Does anyone know how much current the stock fans pull in operation? I am trying to find replacement slim fans that are efficient (maximizing air flow but minimizing current draw – but also not really going over what the stock fans draw). A power rating in watts will also give away the current use so if you know that, it will be helpful.
I’m also wondering if I can just check the resistance of the fan motor and figure it out that way based on a 12 V potential but I’m not sure of the accuracy of that.
i see what you are saying but if it were SUBSTIALLY less than 15 amps, there might be a 10 amp fuse in there, right? I would have look somewhere on the fan motor itself. I guess that it pulls around 10 amps. Most CD players have a 10 amp fuse in them but pull around 7.5 amps while operating, but I’m just making a lot of educated guesses.
Damn ~30 amps is a lot. It looks like getting something really efficient will help reduce the engine’s workload anyway. You know I didn’t think about the Helms. Maybe there’s a troubleshooting guide in there that has some ratings.
I’ve been trying to stay around ~6 amps each. I actually found a few for $25 each that run at ~6.7 amps with ~1400 CFM for a 12 incher. I’m pretty sure I’m getting more flow than stock but I would like to just know quantitatively how MUCH more. I’m also hoping this thread will steer people in the right direction when purchasing fans – you can’t just choose ANY fan and some of the fan testing specs are deceptive.
Neil, what exactly is the point of your goal? I can understand wanting good flow and wanting to increase efficiency… But you’re running a fairly stock engine right? Nothing that would indicate a need for more cooling ability?
Only reason I mention it is that it seems like a lot of effort to calculate something that probably doesn’t matter at all (although I completely understand just “wanting to know”). Fact of the mater is the charging system is making plenty of juice either way. Plus, your fans aren’t really doing anything very often. Typically you’re getting your airflow from your speed. On hot days at slow speed they may come on or if sitting stationary for awhile.
If you’re getting really technical about flow and the such, something else you may want to consider is how free flowing your setup is. How does the flow through the radiator compare with the stock vs slimfan when the fans are NOT on
Well I figure that since I’m replacing fans, why not get the maximum pull for the minimum engine effort i.e. improve the cooling efficiency? It’s the same manner in that I got an aluminum radiator: I needed to replace it so I upgraded to a thicker core. Yes, I am running stock but I’m also running a separate transmission cooler which may be impeding flow somewhat.
I’ve been noticing some cooling issues happening at zero vehicle velocity at high ambient temperatures, which can be due to the fans not having shrouds, but until I can get that made, I would like to get the ideal fan too. Drawing more air in without having to pull more energy from the engine would be the best situation I believe.
I do not seem to have cooling issues (at least engine coolant wise) when moving at >40 mph.
OK, so you are having some issues with cooling… My experiences w/ Honda cooling systems is that they are very efficient to start off w/ and it takes an actual problem to start overheating. Just it being hot or running it hard isn’t going to cause overheating. Typically my opinion is that if you’re having cooling issues with a Honda you need to double check and/or fix any problems in the stock system before trying to upgrade or improve anything else as those other things become bandaids and not real solutions.
When was the last time you replaced your thermostat?
Where are the transmission and PS coolers installed? Are they impairing flow thru the radiator?
I was thinking about the thermostat – it was last changed I believe back in 2004.
The PS cooler is the stock cooler. The transmission cooler is right behind it and kinda butting up on the condenser a bit. I couldn’t find a better spot to mount that thing unfortunately
I looked at the stock fan motor that I have pulled out and it’s marked “60” which I assume means “60 Watts” which means around a 5 amp current draw at 12V or less at 13.5V when the alternator is running.
I’m really thinking it also has to do with the fan shroud. After really studying the stock shroud and knowing that shrouds really increase air flow efficiency, I think I really need to look into it. The fans can’t just be mounted on the radiator alone.
