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Electric Cooling Fan Upgrade for 4 cylinders?

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15K views 23 replies 12 participants last post by  liljpy  
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#1 ·
I have read that this is not beneficial for most jeeps but what about 4bangers? You can lose that HUGE shroud and metal fan? My shroud is cracked and was gona replace my clutch but then I thought well what about an upgrade?
http://www.acmejeepparts.com/products/17800_01.htm
I have read that some 2.5L have seen better benefit than 4.0L so just curious I know it more strain on the alternator but you lose that metal fan? Just wondering what other thought thanks!:cheers2:
 
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#5 ·
I know jeeperz creeperz did this with a taurus fan which is similiar on a 4banger, but cant locate that article.
 
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#6 · (Edited)
I put a 2-speed ford fan on mine some time back. wired in the low speed to a thermostatic switch i got from Advance Auto Parts. the high speed is wired in to my 3-position switch, up is low/automatic, middle is off, and down is high. the shroud that is attached to the e-fan fits perfectly across the radiator, and about 90% of the height. i used the original bolts for the fan on the drivers side, and used one self tapping screw on the upper passenger side. i, however do not have pictures of my install, or the finished product.... yet....

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/we...roduct_Adjustable-Thermostatic-Fan-Control-Imperial_3670006-P_N6003C_P|GRP2061A

thats the thermostatic relay kit. works perfectly, and its adjustable!

bought the fan off e-bay for $25.

personal opinion on putting in a fan on a 4-cyl? - its amazing! never over heats anymore, and it has more 'seat of the pants' power. the only down fall would be, in winter, i have to put cardboard over the grille just so my jeep will reach operating tempature!
 
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#14 ·
Killers99TJ said:
personal opinion on putting in a fan on a 4-cyl? - its amazing! never over heats anymore, and it has more 'seat of the pants' power. the only down fall would be, in winter, i have to put cardboard over the grille just so my jeep will reach operating tempature!
Click to expand...
The stock system is more than adequate to cool the engine, if you were having overheating issues then something wasn't right, and if you have to put cardboard over the grille to get it to heat up then you must have a really crappy switch because it should not be kicking the fan on.

OP, I think the only benefit for an electric fan is for people who do deep water crossings and want to be able to turn their fan off. Otherwise like you said you will be putting more strain on the alternator and will affect other electrical accessories you have. Everyone also forgets that the stock fan uses a clutch which allows the fan to stop spinning when needed.
 
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#7 ·
I have a 2 speed tuarus fan on my 2.5, I like it. I think it frees up a few hps. I have mine hooked up to a light so I can see when the fan turns on and it almost never comes on in normal driving. I have the fan so its auto low speed/off/on high speed.
Just makesure you take your time solder your wiring and use the right size wire.

I can not believe any e-fan haters have not posted yet:nono:
 
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#11 ·
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#8 ·
i put the taurus fan in mine....
you won't notice huge HP gains
you won't have over cooling as indicated above...thats what your thermostat is for
you won't have that huge fan shroud
you won't have a place to mount your PS fluid reservoir anymore
you won't need to worry about upgrading your alternator
you won't overheat any more or less often

its a good upgrade... I did it because my fan clutch failed and so i could turn it off at a watercrossing (which i have never been deep enough to need that feature yet!!!!)
a few things...
be sure of all your wiring. be sure of your relays. be sure to think everything thru because it will strand you if it doesn't work. your current fan is working and will continue to work just fine so think about why you want this change.

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#10 ·
I have hydroboost brakes and wanted a pump with more pressure and flow than the TC series pump that comes with the TJ.

that is a saginaw "P" Pump "canned ham" from a suburban that also had hydroboost. I made a custom mount to get it to fit but i believe thare is a manufacturer of this bracket. I may have a drawing i made of this bracket around if you need it but really its not that difficult to make
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#12 ·
What do people do about the power steering reservoir? Find a different spot to mount?
 
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#15 ·
The OE clutch doesn't dis engage. How does the fan clutch know what the engine temp is to turn off? An electric fan will not overload your electrical system any more than a sub woofer amp will. I just don't see it freeing up HP...cause the times you don't need the fan on ( highway ) is cause the air is coming through the radiator from your forward speed. This is the same reason the mechanical fan has very little drag.
 
