hello,

i want to replace my stock fan with an electic fan in the future.
is this one a good choice? Flex-a-lite Electric Cooling Fan

is there everything in this kit that i need to install the fan?

how do i remove the stock belt-driven fan? do you know a good write-up for that?

is there really a big advantage after installing the electric fan? will i recognice any changes when i drive?

is that fan as loud as the stock fan?

thanks in advance.
nicolas-eric

Odhinn mentioned that if the Ford Taurus is the same in Germany as they are here, the fan shroud & fan should bolt up nicely. This is a link to a write up that he was looking into for our jeep. It's for a 2.5 but should be the same for the 4.0.
http://www.creeperjeepers.org/Electri...2.5L%20TJ.html

thanks for the link.

the ford taurus is that old, i don´t think i can find a nearly new fan here in germany.

the other problem is that all changes on our cars have to be inspected by a governments car testing organisation. that´s why i´m looking for a solution that looks like nothing has been changed.

does anybody know if the electric fan out of a 2.4L TJ does fit? what does it cost? is it strong enough for the 4.0L?

Installation of an electric fan will give you back the HP the Mechanical fan steals when engaged. Take a picture of you stock mechanical fan. If it is like the ones here in the states it will unscrew, but sometimes they are a pain in the butt. I just replaced mine, had to pull/replace the water pump and air hammer the original to get the fan blade off. A buddy of mine did the Taurus conversion for only about 50 dollars US. Like OC said I will be doing this upgrade in the future when I have the time.

i have a (some modifications for germany) US TJ that i imported by myself.

i´m still on warranty and i don´t want to modify anything eith non-jeep parts otr withparts that aren´t produced for a jeep.

as i said i have to look a bit at our laws. that´s why i want that it looks like it would look on a stock jeep.
is my idea of the 2.4L electric fan that bad?

today i´m looking for some small modifictions i could do this winter. i have to order all the parts that i need for that as fast as possible because they need 4-6 weeks until they are here from the US.

All models of the TJ's state side are mechanical clutch fans unless I'm mistaken. Can you get a waiver for your rig if it is proven to work and safely operate, if not then I would be going through modification withdrawal if I was there. I have gotten waivers for a couple of my old 4X4's here. Just an Idea.

i´ve read in a US 2006 FSM that the 2.4Lhas an electrc fan. i´ll send you a PM with that.

Ah OK. I can't tell you either way if it will work or not. Anything can be made to work but to make it work and look factory would definitely be the trick in your case. I suppose the first thing to do would get the dimensions of the shroud and the fan to make sure it will bolt up to the wrangler and then check to see what airflow the fan produces compared to your mechanical fan. Wiring it in won't be a big deal and can be hidden or made to look factory.

the guys at the testing organisation here don´t know jeeps very good. here are only about 25 TJs in my city with a population of over 1,900,000 people.
if it looks like it could be stock they won´t say anything.

just found the flex-a-lite x-treme with 3300 cubic feet a minute, that´s better than the taurus fan (a bit over 3000 cfm).
http://www.4wd.com/productdetails.asp...mp;partID=6937

this one looks good in my opinion and installing should be very easy:
http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/485-99485.pdf

btw. a stock 2.4L electric fan with the fan shrould cocts about 750$ over here as a spare part.

'03 TJ w/ 4.0L here...installed it last year and love it.

I've been rock crawling with it out in West Texas (think dusty trails) when it pushed close to 110 outside. It works well enough that the engine temp never passes 210-220.

Got pictures of the install and been meaning to do a write up. Pick it up and lemme know if you run into any problems.

are you talking about the flex-a-lite x-treme fan i posted in my last post?
do you have some pics of this fan in your TJ?
how does it sound? is it qiuet or loud?
how long did it take to install it?

Yeah...the 485 model (? I think ?)

Sounds fine. Maybe a little louder than stock, but certainly not enough to be irritating. In fact, you can just barely hear it when in the cab. Best part of it was the switch you can install in your cab. I turn it on for the duration of a run and can leave it running even with the engine off.

Lemme see if I can find a couple of the pictures.

it runs when the engine is off? that could solve my tranny overheating problem after turning off the angine.

does it turn off with the engine off if the temperature came down enough?
was that switch a part of the fan kit?
does that switch allow to turn the fan off during water crossings?

thanks in advance for the pics.

