Forklift overheats a bit-Electric cooling fan

DRussell · Jul 18, 2022

Can you reverse the direction of an electric cooling fan on an engine radiator?

I recently purchased this forklift. It's an older Yale, don't know the model number. It has a small block chevy V8 in it that runs on propane that is not original. The engine is under the operator's seat and the radiator is behind the engine. There is an electric fan mounted behind the radiator that pull air from the front to the back. It runs hotter than it should, when idling, per the gauge it will get to 220 degrees and will boil a bit in the radiator when shut off at that temp. I'm thinking part of the problem is the direction of air flow through the radiator. The fan pulls air from the drivers feet area, over the warm engine compartment and then through the radiator. If the air was not being heated in the engine compartment before going through the radiator it should run a bit cooler.

kencombs · Jul 18, 2022

I've never seen one of those that was reversible.

Can you move it to the other side of the radiator?

If it doesn't have a shroud around it making one might help force all the air through the fins rather than going around.

wore out · Jul 18, 2022

(quoted from post at 08:29:29 07/18/22) Can you reverse the direction of an electric cooling fan on an engine radiator?

I recently purchased this forklift. It's an older Yale, don't know the model number. It has a small block chevy V8 in it that runs on propane that is not original. The engine is under the operator's seat and the radiator is behind the engine. There is an electric fan mounted behind the radiator that pull air from the front to the back. It runs hotter than it should, when idling, per the gauge it will get to 220 degrees and will boil a bit in the radiator when shut off at that temp. I'm thinking part of the problem is the direction of air flow through the radiator. The fan pulls air from the drivers feet area, over the warm engine compartment and then through the radiator. If the air was not being heated in the engine compartment before going through the radiator it should run a bit cooler.

It's probably set up the way it is for operator comfort.

Many electric cooling fans have permanent magnet motors and are reversible by switching the two motor leads.

But some of the fan blades are not symmetrical and will move less air in the opposite direction.

On some electric cooling fans you can flip the blade over to correct this. They will have arrows on the blade and may be marked ''push'' or ''pull'' for a given direction.

All that being said, removing the radiator and cleaning the fins 100% and having it cleaned inside at a radiator shop might help quite a bit.

Dave BN · Jul 18, 2022

Those fork lifts are like a giant vacuum. They suck up dirt and debris while moving along and thus clog the radiator. I clean my radiator once a year on the one at the shop. It's a pain to do as it's behind the counter weight. Air blow gun and water hose with spray nozzle do the job but it takes time to do. I back the fork lift into a paint spray booth and turn the exhaust fan on. Careful not to damage the radiator with too much water or air pressure.
Dave

DRussell · Jul 18, 2022

It would be a really tight fit to move it to the other side of the radiator, and I'm not sure that
it is even possible. The engine is not original to the machine, the radiator likely is, it also
might be a bit small for the engine size. My guess, and it is a guess, is that it had a V6 or
inline 4 in it previously. There's not much room between the water pump pulley and the radiator.

timcasbolt · Jul 18, 2022

(quoted from post at 14:29:29 07/18/22) Can you reverse the direction of an electric cooling fan on an engine radiator?

I recently purchased this forklift. It's an older Yale, don't know the model number. It has a small block chevy V8 in it that runs on propane that is not original. The engine is under the operator's seat and the radiator is behind the engine. There is an electric fan mounted behind the radiator that pull air from the front to the back. It runs hotter than it should, when idling, per the gauge it will get to 220 degrees and will boil a bit in the radiator when shut off at that temp. I'm thinking part of the problem is the direction of air flow through the radiator. The fan pulls air from the drivers feet area, over the warm engine compartment and then through the radiator. If the air was not being heated in the engine compartment before going through the radiator it should run a bit cooler.

ummit racing sells a wide variety of reversible cooling fans.

