How to choose an Electric Fan

If there is no fan or kit recommended for your vehicle in our Application Guide, refer to this section when selecting your fan.

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You will need to know the following:

1. The dimensions of the mounting surface. (Mounting surface is usually defined as the finned core area (see below).

2. How much depth is available for an electric fan while maintaining adequate clearance around fan blades (see p. 24). Note possible obstructions to mounting an electric fan (trans. oil, a/c, power steering lines, wiring, overflow tanks, etc.)

3. Will the fan be thermostatically controlled? If so, can O.E. controls be used, or will I need thermostatic controls with the fan kit?

4. Can the fan be mounted through the core, or will I need brackets? (Flex-a-lite recommends rigid bracket mounting for electric fans whenever possible to prevent damage to the radiator core.)

Using the above criteria, determine what fans are available for your particular application, and from them, select the one that best fits your needs.

There are many factors that affect what size electric fan will be adequate to cool your vehicle: Engine size & output, radiator size & design, and outside air temperature & density are just a few. Generally speaking, it is best to maximize finned core area coverage and airflow capability when choosing an electric fan for your vehicle. For example, you may be able to fit 2 14” Trimline fans or one low-pro-file dual fan assembly on your radiator. The two separate fans have a bit better airflow potential, but the dual fan assembly would be a better choice because it covers a much larger area of the core.

NOTE: Flex-a-lite does not recommend using an electric fan for the primary cooling source on 4-core radiators. Flex-a-lite recommends at least 60% of the finned core area be covered by an electric fan/shroud assembly for optimum cooling.

In this case, “DIM B” could be used to determine fan size since the top and bottom rails would not interfere with fan mounting or sealing to the core.