Calgary Jeep Association
4x4 Related Groups => Tech Talk => Topic started by: Rubi03 jef on November 25, 2009, 12:55:03 PM
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hey guys ..
my useless clutch fan is dead and i dont want it to come apart and wreck stuff
so now its time to look into elextric fan so where would i start to look for these and how much air flow should i look for and where would the best place to pick on up
thanks
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Flex-a-lite has some great kits that bolt right in.
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i got one at pick n pull for like $10 and wired it in. just make sure you have some flatbar across to support it and space it out from the rad a little bit.
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Not sure what the rad supports are like on a TJ, but if they are similar to an XJ lots of XJ's came stock with elec fans and it might bolt right in. I usually see one or two at the junk yard.
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I went with the flex-a-lite fan and it has performed pretty well... having an issue at the moment, but hey, this is a Jeep after all. It comes with fan, thermostatic controller, mounting brackets, shroud and rubber gaskets so that it can seal to the rad and actually pull the air through the rad, rather than in from the sides of the blades - a very important consideration.
Now it's not cheap like the $10 fans, used Taurus fans etc., so if you have the tools, inclination, time etc. to make one of those work, it can save you some bucks, depends what your time is worth :)
where can i pick one of these flex a lite .. and what will i bee looking at for price tag ..
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thanks ill check them out
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Not sure what the rad supports are like on a TJ, but if they are similar to an XJ lots of XJ's came stock with elec fans and it might bolt right in. I usually see one or two at the junk yard.
Totally different. YJ and TJ rads are almost square
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the lil' guy from an XJ won't cool your heep Jeff.
go grab a big azz 's' blade fan out of a taurus or minivan with the V6. these are big mofo's and usually do the trick. ihave one in my garage waiting to go in the YJ
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I use a Taurus fan in my V8 ZJ and it works well but I had to upgrade the alternator and battery to support it.
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Can I have your dead clutch fan Jeff? I need the threaded snout in order to make a puller.
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Mopac on 16th ave has em, the Wrangler Extreme kit.
One thing to note, is there is an additional part# that you need for your expansion bottle bracket. Unless you want to hack up the old shroud to salvage the bottle bracket.
I highly recommend this, on mine, I noticed HUGE power gains, and an extra 100km to a tank of gas!
I put the temp probe in the upper portion of the rad, and set the thermostatic controller to the lowest setting. I ignored the a/c compressor tie in, and ran an ignition sense wire from the cab fuse box, into which I put an switch so I can turn the fan off for deep water.
You'll like it, I promise. I recall it was in the $300 - $350 range from Mopac.
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Mopac on 16th ave has em, the Wrangler Extreme kit.
One thing to note, is there is an additional part# that you need for your expansion bottle bracket. Unless you want to hack up the old shroud to salvage the bottle bracket.
I highly recommend this, on mine, I noticed HUGE power gains, and an extra 100km to a tank of gas!
I put the temp probe in the upper portion of the rad, and set the thermostatic controller to the lowest setting. I ignored the a/c compressor tie in, and ran an ignition sense wire from the cab fuse box, into which I put an switch so I can turn the fan off for deep water.
You'll like it, I promise. I recall it was in the $300 - $350 range from Mopac.
awesome ill look into it this week
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shity .. im looking to install that by summer so i hope i have none of the issues you have had
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3 words... ford taurus fan.
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I chopped my factory shroud and reused it for the overflow bottel with the Taurus fan.
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My fan-clutch died over the weekend. $500.00 from Chrysler :o $100.00 form partsource ::)
I'll be looking into an electric in the not too-distant future myself.
bnine, if you're still looking for an old fan-clutch, you can have mine....it is not locked, it is free-wheeling. Let me know, I'll bring it to the next meeting. (it's off a '06 Rubi 4.0 L)
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I could have *sworn* I called the various auto outlets and they all said it was factory or not available. That's a *lot* cheaper than aftermarket electric fan, though by the time I did wiring, switches, controls etc., it may have added up anyways.
Free wheeling typically indicates either the viscous fluid (used to be silicone) has leaked out or the bimetal spring is stuck/frozen/broken into the cold position.
I wonder if it's a different part for the '06. I checked the Wrangler Extreme on flex-a-lite's web site http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/html/jeep-wrangler.html (http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/html/jeep-wrangler.html) and it lists it for 1987-2005 models...but not 2006.
The spring on the old clutch looks OK - not broken or frozen. My guess is that the fluid leaked out over time - it is really free-wheeling. I thought I noticed a drop in pep with the new clutch but thought it was my imagination. After rereading this thread...Elsifer said he noticed a power gain with an electric, so perhaps it wasn't my imagination after all.
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I looked further, and the install instruction .pdf file (http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/485-99485.pdf) for the Flex-a-Lite Wrangler Xtreme electric fan kit (http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/html/jeep-wrangler.html) lists the years 1987-2006...perhaps the web page hasn't been updated since 2005...but it looks like the kit should be OK for me :)
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Wow, parts for my fan repair are here already. Under a week and they sent new motor, new fan blade and the two washers and retaining clip.
The factory one seems to be working ok for now, but I'll definitely be switching it back.
I believe the kit is part number 485...perhaps this recall (http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/html/recall.html) had something to do with their prompt action. Personally, I find comfort in dealing with companies that recall defective (or potentially defective) products. For me, it goes a long way in building their credability.
It looks like Flex-a-lite has a really good customer service focus ;D
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i went to performance parts center today and bought the 16 " syclone flex a lite fan and controller cost me 200 bucks had it installed in an hour and it works GREAT !!!!! ;D
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i went to performance parts center today and bought the 16 " syclone flex a lite fan and controller cost me 200 bucks had it installed in an hour and it works GREAT !!!!! ;D
Sweeeeet :) Good on ya. Was it on sale or is that their regualr price?
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he didnt sale on sale ..... so i think thats their regular price ;D