Janicholson · Jul 18, 2022

Reversing the direction of a curved blade fan will probably blow poorly in the opposite direction. That might make the heating situation worse.
Unless the fan blades can be rotated at each blade root, turning it around on the shaft does nothing. Jim

wore out · Jul 18, 2022

(quoted from post at 09:52:13 07/18/22) Reversing the direction of a curved blade fan will probably blow poorly in the opposite direction. That might make the heating situation worse.
Unless the fan blades can be rotated at each blade root, turning it around on the shaft does nothing. Jim

Jim, I'm not sure if your reply was directed at me, if it was read my reply AGAIN, I suggested reversing the fan MOTOR, AND the fan blade itself, which will reverse he airflow AND keep the blade turning in it's most efficient direction.

John M · Jul 18, 2022

Have been on many sizes and brands of forklifts. Havemt seen one yet that doesnt work like that. I agree with below, clean the radiator out.

Steve@Advance · Jul 18, 2022

You do not want to reverse the air flow. I did it once, the original fan broke, so I put an automotive aftermarket fan on. It made the thing totally miserable for the operator! Had to get a reverse rotation fan, put it back like it was supposed to be.

As said, they are known for the radiator fins clogging.

Also small block Chevys have a reputation for cracking heads. A combustion leak test might reveal the real problem.

Even if the original engine was smaller, unless this gets hard, heavy throttle use, good chance the engine is only working at a small fraction of its potential, so the heat load should be small.

Janicholson · Jul 18, 2022

Doing both works. Jim

DoubleO7 · Jul 18, 2022

quote="DRussell"](quoted from post at 13:34:31 07/18/22) It would be a really tight fit to move it to the other side of the radiator, and I'm not sure that
it is even possible. The engine is not original to the machine, the radiator likely is, it also
might be a bit small for the engine size. My guess, and it is a guess, is that it had a V6 or
inline 4 in it previously. [i:43cffe672e] [b:43cffe672e]There's not much room between the water pump pulley and the radiator.[/b:43cffe672e][/i:43cffe672e][/quote]

Ditch the electric fan and install a thin aftermarket fan on the water pump.
You might need to install a short neck water pump for a pre 1970 car. You will gain 1-3/8 inches of clearance but you might have to change all pulleys from same era.

DoubleO7 · Jul 18, 2022

Is there a thermostat in the system?

Fritz Maurer · Jul 18, 2022

Pulling hot air from the engine compartment will not make it run hotter. If that were true, you would not be able to run an oil cooler in front of the radiator like many manufacturers do on all types of equipment.

caterpillar guy · Jul 18, 2022

Blow the rad out will probably be the most good.

Fritz Maurer · Jul 18, 2022

Went on a road call... guy has LX565 heating up... asked if there was any water in it... says he filled it up... get to the job, put 2-1/2 gallons of water in radiator... he was filling the recovery bottle...

buickanddeere · Jul 18, 2022

Fans work better pushing instead of pulling

ASEguy · Jul 19, 2022

I don't know about forklifts, but in automotive radiator temps should be 20 -25 degrees cooler from top to bottom. If it is, then your radiator is cooling the coolant off with sufficient fan operation. If your coolant is boiling at 220, which I would test with a non contact thermometer, you might have an issue with your radiator cap. I would pressure test it. Your system may not be developing pressure.

DRussell · Jul 19, 2022

This isn't possible. The water pump is at the bottom of the radiator. Half of the fan blades
would be below the radiator if the fan was mounted on the water pump like it normally is. Without
a pretty significant amount of engineering/building an electric fan is the only option.

showcrop · Jul 19, 2022

I agree with operator comfort. My old Yale has a screen as opposed to a solid panel between the engine and operator.

DRussell · Jul 19, 2022

This one is the same.

DRussell · Jul 19, 2022

I don't know if there is a thermostat. I have not checked that yet.

DRussell · Jul 19, 2022

Yes, this was my first thought, that it was low on fluid. I added a gallon to it. Helped a bit, but not a complete fix.

Forklift overheats a bit-Electric cooling fan

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