Taurus fan upgrade

blackcj

New member
I got a fan for $29 at the junk yard and have been waiting to do this upgrade. But I'm hearing you need a 165amp alternator to run this wicked fan. I just have a 60amp right now. Anybody know if what I have is ok or do I have to pay up for a bigger amp?
 

What is the advantage?

to having a ford sedan fan?



This is what you're talking about?:?:
 
These fans are known for moving more air than any other easily swappable electric fan. I have them for my Commando and Corvette. Fast, cool, and quiet.
 
Fan not using a belt from the engine. I idea is you can turn it on and off when you like it. Frees up a bit of HP. Sitting in traffic in the summer with the fan running at full speed helps out for cooling.

Not sure how many amps the fan needs. The stock taurus alternator is 100-130 amps.
 
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As i under stand it, the taurus fan works on a pulse system and as the engine heats up it feeds it more pulses untill it reaches full speed. It doesn't use as much electricity when it doesn't need it. Lots of info on the net.
 
The Taurus fan draws high current when running 30-40A. Even higher when starting, but only for a few seconds.
 

These fans put out 2000 cfm and blow away any flex lite fan and are way cheaper. Great junk yard find put electrical is not my strong point.
 
These fans put out 2000 cfm and blow away any flex lite fan and are way cheaper. Great junk yard find put electrical is not my strong point.

My Flex-a-lite 485 draws 18A and draws 3300 CFM and came with a shroud and a controller.
 
So do you guys think my 60 amp alternator is enough to make it work?

The Taurus fan draws high current when running 30-40A. Even higher when starting, but only for a few seconds.

No. There is a certain normal operating draw your engine, pcm and radio pulls during normal operation. Your normal draw plus the 30 to 40 is likely over the 60A output.
 

JPNinPA said:
My Flex-a-lite 485 draws 18A and draws 3300 CFM and came with a shroud and a controller.

At $30 it's a good deal.
 
I run an aftermarket fan and first thing I did was upgrqade the alternator, why take the chance.

I bought one for a 95 dodge dakota with the 2.5 (I think it was the 2.5, its been awhile ago, I have a 2.5, its a direct bolt in / plug in), its 160a alternator and was less than $200 if I recall, 2 years on that alternator now and not a bit of trouble and the battery is always charged.

If your going to do the fan upgrade why not take the chance to upgrade the alternator? if theres a question about a 60a running it (I wouldnt run one with a 60a) then why do half an upgrade?
 

At $30 it's a good deal.

Upgrade the alternator will do thanks

Agree the $30 for a fan is a good deal. If the Dakota alt works it will be a good upgrade. Don't forget you'll need a controller for the fan. Flex-a-lite makes one not sure of the current limit. There are others controllers.

Lastly to control/eliminate the high current spike from turn on you could place a large capacitor on the battery side of the relay very close to the relay. Lastly be sure to use the correct gauge wiring.
 
I just installed a flex a lite fan, the controller comes with a 30 amp fuse. It says the fan draws 18 amps at max rpm.
 
First off, I ran this fan with the stock alternator for years without issues (even with the stereo blowing out tunes through an amp, 4 aux lights on, and the GPS up and running!). Oh, and I ran it with a 40A maxifuse, so no way it is peaking past 40A in real life. You can also get a pulse controller (like Delta Current Controller or Flex-a-lite), which will lower the amp draw at start up (where it peaks).

The advantages of the Ford fan is that (1) it cools better (AC) when sitting still (fan speed does not depend on engine speed), (2) it saves a bit of gas (no need to run the fan when driving down the highway), and you can shut it off for water fording (so the fan will not get sucked up into the radiator). in my case, I run 2 separate control setups, so I use a 3 position switch

ON (top position): turns on the low speed of the fan through a 35A relay
OFF (middle): turns fan off
AUTO (down): runs the DCC box, which adjusts the fan speed according to the radiator temp, and turns fan on at low (lower than the regular low speed) for AC ussage.

Hope this helps!
 
Utah_jeepster said:
I just installed a flex a lite fan, the controller comes with a 30 amp fuse. It says the fan draws 18 amps at max rpm.

X2, mine has a kill switch but thats it, if the key is on the fan is on, my Jeep stays at 210 whether it's -35 at home in Wyoming or 110 on the trail in Moab, best mod you can do to free up a little power.
 
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