E-Fans

HARDTRAILZ

HARDTRAILZ

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I am dealing with my fan clutch dying for the third time and thinking or switching over to E-fans. Found some good info, but looking for any other opinions, ideas, or thoughts to help my decision.

Thinking LT1 fans since they are fairly easy to get.
 
I would suggest talking to Alvin at PCM4less about their Efan Harness, and make sure that their harness will work on the 4.2, and it would be a bonus if they did your tune, cause they can add the LS1 fan patch to your tune and you're good to go!!!!:biggrin:
 
They did my tune and I am waiting to hear back on if it will work on my 06, it says 08+ I6. But otherwise it seems the easiest way. Just hoping the temps will be ok, but I dont get extreme heat very often or tow much. Just sick of replacing the fan clutch.
 
HARDTRAILZ said:
They did my tune and I am waiting to hear back on if it will work on my 06, it says 08+ I6. But otherwise it seems the easiest way. Just hoping the temps will be ok, but I dont get extreme heat very often or tow much. Just sick of replacing the fan clutch.
Click to expand...

I know i dont have the I6, but i do have E-fans.. they've been in since April (remember the Mod thread where the hole was punched in my radiator lol) and my temps have been absolutely fine.. and my SS sees track time.. so its usually under half to full throttle.. now mind you, i have the 160 T-Stat as well... but my temps never reach over 200*.. I have LS-1 Fans.. and the first fan come on at 192*... again i know its not the I6, but i'd figured i could relate due to having efans...
 
Perfect. Just the kinda real info I was hoping for. Our climate is similar, so it seems I should be good. Hopefully pcmforless responds soon
 
I guess I should ask, What is a fair price for LS1 fans? I seem to have read they may be the beter way to go.
 
HARDTRAILZ said:
I guess I should ask, What is a fair price for LS1 fans? I seem to have read they may be the beter way to go.
Click to expand...

Dorman has a replica set (p/n 620634) which is what i have as well, i got mine off of Amazon for $116 shipped... you shouldn't pay more then $120-$150 for brand new fans... I've seen actually LS-1 Fans on ebay for around the same price.. but those are used out of salvaged vehicles, etc...
 
HARDTRAILZ said:
Perfect. Just the kinda real info I was hoping for. Our climate is similar, so it seems I should be good. Hopefully pcmforless responds soon
Click to expand...

I have them on my 5.3 and will soon have them on her 4.2....My 5.3 always sits right at 200* and you have to remember I'm in TX so we just came off of almost 100 days of 100 plus weather....never ever went over 200* and I still have my stock Thermostat....soon to be 160*, mine have been installed for 2 years and not a hitch. I also got lucky and neither of my trucks 5.3 or 4.2 have the ElectroClutch fan in them....mine are both OEM clutch fans (GM changed the fans in late '07 I believe)

Boricua SS said:
Dorman has a replica set (p/n 620634) which is what i have as well, i got mine off of Amazon for $116 shipped... you shouldn't pay more then $120-$150 for brand new fans... I've seen actually LS-1 Fans on ebay for around the same price.. but those are used out of salvaged vehicles, etc...
Click to expand...

Right on, on the pricing & P/n. I paid $75 for mine, they were new GM, OEM LT1 fans still in the OEM box, snagged them from another member on the Foggy Side!
 
what is the benefit of the LS fans on a basic daily driver? Ive got an 04 EXT 4.2 w/ 3.42 g80.
 
Boricua SS said:
I know i dont have the I6, but i do have E-fans.. they've been in since April (remember the Mod thread where the hole was punched in my radiator lol) and my temps have been absolutely fine.. and my SS sees track time.. so its usually under half to full throttle.. now mind you, i have the 160 T-Stat as well... but my temps never reach over 200*.. I have LS-1 Fans.. and the first fan come on at 192*... again i know its not the I6, but i'd figured i could relate due to having efans...
Click to expand...

Your track time and such does not depent on the fan, though... If you aren't off road, and aren't towing a trailer in the mountain switchbacks, you aren't going to experience any issues... The times that Roadie had overheating problems with the e-fans was 4LO, near WOT, for several minutes, going up the side of a mountain... Same thing for 20mph switchbacks with a 6500# trailer, in the desert...

Yeah, you make a lot more power, and create a lot more heat, but you're going fast while you're doing this, so the fans don't even come into play... It's all cooling air from the speed...

