| Author | Message | ||
     Charles Allen (Callen229) Member Username: Callen229 Post Number: 52 Registered: 07-2002 |
I searched the archives and did not see any reference to this. Has anyone ever done away with the fan and fan clutch rig and replaced them with an electric fan and thermostat? What would be the down side? What would be the up side? Thanks Charles | ||
| Lee R. Byrd (Mobile) New Member Username: Mobile Post Number: 7 Registered: 07-2003 |
I was wondering the same thing. I did the electric swap on a Jeep with a 400+ HP engine. I gained approx 1 mpg and felt a noticable seat of the pants difference in HP. The 1 mpg difference bumped the Jeep up from 9 to 10mpg. More than a 10% increase in efficiency. There were no ill effects to the swap for me. Some things that concerned my particular swap were the mounting of the thermostatic switch, and the amp draw of the electric fans. I had already upgraded to a 150 amp alternator so the 18 amp draw was no problem. Another thing to keep an eye out for is the fan to engine / accessory / belt clearance. I will keep an eye on this post as I would like more HP and better fuel efficiency. | ||
| Alan Greening (Alan_g) New Member Username: Alan_g Post Number: 27 Registered: 04-2003 |
I put a Kenlowe electcic fan on my 200Tdi, 1 - 2 mpg improvementb ut main thing is that the engine seems to spin up faster when you need it, as you'd expect without that great big fan going round. Also, the engine warms up quicker (although I use a Webasto pre-heater - no cold starts for me.) The kenlowe fan is slim, and without the cowl there is more space in the bay to get to belts and hose mud out of the radiator and that. In the years I've had the electric fan, it has only ever come on when stuck in traffic in the summer, or off-roading. If I lived somewhere cold all year round, I'd just take the viscous fan off and be done with it. | ||
| Peter Matusov (Pmatusov) Senior Member Username: Pmatusov Post Number: 919 Registered: 09-2002 |
Charles, the answer depends on where you live and how you drive. Brits are big on electric fans because the fuel is expensive, weather - mild, and land is mostly flat. I live in Southern California - fuel is cheap, weather can be brutal (115-120F in the desert), 6%highway grades with traffic speeds about 80mph, or super slow crawl in traffic jams. In my limited experience with a rangie and two jeeps , even twin electric fans do not come close to match one engine-driven fan with a good shroud and heavy-duty clutch. Best of all - said engine-driven fan AND twin electrics. Also, during my three weeks of driving the rangie with electric fans only, there were NO gains in gas mileage. | ||
| John Moore (Jmoore) Senior Member Username: Jmoore Post Number: 775 Registered: 10-2002 |
I would concur with Peter. With the nominal hp increases v. the chance of overheating your aluminum block, keep your fan. | ||
| Charles Allen (Callen229) Member Username: Callen229 Post Number: 54 Registered: 07-2002 |
I really did not about care HP increase, It would take a big horse to make any difference in preformance. I am having overheating problems. I have had the radiator rodded, changed the thermostat and it still intermittantly gets hot. I have orderded a fan clutch to see what that will do. Just exploring ideas from the vast knowledge base here. Thanks Charles | ||
| Mud Man (Clarance) Member Username: Clarance Post Number: 58 Registered: 02-2002 |
I'm installing a Flex-a-lite 210. Its not a direct fit, so I'm fabricating an "adapter" to mount the fan on, which will mount to the radiator. I just replaced the water pump ($189 @AB). So every thing was removed (fan, shourds). I like being able to turn the fan on/off while crossing "whale shit". I'll post picks when I'm done. | ||
| Mud Man (Clarance) Member Username: Clarance Post Number: 59 Registered: 02-2002 |
by the way, the fan's dims are 26.25"x15"x2.75". The radiator is 25.5"x 18". | ||
| Charles Allen (Callen229) Member Username: Callen229 Post Number: 55 Registered: 07-2002 |
Cool that will be neat to see. Charles |
