Electric fan conversion

[yukonrider]

I am researching an electric fan conversion into my 3rd gen, I am aware of the taurus fan one, but I am looking for a fan that will fit directly into the hole that the stock fan sits in.

Anyone do this? I feel with using the whole opening, it will cool more efficiently, and be a bit easier to install?

Does anyone know how big that opening is, or a fan that will fit in there?

 

[jmt2404]

fan

hey just found out today that you can get a kit from flex a lite.com that fits our runners. Going to buy one in the near future and install it. its kinda pricey but iiits a dual electric fan with a themostat and everything. ill post a thread about it when i instal it.

the product number is like 675 if you want to look it up. just google flex a lite fans and then do a vehicle search.

 

[Qyota]

Ooh, yeah, this one does look nice!

Flex-a-lite 675 Flex-a-lite Toyota Tacoma Fans

 

[maxspeed96ct]

Good thread, would switching to a electric fan free up some hp on my 2.7 ?

I know it might not be a huge difference , but any small gain hp would be nice.

Also what would make the fan stop when you reach highway speeds? Is there somekind of relay or sensor ?

 

[Stick Figure]

There's my set up. I used a factory Honda fan switch to trigger them.
Fan shroud can of course be built for others for a nominal fee as well.

 

[Crywolf]

^ Nice!

 

[maxspeed96ct]

There's my set up. I used a factory Honda fan switch to trigger them.
Fan shroud can of course be built for others for a nominal fee as well.

looks good, can you give me some more details on the honda fan switch.

Does it make the fans turn off at a certain speed? control the turn on, a/c turn on and etc ?

 

[Stick Figure]

The fan switch is triggered by temperature, its a simple open closed switch, that I used to activate a pair of relays. SC switch should also be run to trigger the relay, just make sure you either use separate relays or diode isolate the signals from each other. I actually have to hook my sc up again,as the original set up I used with the Toyota switch didn't work, and when I switched to the Honda part I needed to re-wire and never did. I'll see if i can get a better pic of the current switch and wiring when I clean up the truck this weekend.

 

[Gerdo]

Also what would make the fan stop when you reach highway speeds? Is there somekind of relay or sensor ?

No. The fan will run at all speeds if needed. Usually the air blowing thru the radiator should keep the temp down so the fan does not run.

Most e-fans have a temperature sensor (usually in the upper radiator hose), and an air-conditioner relay (makes the fan run when the AC kicks on). Some people run a switch inside the vehicle so they can turn the fan off if/when crossing water so they don't break the blades.

Some people power the fan direct off the battery so it'll run after the vehicle is off, till the temp goes down. This is nice because the radiator coolant will be cool when you restart the vehicle. Usually the fan will only run a minute or so.

Some use a switched power.

You may feel a slight power increase and may see a slight, very slight, mpg gain.

 

[jmt2404]

link

Hey here is the kit you can get to set up your fan for a thermostat control. With this you can set up a kill switch so when you Ford some deep wateFlex-a-lite 31165 Variable Speed Control Moduler you can turn it off. Check it out. Eventually I am going to set this up with the 675 fan set up.

 

[Nelsonmd]

Hey here is the kit you can get to set up your fan for a thermostat control. With this you can set up a kill switch so when you Ford some deep wateFlex-a-lite 31165 Variable Speed Control Moduler you can turn it off. Check it out. Eventually I am going to set this up with the 675 fan set up.

So you're going to spend about $500 for an electric fan setup? Is it just me, or does that seem high?

 

[twitchee2]

I have a lincoln Mark VII fan and a darale fan controller. i need to fix my wiring ( might do that that tomorrow) it works great. pulls WAYYY more air then needed i think i did the whole thing for ~$120. It is a very tight fit with that fan and it was a pain in the butt to get setup.

Edit: ive heard bad things about the flex-a-lite fans

 

[jmt2404]

yep

Yeah thats about what its gonna cost.unless I can find a cheaper kit maybe on ebay or something. I dont want to build something that important and it go bad on the trail or a long trip or something ya know? I dont trust my mechanical skills that much yet. lol. And you can buy the 675 fans for 300 bucks and they bolt straight on no fabrication needed.. So I think that is the route I am going with. the 675 fans come with a wiring kit but its different than the 31165 kit in a couple ways. here is a review of the fan kit off the amazon website from a buyer explaining the difference.


4.0 out of 5 stars Works well, August 10, 2010
By
BF (OR) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Flex-a-lite 675 '95-'01 Toyota Tacoma Dual Electric Fan (Misc.)
"First off, a disclaimer: This 'kit' is almost identical to the universal 410 fan, with the addition of 4 pairs of drilled 1/8x1.5" aluminum stock to make it 'bolt-on'. If I had paid more for this vehicle-specific kit, I'd be pretty disappointed to only get $1 worth of aluminum. However, this tends to be cheaper than the universal fan, so no worries.

