Electric fan?

JP · #1 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

Looking to possibly put in an electric fan, 1... benefits / disadvantages? 2... shroud, keep it, trim it, lose it? 3... recomendations of brand & size?[addsig]

Bounty__Hunter · #2 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

Do it, get rid of the huge stock fan shroud. It will help a small bit with power, every little bit helps with the 2.5L engine.

[addsig]

JP · #3 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

wow! without that shroud... there is room for a v12! hmmm..... :-D :-D :-D :-D

edited by: JP, Feb 16, 2003 - 01:15 PM[addsig]

Tug-n-pull · #4 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

How do you wire it up? Does it run full time when the key is in on position? What did the mounting require? Just it looks like it mounted directly to the fins from the photo. What is the cost of the fan kit? and lastly is there one that is better than another? Thanks Tug always looking for more power for my 4 banger! :-D [addsig]

jprtroy · #5 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

For a 4 cyl, the electric fan alone with out the shroud may be ok. If you had the 6er, I'd say use the electric as a secondary. The fan shroud is an integral part of the cooling system. It's needed to force the fan to pull fresh cool air from in front of the radiator thru the radiator, and prevent the fan from pulling warm air from the engin compartment.
Removing the shroud does indeed open up some room, but it has a purpose. The electric fan can be wired to be on all the time, (waste of time) but, thermostast are available, that have a sensor that is mounted either in the fins of the radiator, or in the upper radiator hose.
Along with the fan shroud, the fan clutch, is also a key component of the cooling system. As warm air is pulled thru the radiator, it warms the bi-metal clutch on the fan clutch. When it warms enough, it engages and forces the fan to spin, which, pulls more air thru the radiator, cooling it, until the fan clutch's bi-metal material cools enough to slow the fan back down. This whole process of heating up and cooling is on going. The theromstat, also plays into this game as well.
By removing the fan shroud, your actually hurting the performance of the cooling system. If your having heating up issues, simply getting rid of the stock fan for an electric might not fix the problem.

I tried runniing just an electric fan on my jeep (6cyl) and it was totally insufficent for cooling! It started to over heat almost immediatly! (3 core radiator brand new!) So, I reinstalled the fan shroud, and installed a flex-lite fan, ( no fan clutch this time, no room for it) No heating up issues now!.
Good luck with your decission.

edited by: jprtroy, Feb 18, 2003 - 09:10 AM[addsig]

Bounty__Hunter · #6 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

I had it wired through a thermostat. Had a switch inline with the power feed to the thermostat, so I could shut the fan off for deep water crossings. The thermostat went bad on the trail, so it was easy to bypass and run power straight to the fan. Many jeepers run a fan 'constant on', but it's not needed.

My fan shroud was flat on the top and bottom. I rested the bottom on the lower radiator tank that sticks out 1/4" to support the weight of the fan. The straps through the fins then only located the fan and don't hold any weight, which would destroy the fins over time. This setup held up good.

Mine was a 16" reversible from the parts store, about $60. Cooled the 2.5L just fine.[addsig]

CARDOC123 · #7 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

jprtroy is on the nose!! Just pay attention to the gauge. I'm like jprtroy, it may be ok without the shroud. [addsig]

JP · #8 (**permalink**) 07-20-2003, 08:00 PM

I think I'll try it. trying to gain a little power out of my 2.5, I dont have any issues with cooling anymore, just got done replacing alot of the system. thanks so much for the info guys... -JP[addsig]