The Camano Experience

[kramttocs]

I'm doubting the radiator cap had anything to do with the fan issue, and I don't think you do either. Right? (Another reason I'm running a very stock radiator cap - I've not had good luck with "oddball" caps.)

On the flaps, I think your plan is good - assuming that is what you finally decide to do.

As for what to do, I know you have the two-fan cover (not really a shroud?) and another small fan coming. But I'm thinking the better approach is a Mark VIII fan and a factory shroud. I measured Big Blue's shroud's opening at ~22 1/2", so an 18" Mk VIII fan would be a sloppy fit in the opening. But there are plenty of factory shrouds for these trucks designed for an 18 or 18 1/2" fan. And I think they fit the same size radiator?

The Mk VIII comes with its own shroud, but it is way too small for our radiators. So what about cutting that shroud and inserting it into a factory shroud with an 18" opening? Here's a Dorman fan from Amazon for similar vehicles and you can see what I'm thinking about.

Right - that was just kind of a complaint about the "kill two birds with one stone" radiator cap and was unrelated to temp. Guess another reason of why mess with stock when it works...not like the stock fan/shroud at all

Thanks for that link. I agree that seems like the best of both worlds. Downside is that I think it would require a beefier controller than the Davies, Craig that I have. The SPAL fan is already money spent and cutting holes is free so if neither of those solve the issue, it's back to the mechanical fan. Would still keep an eye out for a jy Mark VIII fan to play around with though.

[Gary Lewis]

Right - that was just kind of a complaint about the "kill two birds with one stone" radiator cap and was unrelated to temp. Guess another reason of why mess with stock when it works...not like the stock fan/shroud at all

Thanks for that link. I agree that seems like the best of both worlds. Downside is that I think it would require a beefier controller than the Davies, Craig that I have. The SPAL fan is already money spent and cutting holes is free so if neither of those solve the issue, it's back to the mechanical fan. Would still keep an eye out for a jy Mark VIII fan to play around with though.

Found this thread and thought I'd pass it on: Ultimate Mark VIII fan thread. In it they mention a DC Controls FK-85P controller. That's the manual on it, but here's a link to DC Controls. Their Fan Control page takes you to two options:

• Multi-Speed and Dual Fan Controllers and Accessories: Our relay based controllers take advantage of two speed motors utilized in various OEM cooling fans. Operation is identical to the Ford CCRM, but in a stand alone unit with a configurable temperature setting. Our 2-fan solid state controllers are designed to power the highest amperage dual fans.

• Constant Temperature Controllers and Accessories: Our constant temperature, full variable speed controllers have long been considered the best on the market. They can be utilized with virtually any cooling fan and employ pulse width modulation in order to set the fan to any speed in order to attain a constant temperature without cycling, regardless of driving conditions.

This stuff is starting to get pricey!

[FuzzFace2]

This stuff is starting to get pricey!

And why a factory set up that works is the best way to go in my book If its not broke dont fix it!

And going with electric fans that may not keep the motor cool you also need to upgrade the ALT>

Dave ----

[ArdWrknTrk]

This stuff is starting to get pricey!

And why a factory set up that works is the best way to go in my book If its not broke dont fix it!

And going with electric fans that may not keep the motor cool you also need to upgrade the ALT>

Dave ----

Maybe you missed the 200A Powermaster alternator Scott just installed?

Brian at DC Controls doesn't seem to be on top of things (third hand, I don't know if that's the case today)

If you really want to go all in there's always Darryl @ www.autocoolguy.com

He is a Vietnam Vet and makes an (evidently) bulletproof 125A PWM controller.

https://www.autocoolguy.com/product-page/hf-125-7-khz-pwm-controller

Since I was digging in to this a bit, I've also found that the 2010-14 F series tow package fans are evidently even beefier than the MK VIII (and they may be a better fit to our radiators)

These seem to go for from $112 TYC to $195 Motorcraft (China)

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/ford,2010,f-150,5.4l+v8,1444700,cooling+system,radiator+fan+assembly,2181

 

[kramttocs]

Found this thread and thought I'd pass it on: Ultimate Mark VIII fan thread. In it they mention a DC Controls FK-85P controller. That's the manual on it, but here's a link to DC Controls. Their Fan Control page takes you to two options:

• Multi-Speed and Dual Fan Controllers and Accessories: Our relay based controllers take advantage of two speed motors utilized in various OEM cooling fans. Operation is identical to the Ford CCRM, but in a stand alone unit with a configurable temperature setting. Our 2-fan solid state controllers are designed to power the highest amperage dual fans.

• Constant Temperature Controllers and Accessories: Our constant temperature, full variable speed controllers have long been considered the best on the market. They can be utilized with virtually any cooling fan and employ pulse width modulation in order to set the fan to any speed in order to attain a constant temperature without cycling, regardless of driving conditions.

This stuff is starting to get pricey!

That's a good thread Gary. Lot of helpful information compiled there.

Jim - those autocoolguy controllers are crazy! They definitely look like the best of breed. The 10-14 F Series fans are a great find.

Quick search didn't show specs on the fan but the measurements for a direct fit radiator replacement shows:

OVERALL LENGTH (IN) 40.32

OVERALL HEIGHT (IN) 18.00

OVERALL WIDTH (IN) 6.25

Dave - you are correct. When reading electric fan conversion threads I don't know if I've ever seen a case where the mechanical fan wasn't cutting it assuming the rest of the system was operating correctly. My situation was the same and the stock fan was keeping mine very cool. This is more just an experiment and is very easy to revert back to the factory setup if it fails. Granted, I hadn't planned to spend more money than getting a controller but I will fully admit that after seeing the clean look of the electric fans, it would be really nice if it works

Jim - very much appreciate the water weld mention.

