Electric Fans, Worth it?

[Tonyrodz]

I've been searching high and low for a factory set of electric fans with factory harness to get ready for my 6.0 swap. Wanted the tuner to turn on fans through the pcm, but he said he could only do that if the fans we're already in first. My question, is it really worth it? My 03 Hoe has a clutch fan. Does it really free up much hp? Is there really a big or noticeable difference? Is it worth spending the extra cash searching one down, or should I just run with the clutch fan? Any help and or comments are greatly appreciated.

 

[Rocket Man]

I've been searching high and low for a factory set of electric fans with factory harness to get ready for my 6.0 swap. Wanted the tuner to turn on fans through the pcm, but he said he could only do that if the fans we're already in first. My question, is it really worth it? My 03 Hoe has a clutch fan. Does it really free up much hp? Is there really a big or noticeable difference? Is it worth spending the extra cash searching one down, or should I just run with the clutch fan? Any help and or comments are greatly appreciated.

What tuner are you using? Blackbear told me they always turn that pin on regardless of having the EFan or not. I've never heard the fan needs to be installed first. Anyway, I've heard it's about 5hp but I also really like how much room it frees at the front of my engine, plus it helps cool the a/c better. It was worth it to me for sure.

 

[Tonyrodz]

Thx for the reply. It's a local tuner, same guy who is going to do my cam and other goodies. I'm going to ask him again about it. Wish I could go with a black bear tune.

 

[ISU-152]

Thx for the reply. It's a local tuner, same guy who is going to do my cam and other goodies. I'm going to ask him again about it. Wish I could go with a black bear tune.

Tony I know you know your stuff bro. Did you do your homework on this guy?

 

[iamdub]

As has been said, it frees up power (I felt it in my S10), removes the load from the water pump bearings, lets the A/C work to full capacity even when idling and frees up underhood space. It's one of my preferred upgrades. Do a "Big 3" wire upgrade and slap on an AD244 alternator to eliminate any power shortages. IMO, those electrical upgrades are needed even on an otherwise stock vehicle.

 

[David Paul]

Hey Tony,
I did the conversation to my 04. Very happy with it for the reasons already stated. If I was going through all the work you are with the conversion I would do it. Plus you know you want to...lol.
Check out "Just Chevy Trucks". eBay seller I purchase my OEM fans and harness from. A little pricey but saved a lot of time trying to hunt everything down, especially with the limited resources here in NJ. The first set of fans I recieved were damaged in shipping, they sent out a replacement very quickly at NC.
I went with the BB tune, fans work perfectly.

 

[Tonyrodz]

Tony I know you know your stuff bro. Did you do your homework on this guy?

Thx for the compliment! He's a friend of a friend, and I really trust my buddy. He knows his stuff! I also googled a bunch of reviews and they we're all positive. It's not some guy working out of his garage, it's a legit business. I know all that might not matter, but I'm going to give him a shot. I'm also going to sit down with him and tell him if there's a problem I'll be a problem for him. Sometimes you have to have a little faith in people. Hopefully I'll be happy. We'll see.

 

[#1taho]

My guy turned the fans on and set the temp to come on and off.

I am in the same boat as you. Can't find the fans

 

[ScottyBoy]

I have a Blackbear tune, and he turned on the pins for the Efans when he did my tune. I initially wasn't "too" worried about converting to Efans, but one day while exploring the local u pull it yard, I found a great deal on fans and harness from a 2006 Silverado. Being that they were a great price, AND I already had the pins turned on, it was a no brainer. I quickly purchased them, cleaned them up and installed them. Being that the pins were already turned on, the install was VERY easy. Talk to your tuner, he should be able to activate the pins, but he can't "fine tune" the turn on and turn off temps without the fans being installed though. That was my only issue. I ended up having BB adjust the turn on temp to 207° because they were not turning on until about 213 or 214, even though he said it was set at 209. I had him turn it down just 2 degrees and works great in this Louisiana summer heat. My temps stay right at 210 now, which is right where I want it.
As far as is it worth it? Meh, I can't really say for sure. Depends on what the fans and harness will run you honestly. I got my fans AND harness for under $120 out the door, so to me it was worth it. As far as an increase in horsepower or anything, I honestly didn't notice much of any increase in horsepower or torque or anything. But I can tell you what I HAVE noticed, is increasbe cooling. My truck runs cooler especially at low speeds or sitting still in traffic or just parked with the engine running. I remember once before I had my truck running with the AC on because I had the kids in the truck watching TV, and my wife and I were helping her friend with something. After resetting my remote start twice (15 min run time each time) I put my keys in the ign to just start it with the key. But when I started it, I saw that the coolant temp was over 220 and I had warnings lights coming on for the coolant temp. I never let my truck sit still and idle like that ever again. Not till I got the Efans at least, lol. With the Efans, not only does the truck stay cool at idle and at parking lot speeds, but the AC still blows ice cold. I used to have problems with the AC blowing a tad bit warmer at stoplights in the summer and it honestly pissed me off, especially in triple digit heat. Since the Efans install, I noticed that my AC ALWAYS blows ice cold, even when sitting still in triple digit heat. So in a nutshell, yes it was well worth it being that I deal with very hot summers here in Louisiana. I'm not sure how hot the summers get up there in the Northeast, but if you regularly get over 90° in the summer months, then I would say yes its worth it.