The fan itself works pretty well, and installation is fairly easy- remove the fan & clutch from the water pump, reinstall the nuts on the pulley, remove the fan shroud, and bolt the assembled fan & aluminum adapters to the radiator. I can't say it's a huge improvement in mileage, power or cooling, but my truck does seem to have more (desperately needed) low-end grunt than it had with the mechanical fan.

The disappointment in this kit is the fan controller it includes. It's very basic and somewhat limited in features. Also, it uses a thermal probe, rather than a thermoelectric one- meaning you have to string the metal 'wire' across the engine bay, rather than a small pair of signal wires. I replaced it with the 31165 variable-speed control module, which includes a thermoelectric probe, and provisions for manual-on, manual-off, and A/C triggers, as well as fan speeds other than 'on' and 'off'. "

the last paragraph explains the difference. Sounds like this guy knows what he is talking about. So I am going to trust his judgement.

 

[02SE]

hey just found out today that you can get a kit from flex a lite.com that fits our runners. Going to buy one in the near future and install it. its kinda pricey but iiits a dual electric fan with a themostat and everything. ill post a thread about it when i instal it.

the product number is like 675 if you want to look it up. just google flex a lite fans and then do a vehicle search.

FWIW, here's one member's experience with that Flex-a-lite model: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/72726-stay-away-flexalite-675-3rd-gens.html

 

[maxspeed96ct]

FWIW, here's one member's experience with that Flex-a-lite model: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/72726-stay-away-flexalite-675-3rd-gens.html

Wow, Ive heard more bad about the flex-a-lite then good.

I see a few universal kits fairly priced on summit . I think they would be something to look into , but would require more work to make them fit.

also found this on ebay for $300 : http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TOYO...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

No. The fan will run at all speeds if needed. Usually the air blowing thru the radiator should keep the temp down so the fan does not run.

Most e-fans have a temperature sensor (usually in the upper radiator hose), and an air-conditioner relay (makes the fan run when the AC kicks on). Some people run a switch inside the vehicle so they can turn the fan off if/when crossing water so they don't break the blades.

Some people power the fan direct off the battery so it'll run after the vehicle is off, till the temp goes down. This is nice because the radiator coolant will be cool when you restart the vehicle. Usually the fan will only run a minute or so.

Some use a switched power.

You may feel a slight power increase and may see a slight, very slight, mpg gain.

That make sence, for some reason I thought the fans kick off at higher speeds so the blades arent pushing against the wind. But I guess going off on temp should work to.


Messing with electric fans brings back bad memories of my 97 LT1 camaro, it had such a crappy cooling system . I always had issues with the fans not coming on and etc. Finally I just ran a switch inside but it was still a pain.

 

[Gerdo]

That make sence, for some reason I thought the fans kick off at higher speeds so the blades arent pushing against the wind. But I guess going off on temp should work to.
.

If the air flowing thru the rad at highway speeds isn't keeping the temp low enough to turn off the fan, then there are other cooling issues.

 

[KAILUAZ]

I have a lincoln Mark VII fan and a darale fan controller. i need to fix my wiring ( might do that that tomorrow) it works great. pulls WAYYY more air then needed i think i did the whole thing for ~$120. It is a very tight fit with that fan and it was a pain in the butt to get setup.

Edit: ive heard bad things about the flex-a-lite fans

Do you have link for more info on this? I have one sitting in my garage that was going to go on my old Mustang project.
Thanks,
Eric

 

[Gerdo]

The 675 moves 2500cfm so it looks like the flow you need.
Summit has tons of fans. Fans, Electric - SummitRacing.com Find something around 2500cfm and buy a controller. There may be one that would fit the stock shroud.

 

[twitchee2]

So i have a lincoln Mark VII fan. one like this
Lincoln Mark 8 VIII Cooling Fan 2 speed - Ford Mustang - eBay (item 330514740175 end time Jan-09-11 16:31:04 PST)
i have it controlled by this derale controller
Derale 16749 Derale Electric Fan Accessories
I had to custom build a water line adapter

i had to build a custom mount for the fan on the radiator as well ( i dont have a pic of it tho)

I have it wired up to have auto on, can choose hi/lo. manual on hi/lo and full off. it works great, but it is wayy over kill

Hope this help

 

[Stick Figure]

Messing with electric fans brings back bad memories of my 97 LT1 camaro, it had such a crappy cooling system . I always had issues with the fans not coming on and etc. Finally I just ran a switch inside but it was still a pain.

my old trans am had similar issues .... if you could keep the engine cool, the electrical system couldn't keep up with the fans!

The 4runner is a little different. It really doesn't need massive amounts of cooling ability, in fact my electric fans don't actually even run all that often or for that long when they do. I used perma cool fans because i had a pair laying around. If i would have had to order new a pair of Spal fans is the only option i would have considered.