I think Kyle will be fine, mostly because while he does operate under the off-road, mountainous conditions, he's not doing it with any regularity in 115degF dry air, and more specifically, if he ever does go out there and get into that situation, he'll just have to stop and cool off... The issue is very likely that he goes through mud and such, that gets stuck on/in the fan, and causes it to be out of balance, and grenade on him... Being that the worst is, he'll have to stop and cool off IF he goes somewhere that it's a problem, the other thing to think about is that he's replaced the fan clutch more times than he's been out west, so it's probably the better way to go for him...

Mike
 
DARKASS04EXT said:
what is the benefit of the LS fans on a basic daily driver? Ive got an 04 EXT 4.2 w/ 3.42 g80.
Click to expand...

For me, I got a few more ponies and an extra mpg out of it.. on my tune/intake/efans I average 19.1 mpg highway..and for the summer, my SS is my daily driver..
 
Apparently I would need the DIY kit from pcmforless and need to buy more stuff than just the fans, so back to the research.
 
Yea, for us with older (-08') rigs, you have to figure out a few things to make them work. Not just plug-n-play unfortunately, like the SS's and 08' 4.2
 
This is something I've looked into off an on. A friend of mine put a custom e-fan setup on a previous car of his so he might be able to help me out with setting up e-fans on my TB if/when my fan clutch dies (I'm at 150k now and it still works fine, but I don't know if it has been replaced before or not). As long as someone like PCMforless can kill the code for the fan on my 02 then I would be good. The fan setup I'd be looking at doing would be it's own separate system, the PCM would have nothing to do with it.
 
I am still hoping to accomplish it, but will need some time to read old threads and figure out the simplest way to do it. I dont do well with wiring...
 
Too bad you aren't closer to me, I'd gladly help you out with the wiring side of things.
 
I too have been thinking of doing efans...

So far in my research & slow moving plans, this is what I found...

I've got PCM4L to tune out the fans code on both the 5.3 and the 4.2.

I was going to buy THIS fan set. Which I'm glad to see is the same PN as posted here already. Not the cheapest though.
My questions for those are;
1) Do they just drop in the 5.3l Envoy bay?
2) Do they just drop in the 4.2 TB bay?
3) Are these what they call the LS1 fans?

As for controlling them on the 5.3 Envoy, I was going to get one of these kits from PCM4L. I have no clue if that will work on the 4.2 though. I'm still researching myself.

I'm so glad that I'm not doing the research on my own now....
 
The description on that harness says it allows the computer to control them. I don't think the 4.2's computer (except for maybe 08-09) can do that.
 
Sparky said:
The description on that harness says it allows the computer to control them. I don't think the 4.2's computer (except for maybe 08-09) can do that.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup: Absolutely right. 02-07 have to find a way to run the fans independantly...which sucks.
 
Ok, so now I'm wondering if for the 4.2 I6 guys we couldn't just use a regular temp controller?
I did this on my Yukon.
It worked ok, and was programmed with the correct temps out of the box.
IIRC, it was a flex-a-lite temp controller. Stuck the probe through the fins of the rad.
Should work for the I6 too.

Here are some pics of my homemade efan install on the old Yukon.
picture.php


picture.php


picture.php



I'll dig around my old posts to see if I can find the part number...
 
06Envoy said:
I too have been thinking of doing efans...

So far in my research & slow moving plans, this is what I found...

I've got PCM4L to tune out the fans code on both the 5.3 and the 4.2.

I was going to buy THIS fan set. Which I'm glad to see is the same PN as posted here already. Not the cheapest though.
My questions for those are;
1) Do they just drop in the 5.3l Envoy bay?
2) Do they just drop in the 4.2 TB bay?
3) Are these what they call the LS1 fans?

As for controlling them on the 5.3 Envoy, I was going to get one of these kits from PCM4L. I have no clue if that will work on the 4.2 though. I'm still researching myself.

I'm so glad that I'm not doing the research on my own now....
Click to expand...

No, go onto PCM4Less' website and order the I6 DIY Efans kit. Those are the correct fans though, unless you want to go big and buy the Spal fans setup PCM4Less has now.

Yes they will drop in no problem, the brackets are also correct to mount the LS1 fans properly.

Sparky said:
The description on that harness says it allows the computer to control them. I don't think the 4.2's computer (except for maybe 08-09) can do that.
Click to expand...