 

[Tonyrodz]

Hey Tony,
I did the conversation to my 04. Very happy with it for the reasons already stated. If I was going through all the work you are with the conversion I would do it. Plus you know you want to...lol.
Check out "Just Chevy Trucks". eBay seller I purchase my OEM fans and harness from. A little pricey but saved a lot of time trying to hunt everything down, especially with the limited resources here in NJ. The first set of fans I recieved were damaged in shipping, they sent out a replacement very quickly at NC.
I went with the BB tune, fans work perfectly.

I actually saw a set they we're selling months ago but didn't get them, I searched their eBay store last night for a set , nothing. Should've bought them when I first saw them. I never realized how hard these are to find until I started looking for them. I've never had a problem with running hot before. Not even while sitting in summer traffic with the ac running. I replaced my alot this past summer with a higher amperage apt, which was actually cheaper then the lower rated one that was in it. I think I put in a 160 amp one. Would be nice to find one and not be ***** on the price! Guy I bought the motor from said he'd sell me one with complete harness for $100, but obviously I'm still waiting. Thx for all the replies so far guys. Any after market or other applications work with our rigs?

 

[Rocket Man]

I bought aftermarket fans and my harness was from www.ls1fans.com. I'll look up the fan info if you want. They're pretty quiet and were recommended here on the forum.
Edit: they're Flex-A-Lite fans.
Edit to the edit: they're Dorman 620653 fans, as recommended by members here on the forum.

 

[ScottyBoy]

Tony, if you can get a good set of fans AND an OEM harness for $100, then I would jump on that in a heartbeat. I've seen the OEM harnesses sell all the time for $100 on up. I actually have sold a few harnesses myself on the forums to make a few extra bucks. When I see a good harness in the junkyard that hasn't been damaged by an accident, I will buy it and clean it, replace all the wire loom and then sell them on different truck forum sites (this one included) for about $100 shipped. A lot of people have had problems with aftermarket harness melting the relays or else the relay plugs, so they LOVE it when they can find a good deal on a clean OEM harness. Plus the fact that the OEM harness has the relay block that mounts onto the underhood fuse block, so it looks 100% stock. I have had my OEM harness on my truck now for over 5 years, and I've had absolutely zero hiccups out of it. And the way its all installed, not one single person who has looked under my hood has been able to tell that my truck didn't come from the factory with the electric fans. Even several shops have commented to me about it. One mechanic was baffled as to why I didn't have a clutch fan. I explained it to him, and he said that EVERY vehicle he has ever seen that has been converted to electric fans has had some janky looking wiring with a very obvious temp probe mounted to the engine or radiator hose or something. The thing that most astonished him was the fact that the factory computer is what triggers the fans on and off, and Blackbear is actually responsible for make that part happen. LOL

 

[ScottyBoy]

Also, just in case you didn't know...
You can get a set of aftermarket replacement Efans from Rockauto for roughly $150-$160ish shipped. They have two or three brands to choose from, like Dorman and a few others. So if you end up not being able to find a used OEM set locally, that's another option. Just be sure to look it up under a 2006 Silverado 1500 truck with a 5.3 engine to find the proper fans. You could also look under a 06 Tahoe or Yukon with a 5.3.
A guy on another forum was having trouble finding a set, and he finally said that he was searching for a 2006 Silverado 2500HD. The HD trucks had clutch fans, so the Efans won't be listed. Just keep that in mind.

I've also heard that the NNBS Efans are also a direct fit (but I can't speak from personal experience) and some of the NNBS fans have two seven blade fans instead of one seven blade and one five blade fan like the 05-06 fans have. Will two seven blade fans cool any better than a 5/7 combo? I can't answer that, as I have no idea.

 

[Tonyrodz]

That's one of the reasons I'd like to get a stock setup. I like doing mods that people look at and can't tell what's been done. I like the sleeper look. The guy with the fans has flaked on me. I text him occasionally, but nothing. Then I texted a guy in Pa who parts our vehicles out all the time, he has nothing either. So I'm trying to patiently wait it out. Thx for the info. I've seen after market setups, but I'm not crazy about them. If I can't find anything that's reasonable I'll just leave it as is, for now anyway.

