Fan Clutch Conversion to Thermatic® Electric Fan

31/12/2016 05:00AM

Automotive belt-driven fan clutches have been available as standard equipment on some passenger and SUV vehicles for many years. Fan clutches are viscous or "fluid" coupling devices with a built-in thermostat coil spring that detects the air temperature passing through the radiator and utilizes the clutch to engage and disengage the fan at a specified engine speed or temperature.

However, the fan’s clutch is never fully disengaged; it keeps spinning at about 30% of the water pump speed at all times. The fan clutch also limits how fast the fan can rotate and only turns the fan at a fraction of the water pump speed, depending on engine speed and temperature.

An automotive electric fan offers a more efficient, energy-saving alternative over a fan clutch or belt-drive mechanical fan. Considered a step-up as Thermatic® Fans are lighter, release parasitic power from the vehicle’s engine, expends spinning a fan clutch and/or a belt-driven mechanical fan.

Davies Craig has extensively examined the on-going aftermarket potential and has elected to move out of this specific fan clutch market. On the other hand, Davies Craig automotive electric Thermatic® Fans operate totally independently and are controlled by a Thermatic® Fan Switch which can be adjusted to engage at your engine’s thermostat temperature opening for maximum cooling effect.

Follow these simple steps to convert your current setup to a Thermatic® Electric Fan

  • Measure your radiator core area, width and height.  Also, check to ensure there is enough depth (distance between the front point of your engine block and rear of the radiator)
  • Check these dimensions against the appropriate Davies Craig Thermatic® Fan listed in the catalogue or on our website daviescraig.com.au
  • Choose the largest diameter fan that you are able to fit to the core of your vehicle’s radiator. In general, one large fan will have stronger airflow than two smaller units
  • Fans can be mounted off-set from the radiator centre. An electric fan will be more effective when mounted as close to the hot water inlet (top radiator hose) as possible
  • All Davies Craig Thermatic® Fans are reversible which means they can be mounted upstream (in front of the radiator) or downstream (behind the radiator)
  • Examine the Thermatic® Fan specifications and examine the airflow (CFM) and maximum current draw. The higher the current rating the more powerful the fan. A more powerful fan can draw air through multi row radiators and air conditioning cores.  The high flow, lower current fans function well on single core radiators

Don't short-change your engine’s cooling system. Short term gain could develop into long term pain as your cooling components are the most vital parts of your engine’s cooling system. Davies Craig Thermatic® Fans are proven leaders in the automotive and air-conditioning fields. 

Click here to view our full range of Thermatic® Electric Fans!