Update on my 11 blade clutch fan vs original 5 blade fan

[L31MaxExpress]

I had nothing but problems from my 2010 Tahoe E-fan setup and overheating issues towing. For me the biggest improvement in A/C cooling on my Express van came from recovering the R134a and recharging with R152a. At idle on a 105°F day it blows 42°F out of both a/c units. Going down the highway it has hit 35°F. I end up having to turn down the blower and point the vents away from the steering wheel or else my fingers start to hurt. Similar to working outside on a cold day without gloves.

 

[kennythewelder]

I had nothing but problems from my 2010 Tahoe E-fan setup and overheating issues towing. For me the biggest improvement in A/C cooling on my Express van came from recovering the R134a and recharging with R152a. At idle on a 105°F day it blows 42°F out of both a/c units. Going down the highway it has hit 35°F. I end up having to turn down the blower and point the vents away from the steering wheel or else my fingers start to hurt. Similar to working outside on a cold day without gloves.

The temp has been good as long as there is air flow. Driving down the high way, the AC is cold. Never checked the temp, but my wife closes the vents on her side. In town at idle like rate after start up, or after sitting at a stand still for a long time, (with the OE 5 blade fan) the AC gets warm, but as soon as I start moving again, the AC is cold again. IDK about the different freon, so thats good to know. The 9 blade swap did help some, but was killing my high RPM power. Maybe the clutch was bad IDK. I still have my OE fan, so if I have issues, I have a back up. I will keep all of my OE parts just in case.

 

[shamrock246]

I converted to the 11 blade fan with the spec clutch from my RPO codes (HD clutch) and have been very happy with it i can hear it modulate faster and slower as needed while towing and the air blows fine. When i was looking into E-fans i was going to go with with 2005-2007 silverado e-fan setup and the painless dual fan controller but after taking my fan a clutch off and driving it around on a 45-50 degree day i felt no difference in power (butt dyno) on the highway and around town and could never find any good dyno info on how much really saved on a setup like this so i put the fan and clutch back on. I think after a certain foward speed the the air coming thru the radiator wind mills the fan and take's more load off engine.

 

[whiteboyslo]

Along the same lines, I replaced the fan in my BBC 93 Suburban with the factory fan off the newer Vortec BBC trucks. This goes from 5 widely-spaced blades to 9 blades, more tightly spaced and slightly smaller. It also increases the diameter by about .5".

I did this upgrade with the hopes of helping two things. The first was to improve the performance of my AC. The previous owner replaced quite a bit of the system, but the temp is 'meh' at best, at least while in town. The second was sorta tied to the first. The engine temp stays right around 195 unless idleing with the AC on, at which point it would climb to 210 and stay there.

I started with just replacing just the fan. It's a simple bolt-on job, though I would caution that the radiator needs protected while removing the fan and clutch. I used a piece of cardboard, and it worked fine to keep the fins safe when I gave the clutch a good yank and it slammed right into it. The net result was maybe a couple of degrees cooler engine temp with the AC on, but nothing appreciable and no real change on AC temps.

After, I replaced the fan clutch with a new OE unit. Before I replaced it, the fan could easily be spun by hand and would spin for forever after the engine shut down, definitely signs that it was shot. With the new one in, the fan roars when first starting off and stops rotating almost immediately after shutting off. More importantly, the temps don't climb with the AC on anymore and the AC blows cold.

I don't regret upgrading the fan for a bit more insurance when working the truck hard, but the new fan clutch was definitely the bigger piece of the puzzle.

Part numbers (AC Delco)...

Stock fan: 1580719
Newer fan: 1580729
Clutch (same PN for both fans): 1540109

Mike

 

[Tripp]

Upgraded my 1990 K2500 TBI 350 from a 5-blade steel to ACDelco 1580739 today. Fit perfectly on my new ACDelco clutch 1540109.

$60 for the fan blade at a nearby O'Reillys auto parts.

Fits in the shroud perfectly.

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

How do you like it, is it quieter, is it keeping your temps down, does it seem like your A/C is colder at an idle? I've been thinking about doing this instead of the expensive electric fan route.

 

[TheAutumnWind]

Alright I am going to give this a shot. Dont really need it to cool the rad as I am running the 34" HD rad, but noise difference, a/c performance and having the clutch engaged less sounds attractive.

 

[alpinecrick]

I installed a Hayden severe duty clutch and 11 blade AC Delco composite fan on my 96 K1500. It roared, man, did it roar. Plus the composite fan was apparently out of balance. Felt like a miss at idle. Pulled the composite off and reinstalled the factory 5 blade and the miss went away, and there was SLIGHTLY less of a roar.

I currently have an AC Delco clutch and the factory 5 blade back on it. It's a lot less noisy. Might try to composite 11 blade again and see if it's compatible with the AC Delco.

My temps are fine, but I did install a Spectre/Advance Auto hd radiator that is about an inch thicker than the factory radiator.