new fan clutch and fan or electric fan mod??

[aha2988]

my cooling fan on my 03 V8 4runner exploded yesterday after a badly placed
radiator hose clamp on the lower hose. thinking of converting over to an electric fan set up looking for everyone's input what's better what's gonna last longer who's done this?? looking forward to y'alls responses thanks y'all!!

 

[Sungod]

Electric fans will never push the same amount of air as the mechanical one. I would just replace what you have. You would spend a lot of time and money with virtually no benefit.

 

[Burt]

I would stick with the stock fan clutch. Shouldn't be much to replace that.

 

[aha2988]

it's about the same price eather way...

 

[08T4R]

I had an electric fan on a ranger a few years ago. It was a high end model, ran on a thermostat and also connected to the a/c compressor. As stated above, it never moved as much as a clutch fan, and I constantly had to keep an eye on the temps to make sure it worked. It quit working this year after I gave the truck to my father. Put the clutch fan back in and no more worries. For me and my $.02, its slight benefits aren't worth the risk. The only e fans ill trust now come on the vehicle from the factory.

 

[08T4R]

Now, if you off-road often in mud or water, an e fan on a switch would help keep the engine bay cleaner

 

[BCfish]

Sounds like you weren't paying attention to the CFM when you bought the efans I have used them in many vehicles and they work great especially when idling and in stop and go traffic..

 

[aha2988]

so the plastic fan blade is a dealer item only priced at 126.00
clutch is like 60 at parts store
Efan at 1400cfm costs 73.00 controller 20 bucks so I'm trying out the
Efan its 16" in diameter made by Hayden from orielys I'll post up
how it works out just couldnt break down an pay 126 for a piece of plastic

 

[IOPturbo]

Please take pics, I have been thinking about doing this myself for the benefit in traffic. I'm tired of a/c sucking during summer traffic jams.

 

[BCfish]

Yeah that the biggest draw back to an engine driven fan otherwise they are great but when you are sitting in traffic or idling down a trail the efan is hands down better IMHO. I replaced the old engine fan on my 92 with and efan and what a difference that made for the A/C when on the trail or in stop and go traffic. Keep us posted on how this goes I gotta get off my ass and do this to my 03 this year.

 

[aha2988]

Sounds like you weren't paying attention to the CFM when you bought the efans I have used them in many vehicles and they work great especially when idling and in stop and go traffic..

what kind of cfm rating would u go with if u did this mod does 1400 sound efficient

 

[08T4R]

Sounds like you weren't paying attention to the CFM when you bought the efans I have used them in many vehicles and they work great especially when idling and in stop and go traffic..

Quite the opposite. It was a flex a lite black magic. All of them move right around 3,000 cfm. Give or take a few hundred. I just never trusted the thermostat switch, and in the end I was right. It failed first, then the motor itself. Don't get me wrong, they definitely have their advantages, but not for me personally.

 

[Sungod]

e-fans are probably great for Canada, but down south where it gets hot probably not so much. I had a double fan on my truck and had to upgrade the alternator to provide enough power. Even with that it would still over heat because of the reduced air flow compared to the mechanical fan. I think the cfm ratings on the efans are a little over rated.

 

[BCfish]

I think it's really a matter of personal preference of which you use a friend of mine uses both the engine fan and an efan he uses the efan while moving slow to help keep air moving.

Sungod :I take you must not spend much time in traffic with the A/C on.

As for the CFM for a 4th Gen I haven't found much for measurement on the interweb but I think 1400 CFM might be enough but I myself would want a little more. I have been looking at a push and pull setup for my 4R since I do tow and spend a fair amount of time in stop in go in the summer. I have an alternator upgrade planned for the near future due to adding extra lighting and accesories..

 

[BCfish]

Did you use shrouds around the fan to channel the air through the rad? They can have a dramatic effect on the amount of air you pull in.

 

[08T4R]

Did you use shrouds around the fan to channel the air through the rad? They can have a dramatic effect on the amount of air you pull in.

Its built in to the flex-a-lites... If it had a oem style temp sensor I would most likely be more than ok with it. Most I've seen have a probe that goes between the fins of the radiator to pick up the temp. I ended up putting mine on a switch after the fan thermostat started giving me issues. If I were to do it again I would use the same fan as a pusher and use the clutch fan as well. Sitting in traffic here can get pretty warm, plus any other slow moving or towing during the summer.

edit-just realized you were talking to Sungod..