I just did the taurus fan swap its pretty quet I hardly notice it
I did notice the engine doesnt seem to have a drag when I drive down the road seems smoother and it was easy to hook up
just look for a 90-95 taurus or sable I have even seen the fan in a couple other ford cars
you can find them all over on ebay just look for mustang electric fan
(do not get the mark VIII fan it wont fit)

Uhm, lets see...yes, dunno, I think so, and not sure

There is an option to install a switch so you can manually control it in the cab. I'm pretty sure it came with the kit. (switch on right)


To install, follow the instructions provided in the kit. Pretty strait forward.

In short, remove the existing fan which can be a real pain. I picked up a 16" channel lock wrench and vice gripped the handle end of it so it wouldn't slip and was able to get it off without much trouble. I've heard others fighting for some time on it tho...

Before removal:


After removal:


I think I only ran into three problems during the whole install.

1) One of the mounting brackets, when in place, was rubbing on the blinker wires on the driver side (if I remember right) so I had to trim a corner off:


(bottom corner is what was trimmed)


2) Finding a position to mount the control box since the rest of my engine compartment is pretty full of crap. Of course I don't have a pic of this, but just picture it right in the center of the new fan's cowl:



3) The original setup came with a 20Amp fuse that kept blowing. Found out that there was a recall from the factory so received the upgraded 30Amp fuse box in its place. If yours shows up with the 20Amp fuse, call tech support and ask for Bob (I think that was his name). Fax him a copy of your receipt and he'll hook you up.


As to the rest of your questions:
- Don't know if it turns off automatically when the engine cools down enough. I installed it so I had to turn it of manually. I just let it run till I'm sure its ok.
- Pretty sure the switch was part of the kit.
- Does switch all to turn fan off during water crossing. Dunno. I don't do wet stuff on a regular basis so I'm not sure. Might be worth calling the guys at Flex-A-Lite.

Oh, and yes! Did immediately notice a horse power increase after installation.

Hope all this helps

I have there 485 fan on my 06 unlimited and it mad a big change to my Jeep.
More power and it quiter than my stock fan.
http://www.flex-a-lite.com/auto/html/...-wrangler.html
Here is some photos of it on my jeep.

thanks for all your answers.

i know e-fans only in normal cars like volkswagen or others. there they are very loud and annoying.
is it the same with the flex-a-lite fan?

is there a soundfile or a video where i can here the e-fan when it´s running?

i think i´ll order the flex-a-lite fan if it sounds ok...

After the pumps are off, wouldn't it be useless to have the fan running?

I wonder if its very noticable in hp, for this mod.. how bout gas mpg?

2x
Thats good question(s).

do i need a new shorter belt after removing the belt-driven stock fan?
how long must this belt be?

i notice a big loose of power when the stock fan turns on. will i get all the power back with an electric fan?

Not necessarily. It still cools the water in the radiator as well as the engine and everything else in the engine compartment (i.e. alt, power steering, batteries, etc).


HP was notable immediately. Dunno about MPG...its a brick on wheel...not too worried about MPG

Fans are not belt driven. They have their own clutch system that is engaged at around 210 degrees or so (at least it is for my TJ). You'll not touch your belt during the mod.

You notice a power hit when the stock fan kicks in because the engine itself is turning it. Alleviate that burden and the engine gets that level of power back.

Was just thinking about some of my responses and wanted to make sure there was no confusion about the manual switch. The system itself is automated so when the fan needs to come on, it does. When cooled enough it shuts itself off. All my switch does is bypass all the checks and forces it to remain on. As soon as I shut the switch off, it goes back into auto mode.

Didn't want anybody thinking that YOU had to control whether the fan goes on or off...

I like that ford fan mod, what about shutting it off and on? where can u get just the control box w/ a temp sensor?

you can pick them up at Kragen or online. there not expensive at all.

any more info on the electric part of it besides the fan? I can get a fan at the junkyard here but what about the rest of the stuff i need for it?

i have used a thermostat controlled electric fan switch from summit on several different vehicles. it has an adjustable thermostat and you can hook it up to a switch if you were going to be in deep water. i beleive the whole kit was around 20 bucks ...works great

Thanks Autogyver, i'll look around for them

i'm also a bit confused with this drawing.. why do you need the diodes and why is there a connection between the + and the - of the fan?

That diagram, is way overcomplicated, you need fused power, relay, thermo switch.

well i have no problem reading it but i'm just confused why is there a diode that connects the + and the - terminals... I also saw it on few other diagrams.