Cooling/Time for Upgrade?

HQuakers · Oct 5, 2009

I've searched many many threads for many hours, but I didn't find exactly what I was looking for. So, if it's above 75-80 degrees outside and I sit in stop and go traffic for around 10 minutes, my temp will go from 210 right up to pegged and the "check gauges" light comes on. Also, if I am doing light trailwork in 4-hi, the same thing will happen. A couple minutes after I get going above 20mph, the gauge will go back to 210.

I don't know the last time the cooling system has been addressed, so I was thinking about doing a flush, new hoses and t-stat, as well as inspect the e-fan to make sure it's working properly (clutch-driven fan works--that I know).

If I still encounter the same issues, for the little wheeling I do, I was thinking just a Taurus fan with a switch hooked up would suffice as an upgrade. I'd love to get the ffdynamics.com 3 fan kit, but I'm not sure it's worth the $$ and might not be the best bet for my needs.

Thoughts? Thanks : NAXJA

:

bwinter1946 · Oct 5, 2009

I would check the fan clutch on you mechanical fan. Can you hear extra fan noise as you accelerate or rev the engine while the engine is hot? You should hear the fan.

Johnnie Walker · Oct 5, 2009

Definitely check mech fan for resistance, maybe do the ZJ non-HD clutch swap. Does your electric fan come on when it gets warm? At all? If you turn on defrost/ac does your e-fan come on and it cool down or stay cool? Also, so you don't have to turn on ac/defrost all the time, you can also wire in an aux fan switch.

joe_peters · Oct 5, 2009

Typical bad fan clutch symptoms.

Recommend ZJ HD fan clutch upgrade, NAPA 272310, $44, direct fit.

If you decide to try the upgrade, don't let them palm off the ZJ MAX cool fan clutch, it won't fit.

HQuakers · Oct 5, 2009

bwinter1946 said:
I would check the fan clutch on you mechanical fan. Can you hear extra fan noise as you accelerate or rev the engine while the engine is hot? You should hear the fan.

Sounds the same as if it were cold :dunno:

Johnnie Walker said:
Does your electric fan come on when it gets warm? At all? If you turn on defrost/ac does your e-fan come on and it cool down or stay cool? Also, so you don't have to turn on ac/defrost all the time, you can also wire in an aux fan switch.

I honestly don't know. In my previous vehicles I could tell but I can't in this.
I haven't tried the AC/Defrost since my A/C stopped blowing cold a couple months back.

joe_peters said:
Typical bad fan clutch symptoms.

Recommend ZJ HD fan clutch upgrade, NAPA 272310, $44, direct fit.

If you decide to try the upgrade, don't let them palm off the ZJ MAX cool fan clutch, it won't fit.

Thanks for the info and NAPA #...love NAPA.

ParadiseXJ · Oct 6, 2009

joe_peters said:
Recommend ZJ HD fan clutch upgrade, NAPA 272310, $44, direct fit.

If you decide to try the upgrade, don't let them palm off the ZJ MAX cool fan clutch, it won't fit.

FYI - when I got my ZJ HD fan clutch at NAPA it crossed over to Hayden p/n 2737, $51.20.

88xjlover · Oct 6, 2009

Did you ever check to see if the electric fan is working? Let it idle till starts to overheat, open the hood and see if it's on. There pretty loud when they come on. If not then that's a start for sure.

HQuakers · Oct 7, 2009

88xjlover said:
Did you ever check to see if the electric fan is working? Let it idle till starts to overheat, open the hood and see if it's on. There pretty loud when they come on. If not then that's a start for sure.

Well, it won't overheat just idling...have to be stop/go traffic and warm (not a chance for that now) or wheeling. Maybe I'll take it out soon and see. I figure the E-fan should be loud...just never listened for it.

I'll update this with what I find, then go from there. Thanks everyone.

joe_peters · Oct 7, 2009

Just jump the fan to see if it works at all. As your a/c is not working (low pressure?) the efan won't run with the a/c unless the compressor engages. It should still run when the temp gets high enough from the other sensor.

HQuakers · Oct 8, 2009

joe_peters said:
Just jump the fan to see if it works at all. As your a/c is not working (low pressure?) the efan won't run with the a/c unless the compressor engages. It should still run when the temp gets high enough from the other sensor.

Gonna jump it this weekend to test. A/C doesn't blow cold (there is refrigerant and pressure in the system but I'm not sure why it's not blowing cold. The fan blows, and heat works though.

