Electric Cooling Fans

[Mike]

I'm thinking about adding an electric cooling fan on my 99 TJ. The winch blocking air flow and the deep gears are causing the Jeep to over-heat on long uphill climbs at highway speeds. It is especially bad if running the AC.

Does anyone have electric fans on their rig that can share some advice? I have questions:

Is it better to remove the belt driven fan and go with an electic fan only?

Does a Push or Pull fan work better? Is both at the same time a workable option?

How well do eletric fans hold up under deep water crossings?

Any advice is welcome....

[medicmahem]

Have you checked your cooling system to make sure it is operating properly ?

[aston]

I'm thinking about adding an electric cooling fan on my 99 TJ. The winch blocking air flow and the deep gears are causing the Jeep to over-heat on long uphill climbs at highway speeds. It is especially bad if running the AC.

Does anyone have electric fans on their rig that can share some advice? I have questions:

Is it better to remove the belt driven fan and go with an electic fan only?

Does a Push or Pull fan work better? Is both at the same time a workable option?

How well do eletric fans hold up under deep water crossings?

Any advice is welcome....

I installed an electric fan (pull with shroud) and the engine overheated. In fact the temperature seemed to fluctuate wildly. I played around with it for a couple of months then went back to the mechanical fan and all was well.

So, in my experience it was a waste of money. Anyone like to buy an electric fan, hardly used?

[Mike]

Have you checked your cooling system to make sure it is operating properly ?

I think so, I run 50/50 balance in the radiator and have recently changed the thermostat to a 160 vs 195 (stock) degree opening. I didn't have the problem until I changed the gears and added the winch. Is there something specific that I should check?

[Mitch]

Hey Mike,

I'm curious to how this plays out for you. I just toasted something in my engine today going up to Big Bear from Apple Valley. I've been running hot lately but I could watch and regulate it on long uphills. But I really wanted to get "up the hill" today and pushed it! So this is mostly my fault. I've got a "clatter and chatter" that sounds like it's from the top of the engine. Worst from 800 to 1500 rpm. I now need to know what is my best option is? New motor or rebuild what I've got. 1988 4.2 with 130,000 miles and a carb that concerns me! $ to replace or any idea's?

Thanks for any help.

Mitch - great88 Hesperia

[mpc]

How well do eletric fans hold up under deep water crossings?

Wire it to have a toggle switch in the cab so you can turn it off during the water crossing.

[Mike]

Hey Mike,

I'm curious to how this plays out for you. I just toasted something in my engine today going up to Big Bear from Apple Valley. I've been running hot lately but I could watch and regulate it on long uphills. But I really wanted to get "up the hill" today and pushed it! So this is mostly my fault. I've got a "clatter and chatter" that sounds like it's from the top of the engine. Worst from 800 to 1500 rpm. I now need to know what is my best option is? New motor or rebuild what I've got. 1988 4.2 with 130,000 miles and a carb that concerns me! $ to replace or any idea's?

Thanks for any help.

Mitch - great88 Hesperia

Ouch! Mitch, I am very sorry to hear that! That is what I am afraid of. On a different note, having rolled my Jeep before, I am a big fan of fuel injection over a carb, maybe you can use this tradegy to consider an upgrade. I'll let you know what I do about the cooling issue. I'm still in the info gathering mode.

[Mike]

Wire it to have a toggle switch in the cab so you can turn it off during the water crossing.

I love it. Simple. I assume that the electric fans are water resistant since most places (except California) get rain. That is a great suggestion. Are you running an electric fan on your rig now?

[Roadkill424]

i run a single push fan with no fan on the motor or shroud and my jeep runs too cold. and i also have a winch and to tall of gears. with the fan running my jeep gets up to around 120. i have not gone through water deep enough to get to the fan so i do not know about that.

[brokenujoint]

I ran a Taurus hi/low/off fan in my 97 tj for about 4 yrs. worked fine other than the fact that i caught myself constantly looking at my temp guage to make sure that it was working. its quiet. so quiet that it can get you in trouble if you forget to turn it on after a deep water crossing. i got the fan from pick a part for 30.00. there everywhere. then i got an adj therm from autozone. then i wired it up with several piggybacked relays from a taurus fan google search site.

worked fine until a relay stopped working. luckily the jeep was in the garage and it was idling. i smelled a burning plastic smell, popped the hood and the relay and lead + cable were on fire..... i frantically ripped it off and turned off the motor. that same day i went to the dealer, ordered up a new tj fan shroud, got on ebay and found a fan, got a new clutch fan and put the stock set up back on and never looked back. WAY more reliable and trouble free.
hp gaines? didnt notice any either way...thats a theoretical assumption that doesnt yield much result in the jeeping community. stay stock and simple. besides,your alternator will love you more and when you get your OBA, your york will thank you for the constant cooling.

[Mike]

So by Taurus fan, I assume you mean a cooling fan from a Ford Taurus? I am starting to get a theme on the stock fan being a good thing, but that doesn't help me with my problem of overheating climbing hills at highway speeds. I don't want to repeat what happened to Mitch's Jeep. Is it possible to add a push fan to a stock arrangement but only run it when the heat starts rising?

And Roadkill424: It sounds like you are having good luck with your fan. What brand/model do you use?

[swbooking]

Its the Taurus fan from a 90-95 3.8L also in the Mark VIII with a 3.8L. The fan has two speeds hi and low. Low is about 2300 CFM and hi is like 4500 cfm.
Heres a link to it for an XJ if it helps...
http://www.go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoTaurusFanInstall1.htm
Im planning on doing the swap very soon...

[Roadkill424]

i am not sure what fan i have. it was the biggest fan autozone sold that whould fit. and for hp gains, i could not pull this hill by my house in 4th untill i put on the electric fan. but my fan is very loud, and draws alot of power. it drops my idle for a bit when i first turn it on. but over all i am happy with it.

[pdw]

While an electric will work for you, IMO it is not as good as the "old fashioned" mechanical fans. For driving around town and scootin' down the freeway I would say that the electric fans work just fine. But, the low rpm crawling that is typical of what I like to do seems to put a strain on the charging system.

I am running a high-amp output aftermarket alternator and have a Optima battery that is less than a year old and I still find myself keeping an eye on the gauge on the dash.

But, I like the reliability of the mechanical fan.

[brokenujoint]

To be honest i dont think anyone has hit the nail on the head for you yet.

I suspect something other than just a fan issue. is your coolant mixture properly ratio'd? Do you have a winch blocking some of your air inlet to the grill? what gearing do you have to your axles? what about your stock crappy plastic radiator? could be plugged up a little or a lot. happened to me twice til i got a 3 row radiator and now im happy happy happy. how well healthed is your motor? check plug, plug gap, exhaust for restrictions, clean out your intake and filter and finally, understand that you have a jeep not a crew cab f250 diesel that can climb hills with a 25' boat no problem. jeeps arent crap for towing and they(when lifted and have larger wheels and stuff) are more of a brick and underpowered than most any other vehicle out there. its also hot weather right now. are you trying to go up hill with your AC on? jeep ac's KILL your power!