Well...you can have the 02-05 P10 PCM control the fans but you need one of the elusive fan controllers Alvin made very few of because they had some issues with them.

Its honestly easier to kill the codes and diagnostic routine using EFILive (personally verified it work) or HPTuners (havent verified personally, but people say they've done it) and run a standalone fan controller. Flex-a-lite has a good one but its not cheap, around $100 for the controller alone (Flex-a-lite Variable Speed Efan controller/).

Matt said:
:thumbsup: Absolutely right. 02-07 have to find a way to run the fans independantly...which sucks.
Click to expand...

Yep it does, but at least we've figured out how to do it! Two or so years ago people thought it was impossible on an I6...


There have been reports that with the smaller radiator the I6s have that efans dont cool properly under hot and humid conditions or with extreme conditions (towing heavy loads). Personally I have trans coolers on both of my TBs and I wouldnt have it any other way. Even with the fan clutch, brake duct trans cooler, and modified fan curve to command more lockup earlier I still saw trans temps over 200F while towing my 5000lbs boat (for those following, its ~1000lbs heavier than I previously thought over the past few years). I was towing in D, but even when I dropped to 3 the temps only dropped maybe 10F over the next 20 miles. It did take about 3 hours to get the temps this high in 75F weather, but when it was 99F I saw engine temps of 220F and trans temps of 210F. Not good. And this is with the fan clutch, havent installed my efans yet. Im thinking I might wait and buy the Spal fans setup PCM4Less offers and get a Simple Engineering 1.5" radiator to get the temps under control. Just my personal experience, and this was all done here in Washington. Not Texas or the south where its usually hot, these were some of the hottest days of the year up here. A little unnerving, Im scared to think what my trans temps were before I installed the trans cooler...


If anyone needs help with their efans let me know, this thread has pretty much all the info you need for an I6 to run efans now.
02-07 I6s need LS1 fans, PCM patched/DTCs killed, wiring harness (PCM4Less) and a variable speed controller (VSC). Set fan operation using the VSC so fans come on around 205F.
08-09 I6s need LS1 fans, ECM patched/DTCs killed, and wiring harness (PCM4Less). Set fan temps in the tune which needs to be a custom one that has some electric fan code swapped in (ie not a stock tune).
 
My original fan clutch was replaced in 2003 under warranty according to the service history.

(Knock on wood) It hasnt given me any problems aside from ticking at idle sometimes, which it has done the last 3 years.

My Envoy has 150,000 miles on it. When the fan clutch does finally give up the ghost, it seems to me that it would be cost prohibitive to drop a tune+e-fans+a controller+harness into it. What would the total project cost? $375+? :eek:

Wouldnt it just be more economical to buy a new fan clutch (~$100) with a good warranty? (sorry to be a buzzkill!)

Sorry, its the bookeeper in me that counts beans over here :undecided: I think the idea of e-fans is awesome but I couldnt justify putting the money into a higher mileage truck. I can barely keep up with the things that keep going bad on the truck, let alone modding it :biggrin:
 
MichEnvoyGuy said:
Wouldnt it just be more economical to buy a new fan clutch (~$100) with a good warranty? (sorry to be a buzzkill!)
Click to expand...

Sure if you could find one for that. My $100 one was junk in a couple months and the replacement one in under a year. Not a fun job either, so e-fans even with my mileage is looking good.
 
HARDTRAILZ said:
Sure if you could find one for that. My $100 one was junk in a couple months and the replacement one in under a year. Not a fun job either, so e-fans even with my mileage is looking good.
Click to expand...

Well, now, something with the fan clutches that you are buying and you just doesnt get along! :tongue:

There are members here that are on their original, or like me - close to the original fan clutch with high mileage. Not all of the replacement fan clutches fail on an annual basis, like yours do - you are just cursed...lol.

There is the much talked about Dorman, with a lifetime warranty on rockauto for $128, FWIW.
 
Had the stock original for 120K, then maybe 5 from cheap one, then about 10 from its replacement, They all still worked, but had bearing noise or death tick. The used stocker I put on after those started throwing a code a couple months and I went ahead and put the ticking one back on and it is tossing the death code now, so maybe I will try the dorman, but it really seems this could be done for around $200.
 