HQuakers · Oct 10, 2009

Was in stop/go traffic today and started to overheat. Pulled over and popped the hood. E-Fan was not working at all. I didn't have my voltmeter with me to check if it was getting power. The mechanical fan was working, however.

snail · Oct 10, 2009

sounds like time to double check the e-fan or maybe throw in a manual switch. my stock e-fan seize up or something and burnt the motor out, so i wired in a replacement with a manual toggle

all this worked flawlessly on a 97

the fan concept i used (ProComp 1250cfm for ~$20): http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=920264

and the wiring writeup: http://www.soxja.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=575

thanks to both posters for great writeups

joe_peters · Oct 10, 2009

HQuakers said:
Was in stop/go traffic today and started to overheat. Pulled over and popped the hood. E-Fan was not working at all. I didn't have my voltmeter with me to check if it was getting power. The mechanical fan was working, however.

I disagree with you. The clutch fan should handle stop and go traffic w/o a/c on.

Your fan clutch is not working correctly. Standard fan clutch should engage when the air hitting the front of the clutch, the bi-metal spring, reaches 170 degrees. However, the standard fan clutch only spins the fan at 60-70 percent of shaft speed when engaged, and at 20-30 percent of shaft speed when not engaged. Seeing as how the only way your engine cools is by the air passing through the radiator, where the heat exchange takes place, you aren't moving enough air. Replace the fan clutch. Better yet, replace the fan clutch with a ZJ HD fan clutch. The ZJ HD fan clutch moves spins at 80-90 percent of shaft speed, it costs $44 at NAPA, part number 272310, and is a direct fit replacement.

Good luck.

HQuakers · Oct 10, 2009

joe_peters said:
I disagree with you. The clutch fan should handle stop and go traffic w/o a/c on.

Your fan clutch is not working correctly. Standard fan clutch should engage when the air hitting the front of the clutch, the bi-metal spring, reaches 170 degrees. However, the standard fan clutch only spins the fan at 60-70 percent of shaft speed when engaged, and at 20-30 percent of shaft speed when not engaged. Seeing as how the only way your engine cools is by the air passing through the radiator, where the heat exchange takes place, you aren't moving enough air. Replace the fan clutch. Better yet, replace the fan clutch with a ZJ HD fan clutch. The ZJ HD fan clutch moves spins at 80-90 percent of shaft speed, it costs $44 at NAPA, part number 272310, and is a direct fit replacement.

Good luck.

Ok, so the fan that was spinning was just spinning because of the belt and the clutch wasn't engaged? If the fan clutch is bad, would that cause the e-fan to not work? Thanks for all the info.

winterbeater · Oct 10, 2009

Reread thread. Missing is verification of true overheat. As of now, this is just a gage reading. Does it boil over? When you turn it off, does the metal crackle? Can you still hold the dipstick in your fingers? You still have at least 3 possibilities outside of overheating. Sensor, gage, wiring/connections. What about verifying with an infrared gage?

HQuakers · Oct 12, 2009

winterbeater said:
Reread thread. Missing is verification of true overheat. As of now, this is just a gage reading. Does it boil over? When you turn it off, does the metal crackle? Can you still hold the dipstick in your fingers? You still have at least 3 possibilities outside of overheating. Sensor, gage, wiring/connections. What about verifying with an infrared gage?

Basically the gauge goes pegged, e-fan doesn't come on, engine starts sputtering and wants to puke its guts out. I haven't tried to hold the dipstick nor listen for metal crackling.

winterbeater · Oct 12, 2009

What about boiling over into the overflow bottle.

HQuakers · Oct 13, 2009

winterbeater said:
What about boiling over into the overflow bottle.

Didn't check. I'll have to look next time it starts to overheat.

HQuakers · Oct 15, 2009

Update:

So I relocated my vacuum reservoir for my Or Fab bumper, and the instructions say to also move the air temp sensor from the core support. Well, I go to move it and...it's not there. I check and I have the plug for the sensor zip tied to the old fog light wires, but NO sensor! WTF? Previous owner must have removed it when putting on the old bumper and never put it back on.

So, would this have something to do with my cooling problem? I am going to NAPA tomorrow to get a new one and bolt it on.

joe_peters · Oct 15, 2009

No. Do you even have an overhead console?

That connector is for the ambient air temp sensor for the OHC display.

Cooling/Time for Upgrade?

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