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#16 ·
I was talking about the clutch in laymen terms, I'm not going to go into detail on how it works, but we are essentially saying the same thing. When at freeway speeds the clutch allows fan to "freewheel". I don't think it will free up any horsepower either.

Edit: I'm not terribly sure about power consumption, I've heard the taurus fan can pull upwards of 30 amps, all the way up to 90 on start, where a standard 400 watt amp will in theory pull 32 amps, but in reality is more like under 20 amps, and is not continuous like a fan. For example the Alpine MRP-F300 is a 400watt amp, but its RMS is only 50watts x 4, which is a total off 200watts, which is only 16 amps.
 
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#17 ·
i mentioned the "overcooling" comment abouve and agree that there is some other issue if you need cardboard to get it to warm up in the winter. I could wire my fan on full blast, pack the outside of the radiator with ice, in a snowstorm in a freezer up to the point of my coolant freezing (-40F for 50/50 mix) and still reach operating temperature. the thermostat just wouldn't open as often because the coolant coming into the engine would be cooler than other times. My cooling fan would not kick on until the upper radiator hose got to 195F and on high at 210F.
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the OE fan does have a thermal sensing capabilities based on a bi-metalic strip coiled in the back of the fan clutch so it does slip when cool and spin more when hot altho it does not ever completely slip and not spin.
When sufficient airflow is present, as is usually the case when your vehicle travels at high speeds, the clutch will disengage the fan to save on power, removing that additional load from your engine so that it may run more efficiently. A thermal fan clutch relies on a thermostatic coil to read the under-hood temperature. When the temperature reaches a set level, the fan will engage to provide additional airflow for the cooling system.
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you need your fan LEAST at highway speeds because there is enough airflow thru the radiator because it is being pushed thru the air at 60mph. slow speed is when the fan is most needed...there is very little airflow when rockcrawling or sitting in stop and go traffic
 
#18 ·
alright, i guess i need to explain more. yes, my jeep over heated, when it was just idiling for periods of time. normially the temp would be above 210*. i bought the fan and a new 195* themostat at the same time, and changed my coolant. now, it stays just a hair below 210*. could be new thermostat, or the fan. my point was it isnt hard to do, and it is cheap.

as for my jeep not warming up in winter, maybe there is a problem! i can turn the fan OFF and have it idle for an hour, and it might get around 210*. if i drive down the road, the temp drops. that why i had to zip-tie a piece of cardboard to the front. so i guess my question is now - IS there something wrong?
 
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#19 ·
Killers99TJ said:
alright, i guess i need to explain more. yes, my jeep over heated, when it was just idiling for periods of time. normially the temp would be above 210*. i bought the fan and a new 195* themostat at the same time, and changed my coolant. now, it stays just a hair below 210*. could be new thermostat, or the fan. my point was it isnt hard to do, and it is cheap.

as for my jeep not warming up in winter, maybe there is a problem! i can turn the fan OFF and have it idle for an hour, and it might get around 210*. if i drive down the road, the temp drops. that why i had to zip-tie a piece of cardboard to the front. so i guess my question is now - IS there something wrong?
Click to expand...
Thermostat could be stuck open. It's not uncommon to have brand new thermostats be defective. Or maybe your Jeep has super cooling powers.
 
L
#24 ·
Although I have the 4.0 in my TJ, I have a few thoughts to share regarding my experiences with the electric conversion. First off, I definitely noticed a power difference. The engine revs much faster without the resistance created by the fan. It also warms up faster which is great in Illinois winters.

I highly recommend going with an e-fan that has a sealed electric motor. Flex-a-lite fans are not sealed and I went through 2 of them before realizing what was happening. Dust, mud, and moisture got into the windings and bearings which increased resistance and caused the fan to draw too much current. It eventually burned fuses or the motor itself went out. I went with a SPAL sealed electric and its been working for 2 years with no issues. I think it was the 16" curved blade puller fan. SPAL also sells a nice thermostat which uses your factory temp sensor and is adjustable.

Hope that helps. I have no regrets doing it now that my electric is reliable. I think the taurus fans are sealed as well, but have never seen them in person so don't quote me.
 
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