E-Fans?? Pulleys??........

[bigterp]

Hi all. I've been trolling the forums for awhile now and finally decided to hit you all with my first post. I recenlty purchased an '07 supercab F150 FX4 5.4L 4x4, 45,000 miles. I'm currently working on a Magnaflow SI/DO same side exit Performance Cat-Back, a Gryphon with custom tunes and was also going to add a CAI. After talking with Corey from PHP she convinced me to do the gotts/DVM mod which I just completed over the weekend.:woot: So now that I have an extra $300 bones to spend I'm trying to decide what to do next. I'm leaning towards doing an e-fan conversion. Specifically this one from FF Dynamics: Fan Kit (http://www.ffdynamics.com/f15034B.html). I'm also intrigued by the underdrive pulley kits that I here alot about. I've tried to research them but still don't fully understand what they do and how they help performance.

I'm looking to increase the performance of my truck. So I guess my questions are:

1. Should I do the e-fan conversion?? If so, will my custom tunes need to be adjusted? Any experience with the FF Dynamics kits??
2. Should I do the pulley conversion?? If so, will my tunes need adjusted, and what is a good kit for my F150?
3. Should I stay away from both and put my $300 towards something else? If so, what?

Any and all input is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!!!!

[Longshot270]

I've heard great results from e-fans but I have never had a set myself. Personally, I would go with an underdrive pulley kit. Neither kit actually gives you more horsepower but they free up prexisting power that was lost from the fan or the other belt driven accessories.

Your tunes will not need to be adjusted by adding either one of the options.

[bigterp]

Thanks for the reply Longshot!!! I'm for sure looking at doing either the e-fans or pulleys for now, and possibly down the road ending up with both mods:cool: Now I've also read that doing BOTH the e-fans and pulleys can cause issues. Not exactly sure what issues, maybe altenator?? Has anyone heard of issues with doing both?? I would love to hear some feedback on those that have done both mods!!! It's nice to now that doing either or both of these mods won't require any adjustments to my custom tunes, which means I can go ahead and get that Gryphon ordered!!!

And I almost forgot, how hard are aftermarket performance pulleys to install?? Something I can do in my driveway with a little bit of knowledge?? Any particular brand you guys would reccomend??

Thanks!!!!

[jmwilso2]

Hi Bigterp, my truck is almost the same as yours. I just installed a flexalite monster fan. It does work very well and I have no doubt it has freed up some hp but im not seeing the fuel economy gains I had expected. There is a slight improvement but not nearly as much as other posts I have read indicate.

[bigterp]

Sounds good jmwilso. How tough were the fans to install? Do you have any power issues since installing the e-fans, like lights dimming at idle etc.?? Thanks for the reply man!!!

[jmwilso2]

The install is pretty simple as long as you get a fan clutch removal tool. I got one at Part Source. They have a loan program where you pay full price ($190) for a used tool but get your money back when you return it. I had to slightly relocate what I think is an ABS control unit of some sort. But I only had to move it a few inches back. I've experienced no problems with light dimming or anything of that nature. I set my gryphon to show battery voltage for a while and it all stayed normal. The only problem ive had is that I forgot to check what my engine coolant temp was normally at before the install so I just guessed at what temp to set it. Its currently set to 194 F but I think this may be too low. Ive been looking on the web for what the normal operating range is but can find nothing. If anyone here can tell me I'd appreciate it though.

[ticopowell]

From what I have seen, my truck usually operates between 195 and 200, but from what i understand anywhere around 200-210 degrees is perfectly normal and healthy, and a little hotter from what I saw on one website will get better gas mileage... just a little though if any at all is what I would say. from what I have seen in my research for E-fans that is pretty close to what they recommend them to be set at, they will never keep the engine at the temperature where they are set at, they will just start working then. Hope this helps :)

[jmwilso2]

Thanks Ticopowell. I'll tweak mine today then. Maybe it will give me fuel economy a little closer to what I was expecting to get with it. As for holding temp this one does a pretty good job of that. It kicks in at 60% when the ECT reaches the set temp then gradually increases to 100% if the temp continues to rise. It also turns on whenever the airconditioner compressor engages which I'm not sure is competely necessary but doesnt seem to be hurting any.

Thanks again

Joe

[Tonto87]

I installed a Flexalite FLE270 dual fan on my 04-5.4l a while back. I love it.
It opened up space between Rad and and engine,you can change pulleys after install.
The hardest part was figureing out the wiring connection points.
I finally figured out a good fix that made for a clean install. I reinstalled the to deflector over the rad. to push the air down over the engine. My engine coolant temp usually showed 192. I used an infrared thermometer to chec temps a several locations (this is an unbelieveably valuable too and worth the cost) With the fans running and the fan stat set at 190 I was getting rad. outlet temps as low as 160. This caused the thermostat to close and the truck to run at cold Idleor run which uses more gas.
With the thermometer I could adjust temp. control to 220 which gave me an outlet reading of 194 and no more cold run conditions. Saw about 2 mpg increase if I keep my foot out of it:giggle: :giggle: like thats gonna happen. Fans don't run very long and stage in so I have not noticed any electrical loading at all. Hope this helps.

