Electric fan is better, it doesnt rob power and depending on the fan or the way you wire it you can have a 2nd speed on/off if you are getting too hot. You can also run te fan with your motor off if running very hot.
I bought a $40 Taurus 2spd fan from a friend, best bang for your buck
Less things to cut your hand off is always better. Plus Nissan fans have a tendency to fall apart after several years.
Sucky Nissan engine bay plastics...
Depends on what you have and what you are trying to do with it. What is an ideal fix for one can be a horrible mistake for another.
I can idle down the highway at 2000 RPM, not worried about parasatic drag at such low RPMs. Thus I will take the simplicity of a thermally clutched mechanical fan.
Eletrical fan have the potential to save power and fuel, but often they are installed incorrectly and the fan runs all the time at normal operating temperture. Now you are just transfering the losses through the charging system. The over taxed charging system may not keep up or live as long, eating away the gains.
Mechanical system can move a lot more air at elevated engine speeds. Just about every truck sold for towing has a mechanical driven cooling fan. There is a reason for this.
But nearly every passenger car (and many light trucks now) that spend there days idling in traffic do great with an electric cooling fan. Many are now multi speed or even variable speed. Giving only light fan action when only light cooling is needed. Less electicity, less load on the charging system, less load on the engine.
So there is no blanket answer on what is best.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Pirate 4x4
18.7M posts
366.4K members
Since 2000
A forum community dedicated to custom off-road vehicle owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about trail reports, builds, performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, fabrication, drivetrain, and more!