility of damage to the electrical system or the risk of fire precluded any gains in doing so.

 

Yeah it seems the F-150 has enough of a problem with catching fire. I hear a lot about Troyers kit being a problem and other kits that people peice together. How is the Flex-a-lite kit? I haven't heard too much chatter about it. Anyone with some good or bad feedback?

I was thinking about going towards the electric fan but I only want to do so with the best do to there being so many problems it seems. But who knows, there may not be a "good" kit.

 

Yeah, I checked into it once myself, but ran away quickly after seeing posts about problems such as we're reading about here.

Now, to be honest, I know crap-from-shinola about e-fans. I feel somewhat unqualified to even say anything about them, but I'm just taking a cue from what I've read..............and I just don't believe that some of the suggested performance gains I've seen posted are real. Some gain would have to be recognized by not running a heavy *** stock fan, but 3-4 MPG? I don't think so. As I said, such a gain represents, what, a 15% to 20% gain in MPGs? I would think that Ford would have bought into that very early on if it were possible. That would make Ford a hero in the eyes of the EPA and would have gotten the government off their asses for a while. Considering the amount of trucks Ford sells, such a gain would have done wonders for their fleet average.

..............and you're transferring such a heavy load to the electrical system. Hell, you even have to do some upgrades to it when running some real heavy audio gear.............and the e-fan guys are talking 30-40 amps! That's some juice.

Again, I mean no disrespect and wish only good luck to those who have done this mod. I simply don't get it.

 

All front wheel drive transverse engined cars / vans come with electric fans. They usually last the lifetime of the vehicle. The fan control is built into the PCM so they are reliable. Yes relays fail and fuses pop but that is no biggie. I have had electric fans since the 7th of October 2003 on my truck. The ground wires were upgraded when the fuse holder melted. I have had to replace one controller this year and I bought a Derale controller for $34.00. I don't give a shìt about any MPG gains I wanted to free up some power and they did. I have no qualms about people wanting to stay safe. You cannot argue that point as it makes total sense. Some people bought the kits and expected them to be as trouble free as an OEM set up. Unfortunately that is not the case as there are some long term bugs that need to be addressed.

JMC

 

Addressing jbrew, why even bother with a fancy controller? Just use relays and a thermostatic switch. Done, no controller, no muss no fuss. I bought the thermostat switch at autozone and the two regular relays from the dodge dealership up the road. Done, about $35 for my home brewed setup. If one fails, override is there to get you to a place to buy a $6 relay. **** on those fancy controllers that cost at least $60-200 that fail all the time, unless you get a well built one!

 

A circuit can be put togather to soft start a fan, bring it on with A/C, start one fan at a lower temp, bring in the second fan at a higher temp all without a hi-cost solid state controller.
Wire with the right size gauge, use relays rated at more than the max current, fuses and holder rated above the max currents, two low cost adjustable thermostats, workmanship and intelligent understanding of what is to be accomplished.
It's not a big deal.
There are OEM controllers and fan assemblies for the Lincoln Mark VIII, Tarus/Sables etc that could be used. It works for them!.

I could have done it on my on my Lincoln, on my 02 Screw but I don't need the last ounce of power.
The Lincoln has a KenneBell blower and the 02 4.6 is all stock and runs like a top.
Only after market fan I have is to cool the aux trans cooler. It is controlled by an adjustable thermostat set on 185. Direct wire thu a fuse, turns on under high towing loads at slower road speeds and cools the engine bay after shutdown, all automaticly over the last 2 years..

 

I brought a JDM E-Fan Kit in late 2003
It still works as good as the day it was fitted, looks OEM factory too.

No issues with the wiring or control relays.