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Just how necessary is the Auxillary fan>?

SqueegieSteve

SqueegieSteve

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Boston, MA
I was wondering what you guys thought.
I broke my electric fan so i ripped it out. I've been driving a lot without it - too lazy to buy another - and i've never had an overheating issue. My engine doesn't rise a bit over the normal temp when i had the fan in.
Just how necessary is it? I know it's there for a reason - assisting the radiator. but is it totaly necessary>?
 
Nope, not needed at all. Jeep installed a fan with an MSRP of $419 when it wasn't needed for any reason, but saved fifty cents by making the wiring harnesses too thin on the headlights and blower motor.

:spin1: once it gets toward summer more, you'll overheat if you crawl/drive in the city without it, and probably have issues right after you get off the highway. That's usually when I hear mine kick in.
 
It helps your cooling system deal with added load when it reaches ~215-220F or higher.

1.) In hot outside temps when (if) you have your A/C on.
2.) When you are hauling up a grade, in traffic, off road slow n' go.
3.) Both

If you don't encounter any adverse conditions (summer heat, stress on motor, etc) and your cooling system is in tip-top shape, and all you do is drive on the highway, then you may not need it. Just why don't you want it?
 
You guys say all this, yet for the first year I owned my XJ it never had one. I had no idea there was even supposed to be one until my brother bought another jeep, and it had one.

I never experienced any problems, yet the cooling system was in great working order. After finding out about said fan, I went to the junkyard and pulled one and threw it in.

Now I'm not suggesting drive without it. Engineers put it there for a reason.
 
Just keep an eye on your temperature. If it does heat up a little too high, pull over and let it run with the engine about 1500-2000 RPMs to see if it comes down. If it doesn't work at all, you can probably get a little better airflow if you remove it all together.

You ARE in Maine, not Arizona. And if your AC doesn't work either, you'll have even less issues.
 
I would highly recommend getting another one! I drove my 98 without it for a while, but it would get hot on longer drives. It's also very necessary if you do anything off road. Good luck.
 
Manual transmission, no a/c, don't need one.

Manual transmission, a/c, might need one (you can always turn it off).

Auto transmission, a/c, need one.

If your XJ with a 4.0 has a/c or the optional HD cooling package you would have an eFan.
 
My 87 with auto transmission and no AC never had one. It ran pretty hot but didn't overheat with a good radiator.

Both my manuals came with AC and fans. I don't think the fan on my 95 ever ran after I killed the AC and yanked the condenser, which coincided with a new radiator. The 99 fan comes on from time to time in summer with AC off.

Basically, you don't need it at all unless you get hot enough to need it, and then you need it all at once.
 
If you wheel at all or have to drive in stop-and-go traffic, get a new fan.

Few months ago while wheeling, my temp gauge topped out and I could smell coolant. I shut it down immediately and knew right away what had happened. I had done some work on the Jeep the day before and I had forgotten to reconnect the fan plug. As soon as it cooled down, I reconnected the plug and everything was fine.

I had driven from sea level up to 6000 feet with no cooling problem because I was traveling at highway speed where the fan wasn't needed. But as soon as I had to start moving slowly, it started boiling over.
 
Took the efan out of both my 89 and 90. They don't even overheat in blistering summer heat. The '90 has alot of extra weight and I wheel it hard but its a AX-15. The 89 is stock and has an AW4. Both of them have the ZJ fan clutch mod.
 
can't wait for July or August. When all you E-fan doubter are, posting "why is my jeep overheating" queations. I'll bet there are 20+ threads in the first 2-3 pages of the forum right now, asking that very queastion. Just because you haven't had heat issues over the WINTER, doesn't mean you don't need to have the fan. Even an air-cooled VW can benifit from an aux fan when it gets hot out.

Be as lazy as you like, you'll be paying for the tow, NOT me. I just hope, for your sake, your on the side of the road when it happens and not in the boondocks on some trail.
 
In daily driving somewhere cool with little traffic, you'll likely never notice that its missing.

Run the a/c, sit in traffic, wheel, live somewhere with 100+ temps.. you might miss it.
 
93gc40 said:
can't wait for July or August. When all you E-fan doubter are, posting "why is my jeep overheating" queations. I'll bet there are 20+ threads in the first 2-3 pages of the forum right now, asking that very queastion. Just because you haven't had heat issues over the WINTER, doesn't mean you don't need to have the fan. Even an air-cooled VW can benifit from an aux fan when it gets hot out.

Be as lazy as you like, you'll be paying for the tow, NOT me. I just hope, for your sake, your on the side of the road when it happens and not in the boondocks on some trail.
Click to expand...

Nope. Not on a non HO with the ZJ fan clutch.:shiver: Can't speak for HO's.:sunshine:
 
My HO/AW4 doesn't need it, but I have no a/c. As soon as I pulled the a/c condensor from in front of the radiator I noticed a 10 degree drop in coolant temp. Rather I use the e-fan to cool the trans cooler when on the trail. A cooler thermostat may also help if you're running a little hot.
 
Daughter overheated her engine when the relay for the aux fan failed and she drove around without one for several months using the AC in Atlanta summer traffic. That led to a long story of two new head gaskets and ultimately a new head due to a crack. Good news is I got permanent custody of the XJ after that, as she moved on to another vehicle to abuse.

Arthur Hailey wrote an interesting book in 1971 about the automotive industry. He made the point that even a $5 part on a vehicle is prohibitively expensive when you are cranking out a million copies of a vehicle over it's production lifespan. If the part doesn't need to be there for some percieved marketing or functional purpose, you can bet that the designers and engineers will not be allowed to include it in the production. My take-away on this is that if the engineers felt aux cooling was necessary to prolong or protect the engine, then I'll defer to their judgement and replace the part in most cases (assuming of course, that the stock a/c, etc., is still in use and nothing else would preclude the need).
 
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