[Tonto87]

Oh, I bought the fan clutch wrench set at AutoZone for 29.50. I have already lent it to a couple of friends for a six pack. that puts price at 15 bucks at this point!

[bigterp]

I appreciate all the helpfull info.!!

Tonto87, I plan to do the e-fans and then eventually take care of the pulleys, as these seems to be the most logical progression. The more and more I check out FF Dynamics efan kit, the more I like them. They come with dual fans that have a 6000 Total CFM Rating, which should be plenty for my daily driving and occasional towing. They also come with color coded wiring, which HOPEFULLY will make the wiring process easier. I HATE DEALING WITH ELECTRICTY. I'll be sure to give you all a heads up on the FF Dynamics kit once I get them ordered and installed. Thanks again!!!!

[bigterp]

Actually the progression will be as follows:

Magnaflow SI/DO same side exit performance exhaust (Ordering this week)
Gryphon W/ custom 87 tow, 87 performance and 93 performance tunes (Hopefully by the end of the month)
FF Dynamics E-Fan conversion kit (Sooner than later)
Overdrive Pully Kit. Not sure from where yet (Hopefully my wife lets me live long enough to get to order this kit!!!)

[jmwilso2]

I had the same issue with mine. It was running way too cool. I have since adjusted it up by sitting parked and reving the engine up a bit and then setting the fan to kick in at 210 F but the coolant temp reading on my gryphon still seldom goes over 195 just from ram air flowing through the rad. I'm thinking I should maybe put in a different thermostat valve to get the temp up into the 200s.

[bigterp]

I had the same issue with mine. It was running way too cool. I have since adjusted it up by sitting parked and reving the engine up a bit and then setting the fan to kick in at 210 F but the coolant temp reading on my gryphon still seldom goes over 195 just from ram air flowing through the rad. I'm thinking I should maybe put in a different thermostat valve to get the temp up into the 200s.

That sounds like the best way to accomplish your goal. I may be way off here, but when researching the crap out of efans I though I read that the stock thermostat (on the 5.4L Tritons) is at like 190 degrees. If that is the case I would think that Ford found this to be the best operating temperature for our 5.4's and is probably best left that way. Is it benefical and/or safe to try and increase the operating temps of our trucks?? Again, I may be totally wrong here so please don't shoot me!!!!:notallthere:

[Longshot270]

Not all trucks have the fans click on at 190. Most people see 195 but I know that Jack's truck runs at 205 regularly. Slightly warmer temperatures will help combustion efficiency but oil starts breaking down around 250. I would not try increasing the temperature above 210.

[bigterp]

Not all trucks have the fans click on at 190. Most people see 195 but I know that Jack's truck runs at 205 regularly. Slightly warmer temperatures will help combustion efficiency but oil starts breaking down around 250. I would not try increasing the temperature above 210.

I was referring to the water thermostat, not the fan. But I get what your saying. What would you guys say is the "optimal" running temp????

[cajunboy2208]

Mine has never went above 200.
It normally runs between 194-196 no matter how much I run it...

[bigterp]

Mine has never went above 200.
It normally runs between 194-196 no matter how much I run it...

Is that with e-fans?? What other mods do you have??

[cajunboy2208]

That is with the factory fans.
I have K&N CAI, Borla exhaust, and custom tuned Gryphon.

[jmwilso2]

I cant seem to find a replacement thermostat that goes higher than the factory one, lots of options for cooler ones though. It is starting to get cooler up here in the great white north so maybe a winter front is the answer not a different thermostat. But it would be a pain to have to install and remove it every year. Does anyone know how to modify a thermostat to run hotter. I've read a few ways to make them open at a cooler temp but it seems like no one else is interested in increasing coolant temp. As for the wiring on the Flexalite fan the only problem I encountered was attaching the wire to the a/c control circuit. It was simple in theory but in such an awkward spot it was almost impossible to get my hands in a position to make the connection. If the FF Dynamics fan that bigterp is considering has a feature where it activates when the a/c compressor is engaged the same issue is likely. Other than that the only other issue I had with the install was moving that bake controller but that was pretty easy. Maybe the FF Dynamics will be a different shape and avoid that problem though.