After cleaning the tube I ran an 8mm tap through there like Gary and applied the water weld. Haven't ran the truck yet but this seems like it will work great. The water weld swelled and is hard as a rock now so I can't believe there will be any leaks. Put a new cap and clamp back over it as well though just in case.

[Gary Lewis]

That's a good thread Gary. Lot of helpful information compiled there.

Jim - those autocoolguy controllers are crazy! They definitely look like the best of breed. The 10-14 F Series fans are a great find.

Quick search didn't show specs on the fan but the measurements for a direct fit radiator replacement shows:

OVERALL LENGTH (IN) 40.32

OVERALL HEIGHT (IN) 18.00

OVERALL WIDTH (IN) 6.25

Dave - you are correct. When reading electric fan conversion threads I don't know if I've ever seen a case where the mechanical fan wasn't cutting it assuming the rest of the system was operating correctly. My situation was the same and the stock fan was keeping mine very cool. This is more just an experiment and is very easy to revert back to the factory setup if it fails. Granted, I hadn't planned to spend more money than getting a controller but I will fully admit that after seeing the clean look of the electric fans, it would be really nice if it works

Jim - very much appreciate the water weld mention.

After cleaning the tube I ran an 8mm tap through there like Gary and applied the water weld. Haven't ran the truck yet but this seems like it will work great. The water weld swelled and is hard as a rock now so I can't believe there will be any leaks. Put a new cap and clamp back over it as well though just in case.

Scott - Where did you find the info on the 2010-14 F-Series fans? I did some searching and didn't find what I was looking for, including the dimensions.

But, those dimensions are BIG! I measured Big Blue's shroud @ 28 1/2 x 19, and the radiator at about 33 x 19. So 40.32" wide is huge!

[kramttocs]

Scott - Where did you find the info on the 2010-14 F-Series fans? I did some searching and didn't find what I was looking for, including the dimensions.

But, those dimensions are BIG! I measured Big Blue's shroud @ 28 1/2 x 19, and the radiator at about 33 x 19. So 40.32" wide is huge!

That was from a site selling Mishimoto's and maybe I missed it being a special fit? That measurement includes everything though (core, tank and ears) so isn't really that helpful.

Looking at the Rock Auto link from Jim I randomly grabbed radiator part number: CSF 3546

For that, Summit shows:

 

[ArdWrknTrk]

That's a good thread Gary. Lot of helpful information compiled there.

Jim - those autocoolguy controllers are crazy! They definitely look like the best of breed. The 10-14 F Series fans are a great find.

Quick search didn't show specs on the fan but the measurements for a direct fit radiator replacement shows:

OVERALL LENGTH (IN) 40.32

OVERALL HEIGHT (IN) 18.00

OVERALL WIDTH (IN) 6.25

Dave - you are correct. When reading electric fan conversion threads I don't know if I've ever seen a case where the mechanical fan wasn't cutting it assuming the rest of the system was operating correctly. My situation was the same and the stock fan was keeping mine very cool. This is more just an experiment and is very easy to revert back to the factory setup if it fails. Granted, I hadn't planned to spend more money than getting a controller but I will fully admit that after seeing the clean look of the electric fans, it would be really nice if it works

Jim - very much appreciate the water weld mention.

After cleaning the tube I ran an 8mm tap through there like Gary and applied the water weld. Haven't ran the truck yet but this seems like it will work great. The water weld swelled and is hard as a rock now so I can't believe there will be any leaks. Put a new cap and clamp back over it as well though just in case.

I poked around looking for dimensions before I mentioned the '10-14 dual fan assembly, but it's a challenge on my phone.

That's good information Scott! Thank you.

Perhaps it will help someone else who's looking to switch to electric fans.

[Gary Lewis]

I poked around looking for dimensions before I mentioned the '10-14 dual fan assembly, but it's a challenge on my phone.

That's good information Scott! Thank you.

Perhaps it will help someone else who's looking to switch to electric fans.

That is good info, Scott. And the 2010-14 radiators are a lot closer to the size of ours than the MK VIII radiators. But they aren't a perfect match, which leaves me still wondering about using a shroud with an 18 or 18 1/2" opening and slipping a Mk VIII fan into the opening.

As for this thread helping others, I think it already has. There was a guy of FB this morning asking how to put electric fans on his Bullnose so I gave him a link to where that discussion started in this thread and he "liked" it.

Having said that, at some point we may want to have a thread or page dedicated to what we've learned about e-cooling these trucks.

[ArdWrknTrk]

That is good info, Scott. And the 2010-14 radiators are a lot closer to the size of ours than the MK VIII radiators. But they aren't a perfect match, which leaves me still wondering about using a shroud with an 18 or 18 1/2" opening and slipping a Mk VIII fan into the opening.

As for this thread helping others, I think it already has. There was a guy of FB this morning asking how to put electric fans on his Bullnose so I gave him a link to where that discussion started in this thread and he "liked" it.

Having said that, at some point we may want to have a thread or page dedicated to what we've learned about e-cooling these trucks.

I hear a lot of freaking out and crying about "15 HORSEPOWER!!!"

But that's why most belt fans have a clutch.

I can hold my fan with one finger from stopped, as long as the clutch is cool.

If that's 1/20th of a horsepower I'd be surprised.

I get it, that people want their fan pulling anytime the AC is on.

My Ex's Honda had a pusher fan mounted in front of the condenser.

But looking at the size of the thing for these trucks I don't see that as a viable option.