Well I dont know if you read my previous post about the fan noise I was having after a wheeling trip, but the CEL went away last week, and I thought my problems were over. Well, it turns out that for the period I was driving with the CEL on, the fan was going haywire and the fan clutch got very loose. So, I ordered the flexalite 165 from summitracing for $209 with free ground shipping, and it came 2 days later. I was impressed with how fast they shipped it.

Anyways, the install was pretty much a breeze on my 94 4runner, I didn't even have to take the upper radiator hose off. The one problem that bugged me was that the mounting brackets that came with the kit didn't fit so well on my truck. The drivers side mounted up pretty well, but on the passengers side, I had to drill a new mounting hole in the bracket to get it to fit. Its held on with only 3 bolts now, but its secure so I'm not worried about it. Wiring it was easy too, I havent put the manual switch in or wired it to the A/C compressor, but I'm going to come back to that.

I think its a pretty good product so far, a little over priced maybe. I'm sure I get an extra mpg or two with this mod, but I don't know about the 17 HP that it claims to free up. Overall its a mod worth doing..

 

Its next on my list.

 

To get my brackets to fit on the driver's side, I took a hacksaw to the top of the bracket so that it wasn't soo long. I've heard similar stories from other folks.

I think the brackets are meant to be more of a "here's a good place to get you started" but they're not a direct no-tools fit.


Keep in mind that stated HP gains like this are usually at the crankshaft, not at the wheels. So, figure on losing 15% on a stick, 20% on an auto. The resulting numbers are still pretty high, but you really will pick up some kick.

Congrats on doin' the mod!

Mark

 

Here's a question for anyone who's done this mod on a 2nd Gen. What wire did you tap into for the ignition source?? I have all the parts sitting here and am trying to figure it all out before I tear into my truck!! Thanks!

 

Even though I dont have a 2nd gen, just thought I would mention what I did.

If you get the Thermo sensor switch with the 165 (I would hope so) you can just wire it to the battery. Both the B+ and the IGN switch can be wired to the battery. Why? Because the thermo switch will turn off the fan when the temp reaches the dialed setting. I wouldnt change a thing. Even in the desert heat, my fan will run for 60 seconds or less after I turn the truck off.

 

Ditto. I did the same thing and it's great. There's no current draw to the control unit when the fan's off.