summers hot, but Anabelle runs hotter

[89LincolnTWNcar]

So I am driving normally today in 90 degree weather with the AC on when I notice the car is running at about 200-204 degrees. Is this normal for a mustang engine to do? I am getting a flex-a-lite fan to replace the old stock crap today to see if that helps. Any other tips on cooling better, or is this something to not worry about?

[Grand Marquis GT]

Flex fan = no no...

My suggestion? HAve the engine running at idle, at operating temp.

Turn off the key. If the fan is still spinning as soon as the motor stops turning completely, you need a new fan clutch.

This makes a difference when you are sitting in traffic.

[Archangel]

Flex fans work awesome with no A/C, but I wouldn't recommend them for A/C equipped cars. When I had no A/C in my car the flex fan works just fine, however now with the A/C running while cruising at about 45mph my temp climbs a little. Haven't tested it during rush hour traffic jams, but I'd expect that the engine will eventually get pretty hot. For that reason I'm planning on midifying my flex fan so it loses some of its flex, that is until I get a big 19" six-blade clutch fan from a truck or something...

[Grand Marquis GT]

No flex fans!

They are DANGEROUS!!! I have seen them break apart and go thru certain parts of a car....

[Blaze86Vic]

Also, flex fans make a shit load more noise. Which is one of the biggest turn offs ever as far as cool car. However, on another note. Running at 204 is not bad. Yes, performance cars like to run at lower tempretures because of higher compression and needing a cooler combustion champer to prevent early ignition.

HOWEVER!! You make more power, when it runs a little hotter. And I mean that, and it's fact. This is true beyond 212F (100C)! If you don't trust me, ask any Nascar team. These people are restricted to lower comresion ratios, and alway being NA. So they tweek out that setup to make as much power as possible. They run a pre pressurized water coolant system so that it does not boil till beyond 260F. They run around 220F I think. They run hotter because it makes more power that way. As long as you aren't boiling then you are fine. If you think you are boiling, when you turn the car off while hot, you will hear it boiling for just a second or two.

[turbo2256b]

No flex fans!

They are DANGEROUS!!! I have seen them break apart and go thru certain parts of a car....

Iused to design fans for an OEM company. They made about the best flex fan you could buy. They discontinued them because they would eventualy come appart. They also disconued the cross blade fan for the same reason. I have had one go through a hood in one of my trucks.

If your running FI you might upset the temperature and ccausse issues with the computer control functions. Might bring the economy down or such. I did on my blue car. Aftermarket fan clutches for most fords wouldnt fit the factory fan the hole in the fan was too small to fit over the clutch fans hub. Nunerous attempts to order a fan for the aftermarket clutch failed. I also designed clutch fans. They were quite different between engines like engines in different vehicles. Aftermarket often covers a truck or a car but factory clutcches were different fromm the factory.

MMy merc often ran 215 to 190 no problems.

[89LincolnTWNcar]

Turn off the key. If the fan is still spinning as soon as the motor stops turning completely, you need a new fan clutch.

My fan clutch is definately out then b/c it keeps on spinning..... I nixed the flex-fan idea, didn't want to mess with a spacer and all that. I think I will go to the junkyard and find a newer panther electric fan and replace the stock fan, or i will find a smaller fan to compliment the stock fan.

[89LincolnTWNcar]

oh yeah how big is the stock fan 16"???

[Grand Marquis GT]

Try 3.8L taurus fans...

[Archangel]

I have that:

The blades are stainless steel, the hub consists of two steel "stars" and the blades go between them, each blade is held to the hub by four bigass stainless steel rivets - that is 18" in diameter, and hardly ever turning at over 3000rpm - how is that gonna shatter?

[88grandmarq]

200-205 degrees is perfectly acceptable and with in normal range. A hot motor is more efficient, but an overheating motor is no good.

A new fan clutch is a good idea, I recommend a motorcraft unit, as HD as you can get.

[Blaze86Vic]

I have that:

The blades are stainless steel, the hub consists of two steel "stars" and the blades go between them, each blade is held to the hub by four bigass stainless steel rivets - that is 18" in diameter, and hardly ever turning at over 3000rpm - how is that gonna shatter?

Because it is a flex fan. It is designed to flex. Metals are inheritly unable to bend over and over without inevitably fracturing. Springs get old and tired. So does this fan. They get tired because stress fractures build up and weaken the material. But to put into perspective how much more repetetive the fan is flexed, every time you hit a bump it takes about 1/2 a second to go up and down on the suspension. At 2400rpm for the duration of 1/2 a second that fan spins 20 times. For simplicity, each spin is a cycle of flexing (in reality it is constant and has multiple flex (stress) cycles per revolution). So it is always flexing (not just when you hit a bump). So the fan blades fatigue at least 20 times faster than springs. It takes 10 years to see a difference in tired springs. So in 1 year that fan blade is just as tired as your stressed out old springs. How long begore the stress fractures reach failing point? Not if.

[Archangel]

Oh, okay, I see what you say - for some reason I thought the fracturing of the fans occurs due to blades separating from the hub :dunno: I'm planning on installing a Bronco 6-blade fan with a HD clutch some time over the weekend, or whenever I get the time to go to the junkyard and pull a fan out.

[rietan01]

Electric all the way, your car and ass-dyno will thank you. Also remember to pressure wash out your radiator and condensor to help with efficiency. I usually try to do it once a year.

P71towny

[Blaze86Vic]

I agree, electric is the best alternative. I've never spent more than $20 on any of my electric fan installs. Just got lucky with getting new ones for free, but any will work. Hell, new panthers have E-fans, I bet it's amost a direct swap.