Electric Cooling fan helps MPG + HP ??

Hello Van fans:

Just thinking about better MPG - the highest gas prices in the nation will do that to you !

Anyhow, ditching the 'always in motion' stock fan & clutch sounds like it would help greatly - according to the Summit Racing catalog, it gains like 15-20 HP at the rear wheels, and 1-2 mpg.

My van has the 318, and being a high top conversion, more power (plus mpg improvements...) sounds like a super deal.

Also, most models seem to allow the omitting of the factory fan shroud, which really frees up the engine compartment room, for easier access.

My main question is: have any of you Ram van guys done this yet ? If so, please share details on what your set up is and the results.

I searched the Dodge truck forums and found some things, but nothing on the 'van front', yet.

I bet I'm not the only one who cringes at the pump with the cheapest here being $ 3.15 / gal and I hear it may hit $ 5 this summer - OUCH !

Ideas anyone ?

David B.

ill be trying it on my 94 318 dakota in a couple of days, then we will see

Originally Posted by gut

ill be trying it on my 94 318 dakota in a couple of days, then we will see

Thats great, gut. Good luck on the install - Which one are you installing ?

I had a hard time making up my mind - there are a lot of options.

The one I chose is the 'Black Magic X-treme' by Flex a lite, the most powerful single fan model @ 3300 cfm.

I think it will be very adequate, based on the other threads where I heard guys talking about having it on their newer 5.7 Hemi rams & dakotas, and a couple v-10 trucks - I've got a '96 Ram Van with the same engine you have - 318.

It was $ 269 from SummitRacing.com, not too bad. They wanted like $ 380 for the double fan model, but that seemed like overkill......

Please write back how it goes, and I promise I'll do the same.

David B. Ram Van Man

I would like to do an electric fan install as well. Not only for a HP gain, but it will be quieter without that mechanical fan buzzing around.

I would think that the set-up off a 94-95 minivan would be a good choice too as they are a dual fan unit on a large radiator.
The other factor is that it may cause the engine to heat up sooner in the winter due to the fan not spinning at all.
Please let us know the results.

Hello Van fans,

The electric fan install (and of course, the stock mechanical fan uninstall) was completed a couple of days ago, so here is the initial report: {a 'full tank MPG' report to follow next week or so....**

The install went pretty much according to the illustrated instructions provided by Flex-a-lite, for the model # 180 the 'Black Magic Extreme' unit. The cost was $ 269 from Summitracing.com.

I chose this particular model for simplicty sake, it fit the radiator easily, moves 3300 cfm, (the most powerful 16' electric fan on the market)- partly because it features a well designed full shroud.

This is very important - the full shround directs the maximum air flow through the radiator, instead of just moving hot air around the engine compartment.

[I didn't get the similar, cheaper yet nearly shroudless Black Magic fan # 150 for that reason.]

One crucial feature it has, is an adjustable thermostat that allows one to set the start up temperature of the fan. Set too low, it would run too much and prevent the engine from warming up. Basically, it must not run until the engine thermostat has fully opened, and once running, at idle, the fan runs for a minute or two, then shuts off by cooling the coolant below it's 'shut down temp'.

It's kind of funny to hear the fan run after shutting down the van - but good because all engines with soley mechanical fans 'superheat' after shutdown, and this helps cool it off quickly.

Now, it must be admitted up front that the Flex-a-lite tech guy, Bob, advised a different fan. He suggested the # 295 dual fan, but I took a different route for a reason - I wanted lower current consumption -the dual fan used up to double the amps.

In contrast, the 'Black Magic Extreme' uses 18 amps, but gives 3300 CFM, which I thought adequate to cool the engine, for the conditions which I drive in. The dual fan was also $ 100 more, to boot...

The dual fan set up is larger, a full 27' wide to cover the entire radiator (a good idea, but the flex a lite FAQ say 75 % coverage by a shroud is usually adequate....). I'm sure this will provide maximum cooling possible - this dual fan moves 4600 CFM. (If you tow trailers in 110 degree weather, you probably DO need this dual fan set up....)

But I was glad I chose the smaller unit as due to my 'double Air Conditioning set-up - that is front & rear AC' it makes things extremely tight under the hood, and I doubt with the larger fan I could have fit it, or had room to connect my custom bent brackets (the included universal brackets) to the 4 radiator support bolts.

