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Old 05-06-2012, 05:52 PM   #141
Earle
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Default Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll

Given the $millions it can cost (and has cost) car companies to knowingly put an unsafe design into production, I tend to think that financial liability alone, if not sincere concern for customer safety, prevents manufacturers from using the public as test guinea pigs.

I am slightly biased but I have a measure of "faith" in the professionalism of the typical engineer/designer in the automotive - or any transportation - industry from those few I've met and from their history. My experience is in the aerospace industry and I think there couldn't be a better group of serious, professional people in the world than those engineers tasked with designing a machine that will carry folks aloft where they can't simply walk away from a catastrophic design failure. There were the ocassional "hints" from management to speed up a project or refrain from "overly-conservative (i.e. too costly and too heavy)" design but the engineering department always had the final say in what was necessary in the safe, functional design of a part or a system - even if schedules or budgets were not met. You had pride in yourself and your work, and knew what the consequences of cutting corners were.

I can't speak personally about the automotive industry as a whole but I tend to generally trust engineers over any other department in any given company. Yes, honest mistakes are made but they are very conservative and do the absolute best job possible with the information and materials they have. Their only personal financial interest is in the fact that safe, quality designs sell. Dangerous, shoddy designs don't.

I want to think that early Ford engineers were not too different. They didn't intentionally design anything to be dangerous or to use the customer as a guinea pig.
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Old 05-06-2012, 07:35 PM   #142
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Default Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll

"...I've only argued against the supposition that the original design was a failure from day one and should have lasted forever."

In my opinion, it's not a supposition; The original design was flawed (which led to "failure" and unpredictable limited life) from day one. It would never have been designed that way by today's engineering standards. But this is 20/20 hindsight. Given the engineering information, materials and manufacturing paractices they had back then, it was the best they could do. I don't argue that it should have lasted forever but it can't be denied that the design started out in life with several strikes against it (by today's standards) that guaranteed a forshortened service life.

It was brilliant in all other aspects (except for fatigue, manufacturing technique and corrosion prevention) because of its relatively light weight and its "airplane propeller" airfoil shape that beats out even modern fans in its aerodynamic effectiveness and efficiency.

All the best as you continue to run your original fan. You seem to have one of the few remaining statistical flukes but you can be assured that you're running on "borrowed fatigue cycles." I'm sure you inspect it very often!
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Old 05-08-2012, 11:22 PM   #143
mjm1972
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Default Re: Another Original 2-Blade Fan Takes Its Toll

Originally Posted by forever4
Just wondering how did the fan destroy the water pump?


What ever fan is the best no one really knows, as both seem to do good for some and others they have had fail. I've now seen the 2 blade and 4 blade, original and after market cause damage by some of your stories and pictures and also my own issue with it.

And for those of you that say you drive miles and miles on an original fan and have never had an issue you are just lucky that's all. In time your fan will go, I do hope you catch it in time before it goes .. but it will go.


One thing I do know for sure is that Original or After market fans when they do decide to let go, that one little cheap in price fan causes a hole lot of money. Regular checks and replacements will come on my car, replacements will come as changing oils and spark plugs would normally come.. even if I don't see a crack.

link to my fan issue
http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69019

Last edited by mjm1972; 05-10-2012 at 04:04 PM.
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