Flex-A-Lite & Electric Fan Model #295

This product is fraught with peril for the health of your transmission.

As we all very well know heat is a killer for automatic transmissions. Unlike the stock belt driven clutch fan, the Flex-A-Lite electric fan system design only takes engine temperature into consideration and not the coolant temperature exiting the radiator that which cools the transmission fluid.

Consider how the stock belt driven clutch fan works. It runs continuously to keep the coolant exiting the radiator, which cools the transmission fluid, below a predetermined temperature, irrespective of engine temperature. If the air being pulled through the radiator raises beyond a predetermined temperature the clutch fan senses this and increases the fan speed. Thus maintaining the coolant exiting the radiator and cooling the transmission fluid at an acceptable temperature. This is all based on radiator cooling, not on the engine temperature.

Compare this with how the Flex-A-Lite electric fan system works. As designed the electric fans only turn on when coolant entering the radiator exceeds a predetermined temperature (set by installer). If the probe is set to activate the fans at a temperature slightly above the where the thermostat opens, say 200+ degrees, the coolant exiting the radiator and cooling the transmission fluid could be well beyond what is healthy for the transmission. For example, if the engine under a given load is raising the coolant temperature by 20 degrees and is running a 195 degree thermostat, with the probe set to active the fans at 200 degrees, the coolant exiting the radiator and cooling the transmission fluid could be 180 degrees or more before the fans are activated.

If the probe is set to activate the fans at lower temperature to keep the coolant exiting the radiator at a desired temperature for cooling the transmission fluid, the fans will be on at a high duty cycle. May as well have the stock belt driven clutch fan.

In addition due to the temperature sensing method (probe stuck in radiator fins) there are some certain driving conditions in which there is enough air flow over the probe to keep the fans from turning on even though there is not enough air flow to keep the engine from over heating.

I have written to Flex-A-Lite with these issues and concerns but have not heard from them. I find this ignoring of customer issues and concerns totally unacceptable. Thus I recommend avoiding not only the Flex-A-Lite electric fan conversions but all of their products.

Ummmmm................. This is the product and vendor review section. Have you used the above mentioned part? Did you have a problem with it? Did you call or write to Flex a Lite explaining that you had purchased their product and shortly after had a problem? If not then maybe this should be moved to a more appropriate area of the board. Especially since an engine with a 195* Thermostat will have coolant that is .......................... 195* regardless of what fan you use. Fuel injected engines need certain temperatures. I'm sure if you search you'd find many threads about electric fans and most people are happy with them. You'd also find that one of the major additions people make to their trucks is an auxiliary transmission cooler.

:wacko

Yes I have used the above mentioned part. Hence why I wrote to them as mentioned in the original post. And they have not responded. Totally unacceptable.

Obviously I did & do have a problem with it.

The manufactures information does not state the need for an auxiliary transmission cooler. It does however state this product is for Broncos. Well if it's for Broncos then it should function in accordance with the cooling needs of Broncos, and if special or additional equipment is needed for that then it should be specified.

As for the statement about and engine with a 195 degree thermostat will have coolant that is 195 degrees regardless of what fan you use is only true for the temperature at which it exits the engine thru the thermostat. By the time it gets to the other side of the radiator it very well better be much cooler than that. Especially for vehicles with an automatic transmission. The Flex-A-Lite electric fan system does not achieve this.

Many of the people who you say are happen with their electric conversion fan don’t realize they are shortening the life of their transmission too. Especially if they’ve installed it per the manufactures instructions.

This post is in the appropriate forum, no need for it to be moved. Your interest in having this review move elsewhere is interesting. You wouldn’t happen to have some vested interest in Flex-A-Lite would you?

Whats the difference between this and how every other vehicle is set up?

My Taurus fans operate this way, and any vehicle with an electric fan, unless it has a separate tranny temp gauge to activate the fans.

Hey Owl, good review man. i heard about the relays or something like that burning up and causing fires under the hood.

As far as them not reccomending the cooler. i dont think ford even reccomends on unless you are towing. but i will tell you right now even with the in radiator cooling you are killing your tranny. put a temp guage on and see what the temps are on that tarnny fluid. i garuntee you will get a cooler for it. That was one of the first mods i did was a bigger radiator and a cooler.

Whats the difference between this and how every other vehicle is set up?

My Taurus fans operate this way, and any vehicle with an electric fan, unless it has a separate tranny temp gauge to activate the fans.

A Taurus is not a Bronco, and do you know it's theory of ops? Especially in regard to the tranny cooling.

Furthermore, forget about the tranny for a second. The Flex-A-Lite system installed as per the manufactures instructions won't even keep the engine from over heating because the fans won't activate under low speed or meduim load contitions.
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Hey Owl, good review man. i heard about the relays or something like that burning up and causing fires under the hood.

As far as them not reccomending the cooler. i dont think ford even reccomends on unless you are towing. but i will tell you right now even with the in radiator cooling you are killing your tranny. put a temp guage on and see what the temps are on that tarnny fluid. i garuntee you will get a cooler for it. That was one of the first mods i did was a bigger radiator and a cooler.


Yeah, I have a temp gauge on it. Fortunately our temps here are fairly mild. Most of the year is under 70. A tranny cooler is one of my planned modes. But that doesn't excuse Flex-A-Lite’s poor design and lack of response.

