Bruce Aaron Hefner wrote:
> > These save space, weight, Horsepower, and cool better at slow
> > speeds or when stopped in traffic. They may not last as long though, and they
> > cant move as much air as a large, multi-blade fan at higher engine rpms.
> >
> The electric fans definitely don't last as long as regular fans, my omom
> had to pay $200 for new electric fan MOTORS on her '89 Cutlass Supreme
> when it only had 56K miles on it, I would prefer to have a regular fan
> that makes a little noise occasionally than have to replace electric fans
> every few years, but hey that's just me....
>
Hmmm... there were two electric fans on my 83 Honda Accord, and two on
my 87 Accord. Never had any problem with them in 160+K miles and 130+K
miles respectively. Of course, being thermostatically controlled and
small engines, they only ran if your were sitting in bumper to bumper
traffic or whenever the AC compressor kicked on. And, of course, the
Honda fans were not made by GM. ;}
All front wheel drive vehicles with transverse mounted engines use
electric fans. I haven't noticed that cooling fan motor failure is a
common complaint on the usenet groups and mail lists.
I would imagine that a high-volume fan, such as one required for a V8
would see a bit more work. However, if the thermostat switch is set
right, it shouldn't have to kick on much unless you spend alot of time
sitting still with the engine running. Two smaller fans (which seems to
be the norm for most larger engine applications) probably reduces the
load on the individual motors and improves the longevity.
jeff
98 RC 4x2 V8 5spd 3.55SG flares
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:08:13 EDT