WooHoo! Just installed my sweet new set of electric radiator fans. My goal for this install is to hopefully get an improvement in gas mileage and mostly to get rid of the belt driven fan's noise. I don't tow, but I found a good set of fans w/ a pretty high rating that should accommodate someone who does. I didn't get the flex-a-lite kit because it costs a fortune and doesn't have a very high airflow rating. Here's what I got and what it cost.

2x Zirgo 16" p/n ZFU16S 3600cfm fans $159.98
Flex-A-Lite Fan Variable Speed Controller (VSC) p/n 31165 $74.99
Extra connectors and Wire from Kragen $10.00
__________________________________________________ ________
Total Cost $244.97

The only thing about my cost that isn't a good thing to go by, is the fact that I picked everything up off ebay. The average price for the speed controller is about $120 and the fans go for $225 each at summitracing.com. Although that doesn't mean you can't find the same deals. I don't know if Zirgo fans are worth a damn, but Summit gets a lot of cash for them and they have a lifetime warranty. I figured at 80 bucks each I couldn't go wrong.

About the install. The wiring side of the install was very easy thanks to flex-a-lite's VSC fan controller. It has a million different inputs so it can be switchable for a manual OFF, manual ON, AC on, and of course ignition/temp on. The fans I used are extremely quiet, although the VSC only runs them at 60% capacity until the temperature exceeds a certain point (or something along those lines) so I've only heard 'em on low. Even on low speed though, they move a lot of air. The actual mounting of the fans was a pain in the ass because I had to get my drill into some pretty tight places to drill holes for the mounting brackets. As the pictures show, the wiring is still a mess, but my goal for the day was to get the fans running so I could make it to work in the morning w/o any problems. I will clean that up tomorrow. I would also like to get something to cover the top of the radiator, which fle-a-lite sells, but for more than I want to pay, so that will come later. The install took me about nine hours. I took my time and started the wiring portion first in case I needed to drive somewhere or didn't finish in a reasonable amount of time. It's not a very technical install if you've messed with wiring before. The Flex-A-Lite VSC comes w/ pretty good directions and the have a .pdf on their website that goes into even greater detail, and is truck specific. http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/280-99895.pdf.

I will update in a week or two with new MPG numbers. MPG before the install is approx 17.5 city/hwy.
Photos: VSC Installed (http://www.flickr.com/photos/31327209@N07/2933665570/) Fans 1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/31327209@N07/2933664796/) Fans 2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/31327209@N07/2932808081/)

Install looks good, do you know what thoughs fans pull for cfm each. What does the factory clutch fan pull for cfm?

Just a thought. Instead of purchasing the piece to mount on the top of the rad, why don't you try cutting and fitting the old fan/rad shroud to fit. As clean as those fans look with your install, I bet you could do the shroud mod as well.

Each fan draws 3600 cfm for a combined total of 7200 cfm. The flex a lite fan advertises approx 5k cfm combined. I drove the truck around a little yesterday and not having the noise of the fans during a cold start, and after the engine's gotten hot is really nice.

I think I'm going to hack up the original fan shroud but do to a recent move, I don't have a band saw readily accessible to perform a clean cut. That'll be for later.

any numbers on fuel yet?

Diesels take a lot of cooling, that belt driven fan you replaced was
capable of around 10,000 cfm

For a truck that sees serious towing duty, then yes, the stock engine driven fan is master.

For a lightduty/daily driver, I highly doubt he'll overheat it as long as he watches the gauges.

This is always a topic many people are on the fence about.

I agree with TookieLee that the manual-drive fans can do a lot more CFM. However, he did say he wasn't going to tow.

-Rob :)

I like my electric fans because they do a great job cooling when I am stuck in traffic with the A/C on. They can be running max CFM even when the engine speed is low. If I were towing I don't think I would have changed them over. Given the body lift, I was trying to solve a cooling problem caused by lack of a fan shroud on my old fan. The electrics definitely solved the cooling problem. It cools more quickly and reliably than with the old fan.

-Rob :)

I like my electric fans because they do a great job cooling when I am stuck in traffic with the A/C on. They can be running max CFM even when the engine speed is low. If I were towing I don't think I would have changed them over. Given the body lift, I was trying to solve a cooling problem caused by lack of a fan shroud on my old fan. The electrics definitely solved the cooling problem. It cools more quickly and reliably than with the old fan.

-Rob :)

A lot of the reasons why OEMs put em on.... Minus body lift anywho...

Not to mention.... They only come on when you need em if you have the temp switch.

Given the body lift, I was trying to solve a cooling problem caused by lack of a fan shroud on my old fan. The electrics definitely solved the cooling problem. It cools more quickly and reliably than with the old fan.

I agree with you there, the factory cooling system's efficiency is dropped greatly with a body lift, that is why I am also looking to install some electric fans.