electic cooling fan?

[brandon200317]

i have a 96 sonoma with 4.3L x motor.. just curious how difficult it is to convert to an electric cooling fan, i've heard of some using them out of ford taurases but anyone else have any suggestions? how does it work if you have A/C cause obviously it has to kick on when the A/C engages.
thanks
Brandon

[MT-2500]

I really see no need to do it.
A good clutch fan works just as good and may be better for cooling.
Some do it to save on HP but it takes electric to run a electric fan and it takes HP to turn the alternator.
So how much do you really gain or lose?

[brandon200317]

Originally Posted by MT-2500

I really see no need to do it.
A good clutch fan works just as good and may be better for cooling.
Some do it to save on HP but it takes electric to run a electric fan and it takes HP to turn the alternator.
So how much do you really gain or lose?

Thanks for the reply.. but i'm looking to just pull a little drag off the engine.. my truck already runs pretty cool so i'm not worried about that and the alternatore only puts so much load on an engine.. drag i loose from the clutch fan won't be made up with the alternator.. more looking for "slightly" better fuel economy. i've heard its a pretty easy conversion to do as long as you get the right fan.. so my main question remains.. any electric cooling fans out there i should consider? and how do they work when hooked up?.. do they usually come with temp sensors? how do they work with factory a/c on a vehicle not designed with electric cooling fan

[MT-2500]

If you condser and figure the HP it takes for the alt to charge 25-30 amps to run a electric fan you do not save any HP.
A real good clutch fan does as much good as anything.
Good luck
MT

[ZL1power69]

Most people doing the e-fan conversion use a Ford Taurus 3.8 2spd fan or LT1/LS1 f-body dual fans. The taurus fan will fit perfictly. You will either need to tap into the stock temp sensor or buy adjustable temp probes to trigger the fan. You could also use a fan controller like one from SPAL. Relays depend on what fan you want to use. It may not be a bad idea to upgrade your alternator to reduce the amp draw and maximize the hp gain. A cheap way to do that would be the GM AD244 alternator.

[duke350]

Not to disagree with anyone, but with an electric fan it only uses electric when needed, its not like it is constantly running. When the car is moving there is really not much if any need for a fan since the forward motion of the car causes plenty of airflow.
The Taurus fan is nice for the blazer because it fits the radiator perfectly and is a 2 speed fan, not to mention you can get one in a boneyard for $25-$30 bucks most times. Most chain type parts stores such as Autozone, Murrays, Checkers, etc, have temp sensors for pretty cheap. They have both, regular and adjustable. Adjustable is more expensive, but recommended since you can tune it to turn on/off when you want it to. There are some good wiring diagrams out there to take advantage of the 2 speed fan using 2 temp sensors or 1 temp sensor and the A/C circuit. We put an electric in my friends 79 firebird (383 in her) and a mechanical temp gauge and he loves it now that it is tuned. He was kinda shakey at first before we got the temp sensors all adjusted, but he loves that it rarely comes on and has increased his HP at the wheels and fuel economy. The reason we went with this aproach was because his waterpump broke at the fan and sent the fan through the radiator. I had the fan sititng in the garage so he was only out the temp sensor price wise. But he is glad he went this route now.