 

[Rocket Man]

. A lot of people have had problems with aftermarket harness melting the relays or else the relay plugs, so they LOVE it when they can find a good deal on a clean OEM harness. Plus the fact that the OEM harness has the relay block that mounts onto the underhood fuse block, so it looks 100% stock. I have had my OEM harness on my truck now for over 5 years, and I've had absolutely zero hiccups out of it. And the way its all installed, not one single person who has looked under my hood has been able to tell that my truck didn't come from the factory with the electric fans. Even several shops have commented to me about it. One mechanic was baffled as to why I didn't have a clutch fan. I explained it to him, and he said that EVERY vehicle he has ever seen that has been converted to electric fans has had some janky looking wiring with a very obvious temp probe mounted to the engine or radiator hose or something. The thing that most astonished him was the fact that the factory computer is what triggers the fans on and off, and Blackbear is actually responsible for make that part happen. LOL

OK, now for all those reading this that might want to go with an aftermarket harness but were just scared away by @ScottyBoy , let me step in here and say that while there ARE junk aftermarket harnesses that might be problematic and/ or look "janky", there are quality harnesses available that look OEM, and although the relays don't mount to the fuse block, they do mount out of the way so you don't see them. LS1fans are quality. You can look on their website and see they use only factory connectors, etc. So before you go trash talking every harness that's not OEM, just keep an open mind. I also like the fact that my relays are the exact same ones used in the OEM harness but they're brand new, not 8 years old. Same with the fans. Myself, I have taken a brand new Harley Davidson Street Glide and rewired half the bike in order to add air suspension, stereo, etc. , with factory Deutsch connectors and you can't tell my wiring from stock. My Ls1 harness blends in and you'd be hard-pressed to tell it from stock. It's been in a year and no problems. I'm not here trying to sell for them, but just want members here to have a clear opinion from someone who is also very picky about their ride who went aftermarket. The fans I bought were a stock aftermarket replacement set also. Here's an underhood shot of mine. Don't be scared to go aftermarket, but be sure it's quality.

 

[ScottyBoy]

@Red Rocket , I wasn't specifically trying to trash talk Ls1fans, I was just mentioning that many people have had trouble with aftermarket harnesses. I know the fans draw a LOT of current, so obviously those harnesses didn't have the proper relays or connectors to continuously handle that much current, and they ended up melting. I have no clue what seller they got their harnesses from, they could be generic eBay harnesses to all I know. All I know is I've seen peoe upset that their harnesses were melted. The only brand I can think of specifically is Blackbear. They used to sell Efans harnesses but ended up having so many complaints about melting relays, that they stopped selling g them all together. I've heard people also mention that harnesses from Nelson performance were melting at the relay plugs. As far as any other brand, I don't know. That's the only two names I have heard mentioned in connection with the melting issues.
But just like anything else, do your homework. Search the internet and look for reviews on the vendor and their product. So far, I've heard nothing but good things about LS1fans.com

 

[Rocket Man]

@Red Rocket , I wasn't specifically trying to trash talk Ls1fans, I was just mentioning that many people have had trouble with aftermarket harnesses. I know the fans draw a LOT of current, so obviously those harnesses didn't have the proper relays or connectors to continuously handle that much current, and they ended up melting. I have no clue what seller they got their harnesses from, they could be generic eBay harnesses to all I know. All I know is I've seen peoe upset that their harnesses were melted. The only brand I can think of specifically is Blackbear. They used to sell Efans harnesses but ended up having so many complaints about melting relays, that they stopped selling g them all together. I've heard people also mention that harnesses from Nelson performance were melting at the relay plugs. As far as any other brand, I don't know. That's the only two names I have heard mentioned in connection with the melting issues.
But just like anything else, do your homework. Search the internet and look for reviews on the vendor and their product. So far, I've heard nothing but good things about LS1fans.com

Yeah sorry about my rant but I just wanted to let people know the whole picture. Also from what I understand from all I've read ( and it's been a lot) there was a problem initially with some aftermarket fans drawing too much current and melting any harness that was there. Ls1 fans specializes in EFan conversions for GM trucks and SUV's. It's all they do and they wouldn't be in business if they had melting harnesses.

 

[Tonyrodz]

@Red Rocket , where'd you find your fans? We're they reasonable in price?

 

[Rocket Man]

@Red Rocket , where'd you find your fans? We're they reasonable in price?

I just looked up my ordering info, and it turns out they're Dorman 620653 fans. I read here on the forum they're a direct factory replacement and draw less current than others. I got mine on Amazon. Here's a link to the thread where I got my info on the Dorman's. The entire thread is good info but around page 16 is where they start discussing the newer fans. The first page has a how-to on the installation process.
http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/how-to-install-e-fans.9400/page-16

 

[Tonyrodz]

Nice. Thx