Now to performance impressions: the van runs WAY quieter - buzzing mech fan noise is GONE. Both at idle and road speed - probably 2-4 db quieter in the cab.

The engine warms faster - no mech fan trying to cool down the engine prematurely. If you live in 'cold country' this would be a huge advantage.

Another pleasantly surprising advantage - I think having an E-fan will encourage better engine maintanance. How so ? Now the entire front of the engine is visible, formerly hidden by the stock shroud, so you can better monitor hose & belt condition and any developing leaks - this can only be a good thing !

The engine feels 'livelier' - more pep & HP as was predicted by others. We live & drive in the 4000 - 6000 ft range in the So Cal mountains & every HP helps offset the altitute losses. At sea level, the engine feels much more authoritative, eager to rev & move.

Yesterday, we did a 'heat test' drove to Palm Springs in the 95 - 100 degree heat. No problem - down the grade, the fan didn't even run. Coming back up it ran, and I was 'pushing' it with the AC on, and it started to run up the temp on the factory (unmarked) guage to the 2/3 rd mark**, but no higher.

As soon as I turned off the A/C, and hit the cooler mountain air, it dropped quickly to the 1/3 mark and got no higher even though we continued to gain another 1500' elevation.

That sounds like pretty good cooling to me ! Nonetheless, I did add a quart of that 'supercooler' (Enginekool by CRC/Napa) stuff to lower temps even more.

A good test will be to tow a trailer (2000 # plus) in summer temps and see how high it goes.

I confess ignorance on how high the coolant temps can go without it being a problem....right now I'm looking at installing a water temp guage so I can have a number reference.

If any of you consider such an installation, I'd be happy to write a more technical description including pictures. This is just my 'general impressions' report after just 200 miles / 3 days.....I admit to hoping for a 2-3 mpg improvement, we shall see.

Thanks David

**[I wish I knew what degrees that represented -]

It's been almost two weeks since the last post. You must be getting great gas mileage or forgot to get back with us. lol.

Anyways, I do a good deal of towing. This could help improve the cooling some in the mountains here in NY and PA.

Also, I was reading that replacing the O2 sensor every 40k will help keep the fuel mileage from dropping even after a good tune up.

Originally Posted by stev

It's been almost two weeks since the last post. You must be getting great gas mileage or forgot to get back with us. lol.

Anyways, I do a good deal of towing. This could help improve the cooling some in the mountains here in NY and PA.

Also, I was reading that replacing the O2 sensor every 40k will help keep the fuel mileage from dropping even after a good tune up.

Stev,

Good tip on the O2 sensor idea. I'll have to check that. It smogged perfectly 6 mos ago - wonder if that means it's OK ?

On the MPG report - I just filled up yesterday, I'll get back to you asap when I know. Suffice to say for now, The E-Fan install is a huge improvement. Engine quieter all times, more powerful - noticeably so. Entire front of engine visible for better maintenance. It doesn't run when not needed, and runs when AC is on at idle, pulling more CFM when needed, which your stock fan at idle doesn't.

I don't see any downside. I might add: on our vans, I wouldn't go with any lesser capacity fan, this unit pulls 3300 CFM (Flex-a-lite # 180 black magic extreme - 16" with shroud). I chose it after I read some threads on this site from guys with Durangos, Ram trucks, etc using it on their 318/360, newer Hemi's and even a V-10 or two.

Admittedly, if you tow heavy regularly, in warm weather, it might even be better to go with the dual fan # 295. I didn't because:

1) Amp draw - I wanted the most CFM for lowest amps
2) Cost - it was $ 100 less for the single fan
3) Space - my van has the double AC unit - space on the Passenger side next to the radiator was very tight - the double fan may not have fit or been very difficult.

Don't get me wrong, this fan, # 180, is cooling the van very, very well. When it goes above the set point, the fan kicks in and runs for a short while, cools it right down, then shuts off. It only has run continuously when the AC is on as it's wired that way....

What remains to be seen is if I tow a heavy trailer to Texas this summer, will it cope with the heat on the interstate ?
My guess is it will because Ram air is actually cooling your van above 50 MPH. But will this remain true when the ambient air is 110 ? Hmmm hope so !

I did install a more accurate water temp meter so I can KNOW for sure what the water temp is - I've heard other guys with the 318 say they sometimes run in the 210 - 220 range no problem in the summer with AC on. I hope my van goes no higher than that....

