I am changing from a fixed/solid fan to a clutch fan. I guess there are 2 kinds fo clutch fans, one is thermal, what is the other? Thanx.
One is a thermal(thermostatic) and the other is a torque limiting clutch. The thermal engages due to rising temperature. The torque limiting disengages at a certain engine speed or when 'x' amount of torque is applied.
The non-thermal on most engines will cut out at about 3500 rpm or so. Or under HARD acceleration. They're both nice. At speeds over 40 mph or so, you really don't need the fan anyway as long as you have your shroud in place. Definitely a good idea to have. Phil
What are the power benfits to using a clutch fan? I've heard they can be quite significant but have my doubts.
Well for one thing, you're not spinning the fan blades when you don't need to. So there's a parasitic loss you don't have to deal with. I can't imagine it's worth more than a couple HP. It's my understanding that the viscous clutch is the 'high performance' one.
