Standard clutch fan vs. electric fan

[pontiacgp]

It's nice to know I am "NOT" alone....

 

[pencero]

I've had the twin electric & the 6 blade also a 7-blade. Never had a problem w my 6 blade but both of my other fan's failed. Between the two I'd still go with the 7-blade for overall reliability even though the clutch did fail and it smashed into my radiator costing me hundred$ and yes it does sound like a small aircraft touching down when you pull in the driveway so if you have neighbors that's what it really comes down to but I did buy a little monoblock amp which i hid between the sear/ rear shelf speakers bc it was loud as hell. It really depends if you're going to do power tour / drag racing type stuff if I was going to do that I would want to do the extra wiring & twin electric fan is a much better choice in that case but I really drive my cars on a regular basis & if you install the 7-blade right you should not have to mess with it again for years. Just do it right the first time or it will shear off smack into the grill and come back to poke holes in your radiator & cost you hundreds of dollars I had to learn that the hard way! lol

 

[Longroof79]

Thanks for your input, man.
I may go with the electric fans for now. I figured they would work nicely with air conditioning. Especially when stopped at a light. It's always unnerving watching the temperature gauge creep up while waiting for the light to change. However, my 7-blade flex fan has worked very well for the past 20+yrs...I can't complain about that.
I'll try it out, I have nothing to lose. It can always be changed out.

 

[bill]

.....I'll try it out, I have nothing to lose. It can always be changed out.

not true!....youve got an engine to lose! Ask me how I know! Now, luckily I didnt lose my engine, but if I hadnt been paying close enough attention to the temp gauge, I would have, because the relay petered out and the fan stopped working! Clutch fans are far more reliable and worth the few horses you might lose by using them....in my book..

 

[pontiacgp]

.....I'll try it out, I have nothing to lose. It can always be changed out.

not true!....youve got an engine to lose! Ask me how I know! Now, luckily I didnt lose my engine, but if I hadnt been paying close enough attention to the temp gauge, I would have, because the relay petered out and the fan stopped working! Clutch fans are far more reliable and worth the few horses you might lose by using them....in my book..

you have a good point, I have an override switch that allows me to switch the fan on and a light that illuminates when the fan is working.

 

[Longroof79]

.....I'll try it out, I have nothing to lose. It can always be changed out.

not true!....youve got an engine to lose! Ask me how I know! Now, luckily I didnt lose my engine, but if I hadnt been paying close enough attention to the temp gauge, I would have, because the relay petered out and the fan stopped working! Clutch fans are far more reliable and worth the few horses you might lose by using them....in my book..

Bill,
You're absolutely right, I have my engine to lose, which I can't afford to lose. I have heard of fans taking a crap and stop working. But in the same token, many late model cars and street rods use electric fans. I understand that they are alleged to free up some horsepower, and I like trouble free reliability.
You did bring up a good point there.

 

[Longroof79]

.....I'll try it out, I have nothing to lose. It can always be changed out.

not true!....youve got an engine to lose! Ask me how I know! Now, luckily I didnt lose my engine, but if I hadnt been paying close enough attention to the temp gauge, I would have, because the relay petered out and the fan stopped working! Clutch fans are far more reliable and worth the few horses you might lose by using them....in my book..

you have a good point, I have an override switch that allows me to switch the fan on and a light that illuminates when the fan is working.

Steve,
How is your fans wired up, and are you using an adjustable controller?

 

[pontiacgp]

I have an on off switch (210º on to 195º off), It's installed in the intake at the front where the pipe fitting is in the picture. I have a 180 thermostat and the fan never comes on unless I am in the city or heavy traffic. I have a light wired into it so it illuminates whenever the fan is on and the fan is wired so I can hit a switch to turn it on

 

[Wulff]

.....I'll try it out, I have nothing to lose. It can always be changed out.

not true!....youve got an engine to lose! Ask me how I know! Now, luckily I didnt lose my engine, but if I hadnt been paying close enough attention to the temp gauge, I would have, because the relay petered out and the fan stopped working! Clutch fans are far more reliable and worth the few horses you might lose by using them....in my book..

That depends, when my 1987 Monte Carlo SS was only a year old I was sitting in traffic and happened to look at the temp gauge and it was in the red! I was able to pull over to the side and after it cooled off I figured it was low on coolant, nope, I thought maybe the pump went bad so I babied it home and noticed it only overheated when I was stopped (and fast!) I got home and looked it over and the clutch fan was totally shot! I could spin it like a top even though it was hot as an iron so they can and do fail, at least with my electrics I have 2 fans and 2 relays so there is a lot of backup there!
Oh, I also had this happen to my 1978 Chevy 4x4 (the one I used the 400 SBC from) as well.

 

[Longroof79]

That depends, when my 1987 Monte Carlo SS was only a year old I was sitting in traffic and happened to look at the temp gauge and it was in the red! I was able to pull over to the side and after it cooled off I figured it was low on coolant, nope, I thought maybe the pump went bad so I babied it home and noticed it only overheated when I was stopped (and fast!) I got home and looked it over and the clutch fan was totally shot! I could spin it like a top even though it was hot as an iron so they can and do fail, at least with my electrics I have 2 fans and 2 relays so there is a lot of backup there!
Oh, I also had this happen to my 1978 Chevy 4x4 (the one I used the 400 SBC from) as well.

Thanks Wulff,
I realize that fan clutches can go bad as well, and it's also quite common. I think I will install my fans and make sure I have some sort of fail safe override in place. I like the idea of using indicator lights to alert you that the fan(s) have kicked on.
Thanks for your input, buddy.