four.runner

Hi.
I am interested in installing one in my 1991 3.0, and have been reading up on all the past posts about them.
The one question I came up with, is: what model flex-a-lite fan is everyone using? I always heard the name, but never the presise model number or anything.
Thanks.
Mark

SolidDigital

I think it's FLX-165, looks like that's the right one in the summit racing catalog.

MenaceSQL

Yep, it's the 165 model. Here it is from FAL's website.

Ganoid

I bought a 150 model off E bay for 100$ and made my own brackets. I'll post some pics later if you like. the 150 and 165 models are the same the only difference is that you get pre made toyota brackets with the 165.







not bad for a 100$ fan. I may actually build somthing myself out of several smaller fans to cover more area. Im thinking 4 of the 9" fans

four.runner

Thanks guys. As soon as I get back from holidays, I think I am gonna go down my shop and grab one.
Mark

2001Millrunner

does this really add power?

rimpainter.com

Well sort of. It frees up some. And people will argue this point till the cows come home. Their arguement is that the stock fan disengages anyway, so the parasitic drag is minimal. However, on the 3rd gens, there is still a 1lb fan bracket that must spin at all times - this part is removed with the electric fans - therefore a small amount of HP is freed up.

I also like the fact that you can run the fans at a stop light, cool the engine down, then turn them off and avoid the fan roar that you would normally have with a clutch activated fan. So, I noticed a difference off the line, and at initial throttle "tip-in" in 5th gear. Other than that, I could not "feel" any real difference.

Oh, and I also like how much space the elec fans free up in the engine bay. Much easier to work under there.

dajabr

It does help, but not always as much as people want. When my stock fan kicks on I can feel a slow decrease in power as the fan clutch engages, and feel a slow surge as it disengages. With the electric fan this would be removed and I would run at that "disengaged" power level all the time. Not huge for me, but significant. I have decided it isn't worth the current price compared to other mods like intake and exhaust, but I would go for it if I found a deal.

Detractions can be that the additional strain on your electrical system may accelerate the failure of any weak electrical parts; and if you take it off road, driving through water can make the blades snap off unlike the metal fan. Then you're really screwed.

Steveh29

I just finished a 4 year personal experinece with the Flex-A-Lite black magic fan designed for Toyotas. Here's the story: I installed the fan because I put on a 2" body lift and didn't want to relocate the radiator. Added the fan and it appeared to work OK but put a hefty load on the electrical system. You could see the headlights dim when at idle when it came on. It also ran just a tiny bit hotter than before.

Then I noticed the truck would run a even hotter when four wheeling - especially uphill when you're doing a long climb in low gear with high (2,500 - 3k) revs. The overheating problem gradually got worse until I was having overheating problems in normal driving conditions. I removed the fan, relocated the radiator down an inch to deal with the body lift. I was able to put in the stock fan and clutch even though they were still offset by an inch (2" body lift). That solved the problem and I've had no more overheating problems.

I noticed the Flex-A-Lite fan was a little smaller than the radiator leaving at least an inch of radiator around the edge that isn't covered by the fan/shroud housing. Maybe this contributed to the problem. I never noticed any difference in performance between the Flex-A-Lite or stock fans. Some folks never have problem with this fan and I don't think relocation of the radiator by an inch could make that much of a difference. Also consider I'm in Los Angeles where it's over 100 and I've got the A/C on. After the experience I'll probably just stick with the factory cooling system. You can have my fan if you want it. I'm 99% sure I still have all the paperwork and instructions.

rimpainter.com

Pfffffff. 4 years with elec fans in Phoenix, no problems. You LA guys have it easy.

Steveh29

Tell me about it! I almost had to use my bottled water to cool down the engine! LOL! I've heard of people doing the Tarus fan mod on 2nd Gen trucks. I figure I'll just leave the factory system. It works and I never noticed any difference in power from the 3Slow.

sick4runner

even if a stock fan clutch automatically disengages I know when my engine starts to get hot on the freeway or climbing a hill, it comes back on at the worst time and squashes what little power was getting me up the hill in the first place.

When i had my new motor istalled at TCR tim told me to look into a flex fan from LCE, they are more reliable than an electric and flatten out to reduce drag at high rpm's