[ticopowell]

I guess my question is which reading are you going off of? if you use the Cylinder head temp it will be more accurate on the exact temp because it has a sensor, but the other setting, ECT i think is what it shows, is derived from the CHT. so you might be getting what you want without realizing it :)

[jmwilso2]

Thats an excellent point I never considered. The CHT sit arounc 200-205 usually. Maybe I'll get one of those infared temp guns and see what the actual rad temp is. Longshot had said Jacks truck runs routinely around this temp but I thought he was refering to ECT not CHT though the two are directly related. Infact if I have both set to display at the same time they will show almost the same reading and climb at the same rate up to about
190 F then CHT continues to climb to the low 200s as the thermostat opens.

[jmt0645]

i.ve got dual shrouded 16" fans (5000cfm total), ford racing rad, and 180* t-stat. fan controller is set to turn on at 200*ECT (~205*CHT). with this combo i can sit in traffic all day with the fans only kicking on every 5 minutes or so (run 15-30sec and cut off). when i'm moving, CHT never goes over 190* with the fans off, 185* if i turn them on via override switch. (only did once to test)

[bigterp]

i.ve got dual shrouded 16" fans (5000cfm total), ford racing rad, and 180* t-stat. fan controller is set to turn on at 200*ECT (~205*CHT). with this combo i can sit in traffic all day with the fans only kicking on every 5 minutes or so (run 15-30sec and cut off). when i'm moving, CHT never goes over 190* with the fans off, 185* if i turn them on via override switch. (only did once to test)

Sounds like that combo works great. It's pretty similar to what I'm considering from FF Dynamics. I'm gonna do this mod most likely in the spring, but it sounds like I have nothing to worry about with dual 16" 6000cfm total rating fans. Do you have your fans set to come on with the AC?? Did you notice performance improvements with the installation of the e-fans??

[jmt0645]

Sounds like that combo works great. It's pretty similar to what I'm considering from FF Dynamics. I'm gonna do this mod most likely in the spring, but it sounds like I have nothing to worry about with dual 16" 6000cfm total rating fans. Do you have your fans set to come on with the AC?? Did you notice performance improvements with the installation of the e-fans??

yes, if they aren't already running they turn on at 50% power for AC. it definitely revs up faster, MPG was the biggest increase.

[bigterp]

yes, if they aren't already running they turn on at 50% power for AC. it definitely revs up faster, MPG was the biggest increase.

Thats awesome. I'm definitely looking forward to the MPG and performance improvements!!

[cajunboy2208]

Thats awesome. I'm definitely looking forward to the MPG and performance improvements!!

Read on the f150Forum that on 4.6 it does not increase MPG or HP.
But on the 5.4 some said you will get 20-30 more mpg per tank, which is like 0.7-1.1mpg increase.
I am guessing this will only be in the summer time though when you do use your AC.
And as for the HP increase with 5.4, I doubt it would be anything noticeable, all it is doing is freeing up a clutch.
The biggest outcome from this would be to lessen the miles on your water pump.
I would spend no more than 200 on a total setup.

I do plan on doing this mod tho on my 5.4

[bigterp]

Read on the f150Forum that on 4.6 it does not increase MPG or HP.
But on the 5.4 some said you will get 20-30 more mpg per tank, which is like 0.7-1.1mpg increase.
I am guessing this will only be in the summer time though when you do use your AC.
And as for the HP increase with 5.4, I doubt it would be anything noticeable, all it is doing is freeing up a clutch.
The biggest outcome from this would be to lessen the miles on your water pump.
I would spend no more than 200 on a total setup.

I do plan on doing this mod tho on my 5.4

I'm looking at about $275 with the setup I plan to get. I'm ok with that amount, as it seems to be a quality kit that I can rely on. I'll most likely drop in some UD pulleys at the same time, so hopefully I'll notice a little more HP increase by doing the two mods together rather than just the e-fan upgrade.

[jmwilso2]

I've decided that it is not the temp setting of the efan that is causing my low coolant temp. I pulled the fuse for the fan today and am still getting temps in the low 190s. I'm now thinking that my themostat is actually stuck partially open or is a cooler thermostat then is supposed to be in there I'm going to switch it out for a new one tomorow.

[Jackpine]

I'm fairly certain the stock thermostat is a 195 degree one. I personally would not use one colder than that. The engines are designed to operate in the low 200 degree region, and yes, when I'm just driving my truck on the highway in our "fall" temperatures in the high 80s, the CHT tends to stabilize around 205 degrees.

- Jack

[jmwilso2]

ok I guess mine is running about the same temp as yours then. I guess I'll skip swapping the thermostat for a new one.

Thanks for the help

Joe

[swiftvision]

Is there any need to get a new Gryphon program if you upgrade to E-fan and UD pullys?

[ticopowell]

Nope, but if you do the pulleys you might want to increase your idle speed by a bit to make sure your alternator still charges everything while idling. :)