Pusher or Puller

[DougF]

Looks like I'll be reinstalling the electric fan on my TR6. I've had it set up as a puller with the thought that it is protected from road debris. I've heard the argument that the heat coming off the radiator isn't necessarily the best for the fan.
I still lean toward a puller.
Any thoughts?

 

[3798j]

Have read that the same size fan is 10-20% more efficient when installed as a puller.

 

[JerryVV]

Pull Doug pull

 

[DougF]

The only disadvantage with pulling is the lack of space to work on the front of the engine. But a pusher looks like it would interfere with my air filter.

I was afraid that I would be needing to buy a new fan as the old one quit working a couple weeks ago. Fortunately, it worked when tested tonight.

Radiator gets tested tomorrow. If recore or replacement is necessary, I might have to look into the aluminum rads on ebay. Anyone familiar with Brice Thomas Radiators?

 

[mrv8q]

From V12s.com, Fans 101 FAQ

Q. Which type of fan system is best?

A. We only build fan systems that draw air through the radiator, sometimes referred to as 'puller fan systems'. This is most efficient.

Systems that try to push air through a radiator face two problems: 1. they're only about 80% efficient because the radiator deflects at least 20% of the air, and 2. the fans themselves actually block the airflow to the radiator, whether the fans are running or not. Our fan systems work better.



NFI, etc. Interesting site.

 

[Geo Hahn]

...I've had it set up as a puller with the thought that it is protected from road debris...

OTOH, fans are way cheaper than radiators.

That a puller is more effective seems intuitive but I've never seen a convincing argument or evidence that there is a significant advantage.

In any case I plan on ditching my electrics as I never used them once this past summer (100+ heat, driving up the mountain, etc) now that I've got tropical fans on both TRs.

 

[JerryVV]

In my case removing the engine driven fan resulted in less vibration and smoother idle. Any balancing that existed was long ago lost. The downside is that at idle no air is moving inside the engine compartment leading to possible vapor lock before the water gets hot enough to turn on the fan. If I'm in traffic I need to manually turn on the fan to eliminate this issue.

That tropical fan does move a lot of air and is the solution if you don't want to convert to an electric fan. Personally I like eliminating the vibration.

The single biggest improvement to cooling for me was to install a GoodParts radiator shroud. Man what a difference that made at speed. In cooler weather I now have trouble getting the engine up to temperature at speed. Will be checking the thermostat next. Maybe that original 160 hooded thermostat has finally conked out after 45 years!

 

[DougF]

I agree with the Goodparts shroud, it works great and won't need replaced every 2-3 years.

I just took my radiator to our local radiator/smoke shop. Best beef jerky around.... The rad has a small leak. I now will be fabricating a fan shroud for the backside of the rad as the shop is making some fan mounting brackets.