Electric fan users question

[Jafar]

So i was having heating problems once i put bigger tires on so decided to finally get ride of the old clutch fan and go to electric
Got two out of an early 90's taurus... hooked up one ..works good but still overheating a bit..
Questions is should one do the trick and i look elsewhere for  my problem? Or should i be really running both?..also, can smell prestone pretty bad once vehilces warmed up, isn't that a sign of a heatercore problem, but that wouldn't make the engine overheat??
-97 jeep tj 4.0l
-rad was flush last summer
-no leaking around the rad or cap
-no leakin around the water pump
-thermostat's good, tested recently, and works
-rad itself is in so so shape....

any ideas
Thanks
TC

[4PLAYZJ]

Optimal mixture for maximum heat transfer is a 70/30 mix(Water/Coolant).  Down in the southern states, Arizona ect., this is a standard mix in most cars.  We dont use it here due the fact that it may start to freeze in low temps, and anything after a 70% mix of water doesnt make sense, because the waters cooling efficiency plateau's.  Also dont run strait water due to the fact that the coolant acts as lubrication/rust inhibitor.

Tinkerer is dead on about your rad cap.  Start with the cap + coolant.

[Jafar]

A couple of questions...
Did you do a cooling system pressure test?   NO
When whomever checked the cap, was it an actual pressure test? NO, just ck'd for leaks


The main things are:

• Amount of antifreeze/antiboil (Ratio... higher is not necessarily better - carries less heat out! 60/40 AF/Water is pretty much optimal for our environment)

   SHOULD BE GOOD

• Thermostat actually opening all the way

YES, threw it in a pot of boiling water on the stove and it opened up

• Adequate flow through rad (not blocked)

  PERHAPS

• Adequate flow from water pump

  I let it warm up without the cap on and seem to be flowing

• Hoses not collapsing, or having a flap loose inside

NO COLLAPS, maybe a flap loose inside

• No blockages or air pockets in the block etc.

DON"T KNOW

• Fan actually operating (fan clutch or electric fan thermostat etc.)  IE: Airflow...  this shouldn't be a problem at speed if there is nothing blocking the rad.

  YES

• This last point brings up that Jeeps are *famous* for getting the rad blocked when having done some water/mud, hence people carrying a supersoaker and extra water lately. I almost forgot this one, despite it biting me a couple of times and getting one guy this weekend on our outing!

hahaha ya i have a water gun, and a garden hose

thanks guys, all awesome info, ya it is a pain in the butt..hhaah..gonna ck the cap for the right pressure etc...
definelty somethin fishy goin on, it shouldn't be overheating cruisin down crowchild fan or no fan....

Thanks
TC[/list]

[cLAY]

I've got a Taurus fan on my ZJ with the 5.2L. Running on the highway on flat stretches I pretty much don't need the electric fan at all.  Just the wind speed alone is enough to keep it cool. When on the trail climbing steep switch backs in 4 low moving slow it starts to heat up more than I would like, especially if AC is going. However if I stop the elec fan brings the temps right down pretty quick. Thats the nice thing about it, its not RPM dependent.

If you are having cooling issues with the Taurus fan I think you may have other problems. I addition to the above check that the fan is running on its highest setting(its has two speeds), check that it has decent coverage over your rad(may need a modified shroud), also check that the rad isn't plugged with mud.

[Bnine]

Start simple. Clean your rad, and check the fill level.

If you can smell fluid, then you are losing fluid. Low fluid, introducing air into the system, or a combo of both will cause overheating issues.

I'd say you more then likely have both.

4.0's trap air easily because of their length. To really get a good bleed of the cooling system raise the front, and run it until the thermostat opens. Watch your overflow bottle for bubbles, and make sure there is some coolent in there when you are doing.

You can bleed with the cap off, but watch out, when the stat opens, it will gurgle a hot mess and drain down the front. If you get some air and gurgling like that, repeat the same step cap on, with fluid in the overflow bottle.

A 4.0 with a good condition cooling system should never need a taurus on high speed unless it being worked hard on a trail at very low speeds on a very hot day, or the rad is clogged up.

[Stainless]

I don't run a Jeep (don't kill me), but I just installed a Taurus fan in my wheeling rig for the same reasons as you. I also saw a continued heating problem after the fan install. I refilled and bled the system more times than I can be bothered to count... there wasn't a molecule of air in there. With no other options left, I swapped the rad with a $30 junkyard special and the problems vanished.

What did I learn? Even when the rad doesn't look "that bad," it can still be a complete POS internally. I went from running at 3/4 of my heat gauge to a solid 1/2 even at +30 temperatures in 4-lo while climbing hills. The appearance of the rad, I learned, means almost nothing. I run so cool now that the fan isn't even running for half the time on the trails, and this is with a moderate-sized Nissan V6.

If you can find a cheap rad, try it. You may find that it's a lot easier fix than hammering away at other solutions. If not... hey, you've got a spare rad for when you eventually jam a branch through your current one.

S

[calltrex]

you can take your rad out and have it boiled out or whatever they do to clean the insides out....