 

[aha2988]

So I picked up the 1400 cfm hayden electric fan with relay controller. payed 107.39 for the combo (saved $100.00 from replacing stock fan) intsall was fairly simple; however, wiring everything just took time. I spent about 5 hours on the hole job but that includes looking for electrical connectors and what not diggin around the shop for random supplies so heres what it all boiled down to...


supplies:
10mm socket wrench
12mm wrench
14mm wrench
12mm socket w/ 3" extenion (recomend 1/4" drive & 3/8" drive)
Electric fan your prefrence (needs to fit between orginal clutch fan pully & radiator and not cause removal of original fan shroud)
fan controller with thermostate switch
12- 8mm bolt washers (three stacked together should be close to 1/4" thk)
25ft 14 gauge wire (12' red 12' black)
6ft 16 or 18 gauge wire (single colors fine)
14-16 gauge wire connectors (see pics)
16-18 gauge wire connectors (see pics)
3 - terminal post wire connectors (see pics)
Wire crimper
wire striper
wire cutter
electrical tape
(wire connectors for piggy backing into fuse blocks)see pics

1.) remove 4 12mm nuts that hold original fan clutch (try not to damage stud threads)
2.) unbolt the three 10mm bolts that hold the overflow reservoir from the fan shroud remove over flow hose and cap set aside you dont have to dump out the radiator fluid from the reservoir unless you feel like it. I just stood mine up next to the workbench.
3.) unbolt radiator fan shroud as well unclip radiator hoses from the bottom of the shroud passenger side of vehicle
4.) pull and prod at the clutch fan (dont damage threads) until it pulls free from the pully remove the fan shroud and the clutch fan assembly at the same time (works best that way)
5.) At this point youll see the nuts that hold the clutch fan on also hold the drive pully to the water pump drive. Using a 14mm wrench turn the head of the bolt on the tensioner pully to the left loosing the drive belt and remove the drive belt
6.) place three 8mm washers on each stud between the old clutch fan pully and the old clutch fan 12mm (hex head) nuts (see pics) when tightening the nuts back in place turn the first stud to the top position alow washers to hang towars middle of pully evenly and tighten, follow the first stud by tightening the stud on the opposite side of the pully; however turn the pully so that the washers hand down toward the center of the pully (this places all the washers the same distance from the center of the pully in attempts to balance the pully while the engine is running.)
7.) replace drive belt
8.) unbolt the radiator (dont drain just allow it to slide forward towards the engine for ease of fan install)
9.) depending on what type of fan you purchase or yank out of another vehicle will determine how it mounts and what controller is needed the fan i purchased used tie downs similar to zip ties. In four corners of the fan a plastic rod is slid through passing through the radiator securing to a plastic clamp (thingy) I just placed the fan as closed to center of the pully as the old fan and tied it up. you'll need access to both sides of the radiator to secure the ties.
10.) The controller i purchased runs off a thermostate as well as the A/C compressor clutch power wire. When the thermostate reaches 185degrees the fan cuts on and or when its hot enough for me to run the air condition as long as the A/C runs the fan runs. The thermostate for my controller mounted similar to the fan the thermostate protrudes through the radiator fins and has a clamp on the other side. I intsalled this at the top right side of the radiator closes to the inlet hose of the radiator (the part of the radiator that heats up first.)
11.) bolt the radiator back on. This was one of the pain in the ass parts A.) the lower bolts of the radiator are somewhat barried you'll need a 12mm socket wrench and a 12mm wrench as well as a 3 to 6 inch socket wrench extension. B.) this is when the fan shroud goes back on. as you remember the fan shroud came out with the old fan and now the new fan is already installed in your way youll have to slightly bend and manipulate the shroud to get it back in place i was able to do this with my fans dimensions i would keep this in mind when looking at dimensions of other fans and modify the shroud and mount the fan to the fan shroud. this would be owner preference.
12.) follow the wiring instructions givin by the fan an fan controller. The instructions will explain where you can even wire in a toggle switch for a manual override if desired i didnt do this today but i plan to befor getting in water or mud again. just couldnt find a switch
13.) run the wires coming from the fan and the thermostate to the driver side of the truck (see pics) i ran my wires under the battery over towards the fuse box for simplicity of grabing power here an there.
14.) to pull off the power wire of the A/C clutch but the MG / CLT relay and tie the conrisponding wire of the controller to the leg closest to the outside drivers side of the truck. The constant ACC switched power i grabed was the First 10amp fuse on the other side of the box from the relay i used (see pics)
15.) Try to keep your wiring need and if you plan on extreme conditions with your truck i would seal up wire connections as best as posible i wouldve used heat shrink wraps on every connection but i didnt have any lol i just settled for electrical tape
16.) once everything is installed start the truck turn the A/C off make sure your old fan clutch drive pully isnt dancing or showing signs of play turn A/C on and insure the fan comes on.
17.) allow the truck to sit an idle preferably in the sun heat try to get it as close to worst conditions as you can for a true test. mainly get the truck as warm as you can with the aircondition off and ensure the thermostate switch kicks on the fan when prompted. a meat thermometer in the front of the radiator can give you a good idea plus its a good time to see what your thermostate in your dash compares to actual tempeture of the radiator.
18.) Enjoy your better gas mileage getting, smoother idling, cooler running 4runner

 

[aha2988]

more pics

 

[aha2988]

a few more pics

 

[450exc115]

I've run both a clutch fan and efan in many vehicles over the years. I prefer the efan as for 90% of what I do it works the best. While the flow is less than a mechanical fan the amount of power it draws is a lot less and it's not a constant draw like the mechancial fan. I'd be interested if you MPG is slightly better.

In the past I've just cobbed OEM fans to the radiators and run a stant coolant sensor kit.