4th Gen Elctirc fan for power/mpg?

[Duc Hunter]

Ok, this is an old hot rod trick, sort of. I remember when people use to replace their mechanical and/or clutch cooling fans with electric ones on hot rods and RV's. They did this to reduce noise (mechanical fans are noisy as they always turn), improve power (as electrical fans take power to turn over, esp. when their clutch heats up and kicks in), and to increase gas mileage (mechanical fans are turning all the time and their clutches can get hot enough to engaged on the freeway in the summer even though they are not needed). When I built and FJ40 Cruiser with a Chevy motor I saw a difference in gas mileage and power when I converted it to an electrical fan. So I was thinking, wouldn't we see the same kind of gains with this mod? Has anyone tried it? Anyone want to and report back? :awais:

 

[Spider5]

I would do it in a second if there was a kit made for this mod specifically for the 4Runner. A couple of weeks ago I search for one with no success. Anybody have better results.

 

[Iowa4Runner]

Ok, this is an old hot rod trick, sort of. I remember when people use to replace their mechanical and/or clutch cooling fans with electric ones on hot rods and RV's. They did this to reduce noise (mechanical fans are noisy as they always turn), improve power (as electrical fans take power to turn over, esp. when their clutch heats up and kicks in), and to increase gas mileage (mechanical fans are turning all the time and their clutches can get hot enough to engaged on the freeway in the summer even though they are not needed). When I built and FJ40 Cruiser with a Chevy motor I saw a difference in gas mileage and power when I converted it to an electrical fan. So I was thinking, wouldn't we see the same kind of gains with this mod? Has anyone tried it? Anyone want to and report back? :awais:

Aren't the fans on 4th gen 4Runners more advanced than the traditional clutch fans? I was under the impression Toyota addressed the HP / MPG problems of the old days...

 

[Spider5]

Re: Re: 4th Gen Elctirc fan for power/mpg?

Aren't the fans on 4th gen 4Runners more advanced than the traditional clutch fans? I was under the impression Toyota addressed the HP / MPG problems of the old days...

Nope, I actually feel it is worseon HP. Stop and go traffic in temp. over 95F A/C/ going on the V8 will answer the questions. I don't know about the V6 or MPG.

 

[Iowa4Runner]

Re: Re: Re: 4th Gen Elctirc fan for power/mpg?

Nope, I actually feel it is worseon HP. Stop and go traffic in temp. over 95F A/C/ going on the V8 will answer the questions. I don't know about the V6 or MPG.

So it's just a "dumb" clutch fan? Wow, that's disappointing.

 

[Koz]

If it is not broke, don't fix it. I'm sure Toyota knows what works best in their vehicles. You will not see any increase in gas mileage with an electric fan. Less expensive Toyota vehicles have electric fans so I am sure it's not just saving money. There is a reason why Toyota designed the 4Runner with a clutch fan. I personally like the low roar of the fan when pulling away at low speeds.

Koz

 

[Kmvreter]

I asked about this before in another thread. I am still toying with the idea of adding an auxilliary electric fan and keeping the original fan (just in case the electric fails.) I would do this as a long term (1 year) experiment since I track my mileage.