Saturday, July 02, 2011 - 11:28 am, by: Gary Swift(Garyswift87)
Just wondering if anyone has swapped the standard mechanical engine fan for an electric fan? is it worth doing? does it help reduce stress on the engine? or is it a waste of time?
Ben Lipman Goo Roo SA Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car
Saturday, July 02, 2011 - 01:27 pm, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
Gary,
the swap is largely unpopular. The factory setup does a good job of keeping the engine cool.
I have often wondered if a single large thermofan (same size as factory) was placed inside the factory radiator shroud, how that would go?
There are a couple of guys who have gone to thermo fans because their factory fan broke, or they needed the space for an intercooler etc. I don't know if anyone is running the factory radiator with thermofans.
I ran them on the Rx-7 with no dramas. I know people talk up the AU(?) thermofans and shroud setup when swapping out factory crank/hydro driven fans in other applications.
For what it is worth, I spoke to my friendly NATRAD guy when I started to build the race car. He was of the opinion that the factory setup as a system was pretty stout, and more than capable of supporting the car at the track. Since fitting a replacement front radiator duct (the plastic one would not go around my FMIC) I have had no problems with coolant temps at the track. The replacement ducting followed the same lines as the factory ducting, but incorporated the FMIC.
Sunday, July 03, 2011 - 01:07 pm, by: Aiden Cheese(Chillpen)
Ran a giant 17" i think one when we converted the 260z to run the 1jz engine. But to be honest, most people agree that there seems to be no appreciable gain.
I wouldn't do it as a project for the sake of swapping it but if your fan died somehow or the shroud did, I'd use that as an excuse for a cheap alternative..
But yeah no reasonable reason to do it. If you're having cooling issues then the fan isn't to blame. If you want more power, look elsewhere first.
Tuesday, July 05, 2011 - 07:46 am, by: Matthew Sharpe(Madmatt)
I'm running one on my JZZ31 - only because the harmonic balance broke and took half the fan blades out - I needed the car back on the road in a hurry and couldn't source another fan locally, so put a thermostat and 16" fan on. That was about 18 months ago. Works just fine, hardly ever comes on this time of year (but I live in NZ at it only gets to the mid teens at most during the day this time of year) and its handled stop start rush hour traffic for hours at a time in summer temperatures of up to 30.
It is a myth that it reduces stress on the engine - anything you gain in reduced friction and inertial requirements is sucked straight back up (and probably then some) by the alternator needing to produce more current when the fan is on. The factory viscous coupling works really well if its in good order.
The only real benefit I've seen is that its much easier to work on the front of the car now, with the bulky old fan and coupling no longer hanging off the front of the engine.
I've kept my coupling, studs and pulley just in case I ever decide to convert back to factory.
Previous