It runs continuously to keep the coolant exiting the radiator, which cools the transmission fluid, below a predetermined temperature, irrespective of engine temperature....Thus maintaining the coolant exiting the radiator and cooling the transmission fluid at an acceptable temperature. This is all based on radiator cooling, not on the engine temperature.


Its absolutely based on engine temp, because the thermostat will not open unless the engine coolant temp is >195. Until this happens, the coolant in the radiator is stagnant.

there are some certain driving conditions in which there is enough air flow over the probe to keep the fans from turning on even though there is not enough air flow to keep the engine from over heating.

Then put your probe at the inlet to the radiator. That way it senses the hot coolant coming from the engine, irrespective of airflow since it doesnt have enough time to cool it down before hitting the probe.

Where on the radiator is the probe now?


BTW I was talking about the Taurus fans I put in my Bronco...I dont own an actual Taurus car...sorry for the confusion.

Yes as I stated it is 195 degrees coming out of the engine, but by the time it gets to the discharge side of the radiator it better be much cooler. Otherwise it will not be able to absorb enough heat from the engine to remain 195 degrees when it reaches the engine discharge.

Also the temperature at which it is discharged from the radiator and enters the engine at is the best it’s going to cool the tranny too. Problem is the way this Flex-A-Lite system is designed the radiator discharge temp can become very close to the engine discharge temp before the fans active. i.e. when the radiator discharge temp is not cool enough to keep the engine discharge temp below the fan activation temp.

The probe is at the inlet to the radiator, per the manufactures installation instructions and as I already explained in the original post, it doesn’t work. It allows the engine to over heat during low speed and medium or greater loads at low to moderate speeds. Even though the probe is installed per the manufactures installation instructions and set to activate the fans at the lowest temp setting of the controller.

It’s not a matter of there not being enough air flow to cool down the coolant before it reaches the probe. It’s a matter of there being enough air flow to overcome the rate of heat transfer from the radiator fins to the probe. Thus the probe under the afore mentioned conditions doesn't get hot enough to activate the fans, even though the engine is over heating.

Well mind you I’m not complaining about the cooling capacity of the fans. That is adequate. It’s the temperature sensing and control of them that is flawed. And the lack of response to customer issues is totally unacceptable. That’s my beef.

I still dont understand how your engine overheats. Once the thermostat opens and the hot coolant rushes into the radiator, and heats up the probe, the fans should kick on, and remain on until the temp of the coolant coming into the radiator decreases below the threshold. Perhaps the thermostat closes first, perhaps not. It depends on your individual setup.

All Im saying is it doesnt matter what the coolant temp going INTO the engine is as long as coming OUT it is not excessively hot, unless you bring your tranny fluid into the picture.

If you think that the coolant entering your engine is 195 degrees, it should be WAY above that when coming out of the engine, which should open the thermostat and trip the temperature probe. In other words, the fans should kick on LONG before the coolant entering your engine is 195 degrees because that means the temp probe has been sensing 195 degrees for quite a while without turning on the fans. I think this is what you were explaining in your posts and I wasnt getting it.

I guess what you're saying is that whenever the fans kick on, it cools the probe so it turns the fans off, instead of letting the coolant turn the probe on and off.

Post up a pic of your fans and where the probe is mounted in relation to them. Perhaps simply moving it out of the way of the airflow will fix your problem.

well is there a way you can put the temp probe into the tstat housing? that would make sure the fan kicked on at 195.

Coolant doesn’t heat the probe. The radiator fins heat the probe. But with even very little air flow through the fins they are prevented from heating the probe sufficiently to turn on the fans. I don’t think I can make it any clearer or simpler than that.

Tranny fluid is in the picture, that’s how it works because that’s how Ford and other automakers designed it to work.

No the fans don’t come on at all under the conditions which I described as causing engine overheating.

The pic is on my Supermotors site, which seems to be down at time. But the probe is installed as per the manufactures installation instructions, as I have stated previously numerous times. As close to the upper radiator hose as possible. And I’ve tried it in each of the top 4 rows of fins. There is not sufficient thermal transfer through the fins to the probe to activate the fans under the conditions of slow and medium speed which I have previously described.

well is there a way you can put the temp probe into the tstat housing? that would make sure the fan kicked on at 195.

Probe is not designed for that type of installation. Furthermore not only do I not believe it would fit, it doesn’t resolve the manufactures poor sensing design and their lack of response. It's not my job to solve their design. That's what I paid them for. If I had wanted to design my own I wouldn’t have bought their product.

Dude we get that it is a poor design we are trying to help you make it better. You paid for the product if you are so unhappy with the damn thing take it off and send it back.

Dude we get that it is a poor design we are trying to help you make it better. You paid for the product if you are so unhappy with the damn thing take it off and send it back.

This is a product and vendor review thread. Not a fix it thread.

If you wish to help fix it please use my thread in the Tech Write Ups fourm.

Well bro all I can say is that I have the same setup as you temperature probe wise, using a Hayden/Imperial adjustable fan controller. My probe is in the radiator by the upper hose, and it works perfectly. I have long since bypassed the tranny cooler in the radiator since it is more of a tranny HEATER anyway, on the advice of this board. In addition to that stock in radiator tranny cooler my truck came with 2 other external coolers. Those are what I'm running now, my tranny fluid is independent of my coolant system, and the electric fans work fine.

Send it back, get your money back if you can, and for 80 bucks you can do what I did, and have much more airflow, and easily replaceable fans from any Taurus in any junkyard.