Whats your opinon on flex fans?

[kassim503]

I purchased a new (used) truck- 91 chevy 2500 p/u as a tow/trail rig

Its got some flaws, typical work truck, nasty interior, flaking paint and lightly rusted bed, but you get what you pay for and it was a bargain!

Since im using it as a weekend 4 wheeler and a tow rig, its gonna do alot of idling, and the previous owner put in a flex fan in it- my guess is the clutch went out and the flex fan was the cheap alternative to fixing it.

I hear about flex fan's blades "wearing out" as in i quote a co-worker "you should replace that, those blades wear out."

What would this "wearing out" mean? Does it mean the blades flatten out and stay that way? or would they break off and liberate themselves from the engine?

I remember getting negative feedback about my idea of putting in a flex fan into the max several months ago when I had all those cooling problems 11 page saga here

So what is the problem with flex fans? If the blades just flatten out permanently im ok with that, but if something is gonna break off I may switch it back to the clutch fan if i can get one cheap- or just put a solid metal fan in.

Btw- the car don't overheat, and the fan seems to move big gulps of air, and efficiency is not a big thing with me- the maxima is my daily driver and the trucks got a 454.

Al- the poll thing is really cool

[redmondjp]

I'd like to hear why people think these are bad as well . . . They used them for years STOCK on many vehicles . . . my dad's 1971 Ford LTD came with a flex-fan from the factory--220K miles on it and never a single problem--no cracked or broken-off blades, etc.

I put one on my 1969 Cadillac Ambulance, replacing a clutch fan, due to tremendous load on the cooling system in that vehicle which weighed 6400 lbs empty. Never had a problem with it either (main problem was there wasn't a good place in the engine compartment for all of the hot air to exit, and I didn't get to louvering the hood before I sold it).

That's only my experience. What bad experiences have others had?

[TooManyIdeas]

I don't necessarily think they are bad, but I prefer electric (no option on the poll) Electrics take up less space free up horsepower and fuel economy, are safer when the engine is running and will kick on and off when needed

[asavage]

Feed your hand into one, even at idle.

I've had one break in use.

No temperature compensation: it pulls as much air as it will, regardless if it's 120° or 10°. Why throw away fuel?

[kassim503]

I've had one break in use.

How old was the fan at the time of breakage? From the way this fan looks it looks like its older than the truck itself

[asavage]

How old was the fan at the time of breakage?

I really don't know. It broke not due to interference. It looked like stress fatigue to me.

[kassim503]

oh my!

and the fan on the truck is kinda grimy and rusty, mabye ill change it to a solid blade fan at my leisure

[asavage]

mabye ill change it to a solid blade fan at my leisure

What's wrong with OEM? Do you think that, if GM could have gotten away with fewer parts, they wouldn't?

Thermal fan clutches last a long time, they vastly reduce peak water pump brg loading, are much quieter than solid fans, save fuel . . . hey, aren't I repeating myself? Yeah, somewhere in this tome, I'm sure.