I want to put a Flex Fan on my 22re in my 85 pickup. I starts to get close to the red if it seats in about 90 degree weather for about 5-10 mins. I want it to cool better but i dont want to spend the money for a electric fan. Is a stainless stell flex fan worth it?

 

In my opinion flex fans are junk, ive used them in the past and they don`t move as much air or cool as well as a stock fan. instead , i would recomend that you have your radiator checked and cleaned out if needed, and depending on how old the thermostat is, you might want to replace it also.

 

Stock fan clutch works quite well when they are in good shape. Mine can run all day in 100+ temps and the gauge never moves. If the old clutch is not locking up, replace it, Aisin is the best choice IMHO. I had a clutch from NAPA for about a year until it blew silicone oil all over my engine and quit working.

 

Flex fans come in all grades of moving air. Light, Medium and HD best I remember. The HD will do the job but noisey as hell. Aluminum are good but I have run both fiberglass and plastic without failures. Hard to beat the OEM fan and clutch arrangement because its quiet and moves air well.

 

my buddies flex fan seperated and shot a blade through the hood of his car. I would stick with stock or save for electric.

 

i have one and it is loud as hell but it moves a lot of air, i would look into the t-stat and rad. for your cooling problems

 

i was a flex-a-lite E-fan proponent until last month. you can search my posts for the story, but i replaced my F-fan on the Tacoma already, and am planning to replace the E-fan on my 4Runner very soon.

I will only use the stock clutch-fan from now on. cheaper and more reliable i think. you can buy several fan clutches for the price of an E-fan or flex fan I bet, although you only need one xtra at most. With the stock gear, and cooling system in good shape, my thermostat sits right in the middle all day long even in the summer.

 

I read your thread at https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f123...warning-116051
about the e fan. I've been happy with mine though. For the very reasons you mentioned I have mine wired to run at all times the key is on. I wouldn't have trusted the setup you had, that's just me. Mine's loud enough that I can hear it running and know it's on. I debated getting a quiter one but then I wouldn't know for a fact that it was running. I think the electric fans *are a good idea. Considerably less pull on the engine. But the way yours was hooked up (and alot of peoples) you had no way of knowing the sensor to turn it on was actually working-as you found out after it got too hot. I wouldn't trust any fan that I couldn't *hear running. That doesn't mean electic fans are a bad idea, I got the impression you think they are. You just have to pay attention and make sure it's working properly.
My opinion only, of course.
Mitzi

 

I might have given that sort of over-arching impression, but really I think they are just a bad idea for me - and that others should consider all the facts before going that direction. For now, I have the fan start temperature set very low on the 4Runner so that I can hear it all the time, until I get around to replacing it with the OE setup.

That being said, anyone interested in a slightly used E-fan? I am going over to the For Sale section to post right now.

 

they have a flex a lite fan that is'nt ele.

 

Here it is https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f109.../#post50562723