Steel fan vs. nylon stocker

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driveroflyn274
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Steel fan vs. nylon stocker

Post by driveroflyn274 »

Hey guys, my stock nylon fan is pretty loud when the clutch is engaged, but I don't have the money or resources to go electric and I just replaced the fan clutch. My old cars with steel fans were quieter when running and I was wondering if I could just replace my plastic stock fan with an 18" replacement steel reverse rotation piece.
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HenryJ
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Re: Steel fan vs. nylon stocker

Post by HenryJ »

A few have replaced them with the Ford Explorer fan in an attempt to free up a little horsepower. You can fin out about that in the discussion thread here and at jagsthatrun.com
Nothing will move the needed air like the stock fan though.

Make sure it is clean between the condenser and the radiator. Consider the thicker core replacement radiator and you already replaced your clutch which may have been bad. That should keep the noise down :)

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Re: Steel fan vs. nylon stocker

Post by roadrunner »

Every time I start to notice my fan noise becoming louder I clean out the bugs etc from the radiator and condenser (and in between both). Generally takes care of the situation.
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Re: Steel fan vs. nylon stocker

Post by Jongo88 »

You say you replaced your clutch??? I bet you got the extreme duty one... They are way to strong. I made the same mistake and it started to rip my cloth from under my hood.... I returned it for a stock one and was happy until in went to a e fan.
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Re: Steel fan vs. nylon stocker

Post by WileyHunter »

I had a flex fan on my F150, loved it, quiet at idle and not extremely loud on the interstate. Would like to find one for the cc someday.
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Re: Steel fan vs. nylon stocker

Post by roadrunner »

One of the main reasons most car makers have gone away from the flex fans is liability. Blade flying off and cutting off limbs etc not pretty. Other than that drawback I too liked the performance and usage of the flexies. Always made me nervous to be anywhere in line with them while running particularly when revving as during advance tests at tune-up time.
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Re: Steel fan vs. nylon stocker

Post by driveroflyn274 »

I guess I was really wondering if it would be quieter to run a steel fan off of a 350 rather than the plastic fan that comes stock on our trucks.
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Re: Steel fan vs. nylon stocker

Post by killian96ss »

Steel clutch fans are a little quieter than the S10 nylon clutch fans, but I'm pretty sure they are also heavier which means your gas mileage and performance might drop a little bit. Flex fans are great if you need maximum cooling since they are direct drive with no clutch, however your gas mileage and performance will definitely drop since the fan is always engaged. Electric fans are the most efficient! They give you the best gas mileage and typically free up 10-15 hp!

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Re: Steel fan vs. nylon stocker

Post by driveroflyn274 »

So this piece wouldn't really benefit me any?
http://www.jegs.com/i/Flex-a-lite/400/5 ... ProductId=

Is there an article on how to clean between the condenser and radiator that my searches haven't turned up?
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Re: Steel fan vs. nylon stocker

Post by _STUCKY »

On my jeep, I have used a shop vac to suck stuff out. Pull the grill off and try that. Pressure washers and compressed air don't work too well, both will bend the fins.
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Re: Steel fan vs. nylon stocker

Post by ApproachMedium »

I always do compressed air but from the inside out. That is very important. The fan pulls the air in from the front so if you want the dirt that got stuck to go back out you need to send it back the direction it came from. If its done properly it shouldnt do any damage to the fins. Compressed air should be used with a small blow gun set at lower pressure. The same concept applies if using a pressure washer. Spray from the inside of the engine bay out.
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