HARDTRAILZ said:
Had the stock original for 120K, then maybe 5 from cheap one, then about 10 from its replacement, They all still worked, but had bearing noise or death tick. The used stocker I put on after those started throwing a code a couple months and I went ahead and put the ticking one back on and it is tossing the death code now, so maybe I will try the dorman, but it really seems this could be done for around $200.
Click to expand...

Hey, if it can be done for around $200 then I think thats a lot better. I have a 2002, so it sounds like I would need a manual cooling fan controller $30, of course the tune $150+ shipping, the fans $100, and probably some brackets and miscellaneous hardware $25.

Everybody has their priorities. At 150,000 miles and a pretty rusty frame, I dont know if I can justify any mods at this point.
 
To do efans correctly (IMHO), you need a set of Dorman LS1 fans (~$120 off Amazon), Flex-a-lite Fan controller ($100 off SummitRacing), and a tune ($109-200 depending on vendor). Thats a minimum of ~$330 and a max of ~$420. If you want to buy a pre-fabbed harness, then PCM4Less' harness is $150. You'll have to hack it up anyway to run the Flex-a-Lite controller, but it will make your life easier. All depends on how much DIY you want to do.

Im tempted to buy a set of Spal fans for the SS and a Flex-a-lite controller + PCM4Less harness for my 02 then use the LS1 fans I have now on the 02 and drop the Spals on my SS. Already have the harness, just not sure they'll move enough air when its 100F outside while towing 5000lbs up a grade for 10mi. Yep, Ive got 2 of these lovely grades on my drive from Spokane to Seattle, not fun to tow them in the summer.
 
HARDTRAILZ said:
I am dealing with my fan clutch dying for the third time and thinking or switching over to E-fans. Found some good info, but looking for any other opinions, ideas, or thoughts to help my decision.

Thinking LT1 fans since they are fairly easy to get.
Click to expand...

How about the '08 and up fan clutch and getting the codes deleted by pcmforless? Fan clutch is half the price and a non viscous unit.
 
if you tow then why are you going to do efans? i've got 2 12" spals on a 2" ron davis radiator and they tell you its not recommended for towing

and as far as dormans go, i had an issue with those fans and guess what, the replacement motors for OEM sets don't work with the dorman fan blades. so if one motor goes on you, you have to junk the whole kit and kaboodle. you are better off hitting the u-pull-it for some OEM fans IMO
 
07Blazerman said:
How about the '08 and up fan clutch and getting the codes deleted by pcmforless? Fan clutch is half the price and a non viscous unit.
Click to expand...

Need to research this idea. Had not really considered it. Thanks
 
Hm I wonder if there is a motor (dual speed preferably) that you could attach the stock fan blades to. Might be better than a pair of smaller, weaker fans that don't cover near as much radiator area :undecided:
 
mite i add Kyle to do what i did with my e-fans... hook it to a 3 way switch... so you can turn it off when ur going through water or on when u want it. i have mine set up as: On - Off - Computer controlled
 
Sparky said:
Hm I wonder if there is a motor (dual speed preferably) that you could attach the stock fan blades to. Might be better than a pair of smaller, weaker fans that don't cover near as much radiator area :undecided:
Click to expand...
you mean the stock clutch fan? that would require a LARGE motor based on the blade pitch and size
my spal fans draw near 40a a piece on startup, (somewhere in the 70a neighborhood total) i don't know how much larger a motor you would be willing to use

dual speed with dual fans is possible, i'm running them in my truck. this is the way that ls1 fans run in the cars they came with (gtos, camaros, etc)
three relays, two of them switch the fans between being wired in series (low speed) and parallel (hi speed)
 
Ok, here's the wiring diagram for the 2006-2007 TBs. I've tested this on 2006, it would have to be tested for 2002-2005.
The key is to use both the existing clutch solenoid relay AND a high current relay for the fan(s). The PCM doesn't have enough oomph to drive a high current relay and the stock relay doesn't have enough oooph to drive an eFan. I don't have a TB, so I can't say where to pull the 12V for the fan, but a robust solution could come right off the battery with heavy gauge wire and a dedicated fuse.

If interested go to limeswap.com. I'll change your existing clutch PWM output to a standard on/off output. You decide the on/off temps.


2006+tb+eFan.gif
 
Sorry Kyle for jumping in your thread with a question.
I am woundering if the e fans would help my heat problem too?
I am running higher than normal trans and engine temps in the heat of the summer trying to push my 35's down the road. I know some of it is because of the body lift and steel bumper + rad skid.
 
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