Correct me if I'm wrong, but the purpose of the intercooler fan is to aid in pulling air through the intercooler. If so my question is does it need to be spinning as the car reaches higher speeds. I think as the car is moving it might actually slow the flow of cool air. Just a thought I came up with when I realize that my other V8 car has a clutch fan for the rad for that purposes.
intercooler fan
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Addicted2boost
SUCK, SQUISH, BANG, BLOW
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I would highly recommend a solid mount fan VS a clutch fan setup on a high output V8 for the radiator.
I don't think there is a measureable performance gain on the solid mount IC fan. As long as you have a factory ic shroud in place, I wouldn't worry about it too much if you don't have a fan in place. When your going fast, the ic shroud will keep air moving thru it. Unless you had some sort of larger ic fan setup, a 5K RPM stock IC fan just won't do too much. It's so small. I have seen after market IC fan shrouds that mount between the IC fan and the IC itself. But if your motor mounts are bad, the IC fan will hit the shroud and be destroyed. I have a V4R and no IC fan setup. And look at my times.
I don't think there is a measureable performance gain on the solid mount IC fan. As long as you have a factory ic shroud in place, I wouldn't worry about it too much if you don't have a fan in place. When your going fast, the ic shroud will keep air moving thru it. Unless you had some sort of larger ic fan setup, a 5K RPM stock IC fan just won't do too much. It's so small. I have seen after market IC fan shrouds that mount between the IC fan and the IC itself. But if your motor mounts are bad, the IC fan will hit the shroud and be destroyed. I have a V4R and no IC fan setup. And look at my times.
TurboRussty
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but if you were to take the fan off of a stock TR will you lose anything with taking it off. obviously you will not gain anything but a little less noise under the hood. would the car run hotter or cooler without.
i have an extended scoop for the intercooler shroud anyways at highway speeds the car will cool normally.
but in traffic will this hurt the cars slow moving speeds.
i have an extended scoop for the intercooler shroud anyways at highway speeds the car will cool normally.
but in traffic will this hurt the cars slow moving speeds.
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The designers are no dummies...that fan was placed there in order to keep a constant movement of air through the Intercooler. When you are sitting in the staging lanes, in traffic, or at a light the car is at idle and not moving. Therefore, the Intercooler has no air flow going thru it when no fan is in place. What happens? Heat Soak...
Leave the fan on......it is a solid mount design, and it is so small it will hardly slow down the car like a large clutch fan will.
Leave the fan on......it is a solid mount design, and it is so small it will hardly slow down the car like a large clutch fan will.
TurboRussty
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but how much air could that fan really be drawing if the car is at a standstill at 700 rpm's the fan is spining slow as but so where is the gain of having it there in the 1st place unless the car is moving....
is there really a need for it anyone else like to chime in on this topic....the car has to be actually moving in order for the fan to bring in cold air cause when you are at a dead stop if the fan is really bringing in any air thru the intercooler would it not be hot air from the engine compartment or if not from the exhaust fumes from the car in front of you....
i mean it has no logic there unless it had a sroud around it but even with one the fan would still be pulling in air from the car in front of you.... and besides at 700 rpms what air is coming thru the intercooler shroud thru the i/c then by the fan..... all of this without moving by the time the air gets there it is hot already......
is there really a need for it anyone else like to chime in on this topic....the car has to be actually moving in order for the fan to bring in cold air cause when you are at a dead stop if the fan is really bringing in any air thru the intercooler would it not be hot air from the engine compartment or if not from the exhaust fumes from the car in front of you....
i mean it has no logic there unless it had a sroud around it but even with one the fan would still be pulling in air from the car in front of you.... and besides at 700 rpms what air is coming thru the intercooler shroud thru the i/c then by the fan..... all of this without moving by the time the air gets there it is hot already......
I still have to go with the thought that maybe the engineers at GM did a little R&D to decide to place this fan on the car.