I'll report on that when I tow in this summer heat.

MPG report in a week or so....take care, David B.

Stev,

You might check out my other thread on the van & cargo van index page, "Report on E-Fan install" maybe you've noticed by now....David

Dave,

I like your signature line of "Family Bus". That's the reason why we got the B2500 12-passenger in the first place. The good Lord has blessed us wtih a quiver full. I just hope that the 12-passenger doesn't fill all the way up!

Peace!

Stev

Originally Posted by stev

Dave,

I like your signature line of "Family Bus". That's the reason why we got the B2500 12-passenger in the first place. The good Lord has blessed us wtih a quiver full. I just hope that the 12-passenger doesn't fill all the way up!

Peace!

Stev

Thanks, Stev -

Good to hear I'm not the only one who can do 'mass transit' just hauling around the 'fam !

When every seat in our Grand Caravan was filled, I thought it's time to exxxxpand the chariot. We considered a wagon like you have, but found this Conversion van first.

What age span in your 'quiver' ? Young 'uns or mostly grown ?

We've got 5, 4 girls and one boy, ages 12 down to 2. This is the hardest job I've ever taken. Every challenge I face in business life is NOTHING compared to raising children properly.

I'll just say 'yes we've been blessed by the LORD" but challenged as never before - it's no easy task to 'build a family that will stand' these days !

Grace in Christ to you, Stev, David B.

PS: Grandchildren can fill the remaining seats....

Dave,

We've done the Caravan route since 1985. That Caravan had the Mitsubishi 2.6L 4 banger in it. It nearly got 300k miles before the body totally went and we put it to rest. We had two other Caravans as well, 1984 and 1986. The 1984 was the best we ever had! The 1986 had the tranny problem of shuddering.

Well, we were bless with two children while the wife worked her career. After 8 years, she became convicted to stay home and homeschool the two boys. Shortly there after, the next child came. We then moved up to the B1500 PrimeTime conversion Ram Van. Then another, and another, and another. Guess what, we are now expecting another! The Ram Van has many car-seats. That's the reason we got the 12-passenger.

So, two older boys, and a mix of two boys and two girls along with an unknown for now.

The dear Lord is good all the time. And I too would echo, "Every challenge I face in business life is NOTHING compared to raising children properly." Amen! So many children today are so fallen away with no morals or knowing any real truth in life.

Peace!

Stev

Wow Stev, congrats on your family. 7 is a challenging number - but you'll make it all right. Maybe your children are spaced better - we waited a bit late in life, then had a 'last inning spurt'.

Our eldest is Kaylee, 12, then Connor 10 (then huge gap), then three girls ages 4, 3, & 1. They're so close in age that it's like having 3 toddlers at once.

I call 'em the wrecking crew for humor sake - but it's true - they can break stuff faster than I can fix it - but this junk is gonna break anyhow.

I just need to learn that these temporal challenges can teach eternal character qualities I lack, like Patience, for one - impossible in my own strength, possible only in Christ.

Now, I just finished learning that along with teaching 'auto shop' as part of homeschooling to my son: "the mechianic fellow on Dodgetalk.com said it took him 1 hour to change the front oil seal, so if we're done in 9 hours or less, at least we did get it done correctly..."

It helps to have support - for your family endeavors - do you have a supportive fellowship or homeschool group ? Hope so...

Grace to you & yours, David B. Ram Van 'Family Man'

PS: Lots of driving this week, should have that MPG report shortly....

David,

I tried e-mailing you right from the forums. Not sure if you got my reply.

Stev

Hey Stev,

I've been hammered this week - I'll check my spam filter - I bet it's 'stuck' in there - just waiting to come to the surface for air !

On the mileage front, I'm only half tank now, a bit early to know - plus it just got super hot, so now I'm running AC most of the time.

Given that, if it stays the same or goes up only slightly, I guess that means an increase, right ?

More later....

thanks, David

David,

I hear you about the evil SPAM thing. Sometimes good things can get trapped there.

I looked at both of my vans and the fan shroud there. It would be neat to swap them out for any improvement to mpg.

The B2500 we have, had the coil gone bad this past week. In reality, it must have been going bad for a period of time. Well, the engine realls purrs nicely now, a near quietness. I wonder if the mpg will be better too? One can only be hopeful.

Stev