Installed a flex fan

[Dave84]

well I installed a flex fan tonight inplace of my clutch fan,, i left the fan shroud off cause i like it better with out, now will that effect any thing cooling?
the fan shure makes a differnt noise the my clutch fan to

[Blaze86Vic]

2 things wrong.

1: The shroud is crucial at making air flow, not having it makes the fan virtually useless at pulling air through the radiator, it just circulates engine bay air.

2: GET RID OF THE FLEX FAN! They fail. Yes a fan fails. Because they flex and vibrate so much they fatigue and eventually the blades will go flying.

[Dave84]

OUCH,,,, i guess i should ask these things before i do them,, the fan is brand new too,,,hmm

[gabegt90]

yeah dave put the shroud back on mang johnny is right about that you wont have air flow

[Blaze86Vic]

It will do fine for a while, but it litterlay is just a matter of time. They are best for drag racers, since they need as much flow in the staging area as possible, but least resistance on the track. And they aren't long term engines either.

[1987cp]

My '79 has actually been doing okay with the flex fan that was on there when I got it, but I can't yet vouch for the typical lifespan of such a part. I suppose it'll likely be longer when the engine isn't revved very high. But yeah, definitely reinstall the shroud. They're a major pain to deal with, but I hate worrying about cooling problems a lot worse!

[packman]

2 things wrong.

1: The shroud is crucial at making air flow, not having it makes the fan virtually useless at pulling air through the radiator, it just circulates engine bay air.

2: GET RID OF THE FLEX FAN! They fail. Yes a fan fails. Because they flex and vibrate so much they fatigue and eventually the blades will go flying.

I've had one on my Chevelle for six years now and it hasn't fallen apart yet; but then again, my 305 isn't a screamer. At higher rpms it makes a whining noise almost like a supercharger. It's quite neat, until it flies apart lol.
Packman

[turbo2256b]

I worked for an OEM company that made flex fans for the big three back in the 60s and 70s. They stopped making them because of the liabilities. They were a lot more robust looking than what I have seen from the aftermarket perfromance stuff. They also stopedd making cross blades because of the same reasons.

[1987cp]

I worked for an OEM company that made flex fans for the big three back in the 60s and 70s. They stopped making them because of the liabilities. They were a lot more robust looking than what I have seen from the aftermarket perfromance stuff. They also stopedd making cross blades because of the same reasons.

Interesting! But what's a cross blade?

[mrltd]

Two blades that lies across each other, making the X. All the older cars had that style or the flex fan...

[turbo2256b]

Interesting! But what's a cross blade?

Simply it looks like this X

[1987cp]

Ah, gotcha. I just hadn't heard it called that.

[grandpaslincoln]

My 62 GMC had a flexfan, it had been on there for many many years with no problems. Also had no fan shroud, kept plenty cool

[1987cp]

Didn't a lot of older cars come with no fan shroud?

[Archangel]

1: The shroud is crucial at making air flow, not having it makes the fan virtually useless at pulling air through the radiator, it just circulates engine bay air.

Tell that to my Chevy, cause apparently it thinks and acts otherwise.

2: GET RID OF THE FLEX FAN! They fail. Yes a fan fails. Because they flex and vibrate so much they fatigue and eventually the blades will go flying.

Correct! We've had that discussion before, same argument was brought up, I did my little research, my flex fan is now a wall decoration. If the fan has stainless steel blades and a good double-walled center hub it should last a while, but if the blades are aluminum that's a major no-no.