However, someone did mention that one blade was broke off, which in that case; I would highly recommend removing the fan! It stands to reason that since it's attached to the crank, it needs to be equally balanced as it spins, which it cannot be with a blade missing.
However, someone did mention that one blade was broke off, which in that case; I would highly recommend removing the fan! It stands to reason that since it's attached to the crank, it needs to be equally balanced as it spins, which it cannot be with a blade missing.
Well I am generally happy that I am getting replies to this question! However, I still don't know what I should do. I decided to remove the stock IC fan because one blade is broken, but should I spend time and money to customize (or find) a replacement. Electric? Solid mount?
TurboRussty
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well i took mine off and i felt no difference the only thing was a little less engine noise..... will put car on the scanmaster to see whats the deal with all the #'s and i will get back to you ...
Donald McMullin
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Regarding the stock IC fan, I measured the airflow at the IC inlet at 250 cfm at an engine speed of 1500 rpm. I removed the fan and steel pulley and replaced the pulley with one of Jason's aluminum pulleys and reduced the rotating weight by about 6 lbs. (I do not have exact numbers with me).
Between the IC and the pulley I installed a 10-inch electric fan which pulls @ 1200 cfm at the IC inlet. I have not completed the electrical connections, but I want to have the IC fan disconnected when I shift into 3rd gear. At this point the air from the forward motion of the car will exceed the fan.
Deep Enough
Donald McMullin
Between the IC and the pulley I installed a 10-inch electric fan which pulls @ 1200 cfm at the IC inlet. I have not completed the electrical connections, but I want to have the IC fan disconnected when I shift into 3rd gear. At this point the air from the forward motion of the car will exceed the fan.
Deep Enough
Donald McMullin
TurboRussty
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exactly what i said you do not need that thing at idle it does nothing and at x-way speeds the scoop from the i/c takes in as much as it needs..
but i will be looking into putting a little 10" behind the i/c to compensate for anything that people think might have been lost.....
that damn little plastic fan weighs about 1lb that is less weight off the dampner of the motor less moving weight...
250cfms Come on now be realistic this is not doing anything for me unless i live in the WINDY CITY in traffic and that is at 1500 rpm's so imagine at 700 what the car idles at stop please the # is probably so insagnificant the fan is practically doing nothing but making noise i think i took it off and noticed no difference in any readings or temps or airflow.....(afgs)
besides someone told me something about a guy having the i/c come loose and coming towars the fan or something like that fan chips off small pcs of alum into the oil filter and OMG!!!!
well do what you feel.....
but i will be looking into putting a little 10" behind the i/c to compensate for anything that people think might have been lost.....
that damn little plastic fan weighs about 1lb that is less weight off the dampner of the motor less moving weight...
250cfms Come on now be realistic this is not doing anything for me unless i live in the WINDY CITY in traffic and that is at 1500 rpm's so imagine at 700 what the car idles at stop please the # is probably so insagnificant the fan is practically doing nothing but making noise i think i took it off and noticed no difference in any readings or temps or airflow.....(afgs)
besides someone told me something about a guy having the i/c come loose and coming towars the fan or something like that fan chips off small pcs of alum into the oil filter and OMG!!!!
well do what you feel.....
Donald, What fan did you use?
I'm looking at the 9" and 10" SPAL fan catalogs : http://www.spal-usa.com/html/dampframe.htm .
The "high performance" fans are 3.7" deep, but it looks there may be only about 2" between the I/C and the main engine pulley.
"Standard" SPAL fans (2.1" deep) are rated :
9"
590 cfm @ 0.0 inch w.c. pressure
10"
650 cfm @ 0.0 inch w.c. pressure
The high perf versions are 740 and 1070 cfm respectively, but it doesn't appear they will fit (too much depth).
In the standard shallow version , doesn't look like much difference between the 9" & 10" fans, and the 9" should fit nicely on the I/C, using the "thru the radiator"-style, cushioned pin mountings.
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