barry@redyota

i have a 94 4 runner is ditching the clutch fan for an electric fan worth the work?

tj884Rdlx

do you have a need to disable your fan on demand? some people put these in specifically to disable the fan when they drive in deep mud or water.

some people put them in because they think there's significant fuel mileage improvement by reducing the fan's load on the engine.

some people want to more closely control their operating temperature. using an electric fan means using thermoswitches and relays, where you can control its activation temperature, or allow the fan to continue running based on coolant temperature, even if the engine is off.

otherwise, there's no need to tamper with a system that's not broken.

Sensei

If there's not a cooling issue associated with the fan clutch then why change ? Pro's and con's to switching to an electric fan. Some like them, some don't. It's a preference.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

It is one of those keep up with the neighbors thing.

Granted there are reasons like for clearance issues in engine swaps.

If the stock fan set up works I keep it I have switched from electric back to the engine driven fan clutch set up on a few Toyota 4x4 vehicles.

Sensei

Yea, what are the Jones's doin down the street.
I've tried to follow the "if it aint broke, don't fix it" motto. Saves money !!!

barry@redyota

read all this stuff about electric fan increasing HP and gas mileage, i could use both

xxxtreme22r

Switching to electric fan is not worth it if your only looking for power and MPG's.
These engines are never gonna be dragsters nor are they gonna get 30mpg's.

Now for me, I think I am gonna benefit more from the electric fan.
During mud bog season, when I hammer on the engine for a minute at 5,000 RPM
I can spike my temp gauge right to redline.
This is because of the lack of airflow over the radiator since it's not moving forward at a fast pace.

Levinz11

Just my .02. My truck feels noticeably quicker when that damn thing aint running. It's loud as hell, too. I'm thinking about a swap for sure.

xxxtreme22r

A good electric fan is gonna be loud if not louder then the stock fan.

Sensei

Electric fans and clutch fans both cause loads on an engine.
Clutch fan causes a mechanical load when engaged. Requires more force to turn the pulley when engaged.
Electric fan causes an electrical/mechanical load. Alternator is put under load from the electrical demand which causes a mechanical load at the pulley.

I beleive each has it's own application dependant upon the vehicle usage. Xxxtreme22r gives a good example.

Levinz11

Perhaps. My buddy's YJ is much quieter with a Taurus fan than the stock one.

I've never seen a runner with an E fan.

jason191918

is the clutch seized?

angrybob

I installed the flex-a-lite 674 Toyota specific fan on my rig and am very happy with it. I did it for peace of mind since overheating a 22RE usually warps the head, etc. and that I plan on wheeling next summer in the Arizona heat now that my A/C system is blows ice cold air

There are pros and cons to the mod though.

The pros are that it will flow more air at idle (the main reason I did it) and as mentioned above, it can be controlled. I have mine wired with a ON-OFF-ON toggle switch in the cab to be Always ON, OFF, or by t-stat. In addition, its wired to turn on when the A/C compressor kicks on.

Another *technical* benefit, also mentioned above, is that there should be less draw on the engine and better fuel economy. How much? Who knows, but some. I would not go electric for this reason alone.

The cons are cost and complexity. My fan was $260 shipped from amazon.com. There is really more cost than the fan alone though, no matter what you go with (Villager, Flex-a-lite, etc.). The Flex-a-lite is a claimed 19A continuous draw and 40A peak draw on start-up. The Villager fan mod is about twice that for both conditions from what I have read and the aftermarket controller is about $80 iirc. This means that in both cases and electrical system upgrade is needed. I did the 'Big 3' electrical upgrade with 1/0 wire (overkill I know) and dropped in a 130A alternator at a combined cost of about $150.

But the bigger The down side IMO is the complexity. I have a bunch more wires, a relay block, two fused circuits, a jumper into the a/c clutch wire, a toggle switch, and a 12V indicator lamp tapped into the fan motor. That's a lot that can go wrong compared to the stock fan.

My rig will be going wheeling in the 115F summer heat next year as well as road-tripping to Baja Kalifornia and I do not want to overheat. You haven't seen until you've had a repair in Baja. Of course, my spares and wheeling kit will have the stock fan in it just in case.

For my situation, I think it was the right thing to do and I no longer worry about the coolant temp. I have the control I want with a lot of options and t-stat set to turn on at 218F at the cold start timing switch and I can adjust when needed. A little bit of time and $$$ spent, but for my case it was worth it.