Taurus fan vs. Stock xj E-fan

Ok so I'm getting ready to do my efan swap on my 99 xj. I have a Volvo fan (same as taurus) with the controller still attached and some sensors and adapters but was now thinking of going for a stock xj e fan instead. With the tuaurs fan I'll have to go chopping off the mechanical fan pulley, shorter belt ect but from what I read a stock xj e fan will fit with no cutting of any of that.

For those of you who have done either swap can you give me some insight? How does your stock xj e fan (in replacement of the clutch fan) hold up? How does your taurus fan hold up? Fitment on either?

In most cases, the stock XJ electric fan will not provide sufficient cooling. (If you have manual trans, no A/C, triple row rad, then it can work, but I've known a few that didn't) The stock Bosch electric fan only provides 530CFM and at minimum, the stock mechanical fan provides twice that.

According to these numbers it seems a stock efan pulls quite a bit more then 530cfm. http://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1057920&page=2

Has anyone actually run the stock Efan in place of the clutch fan? I've read of it a few times but can only find limited info on this, It would be nice not having to remove that fan pulley, using a new belt, and having to fit that big fan in there. Although that volvo fan pulls MASSIVE amounts of air on both speeds, I wish xjs just came stock with dual Efans! Came with one they should of just had another in as well lol!!

Oh btw I also will be using 5.9 ZJ efan switches and housings in the upper radiator hose to activate the fan. I am trying to have this setup run as sealessly as possible.

i recall that at least one or two people on here have run dual late model(10 blade) e-fans with pretty good results. i'm going to try it eventually, just for my own information/fun. i think it's one of those "can work, but is kinda borderline" sort of things.
hopefully one of the guys that ran that configuration will chime in.

All I can offer is that I've been running on only one fan for approximately 2 years. Only one stock 97'+ e-fan. It's not "adequate" but it's made my XJ drivable the entire time. It creeps at the highest temps while stopped in traffic, but not bad enough that I can't make it light to light. I'm sure in bad traffic, it would over-heat. However, this is with the Champion 3-row and a 180* t-stat.

I *think* that with an optimally performing stock cooling system, your one stock e-fan would be just adequate. But only just. Hopefully that helps puts things in perspective for ya.

I know Gradon here runs two stock e-fans with very good results. I will eventually be trying the same setup.

I'm running two of the '97+ 10-blades on a 4.6l manual tranny XJ w/ AC(though I've only used it 3-4xs this summer). I just added a Champion American Eagle all-aluminum 2-row(1" cores) and she is cool as can be. I had no problems with the stock radiator for 4 years with this setup until earlier this summer, when temps started creeping with AC use on the highway and I surmised the core was partially clogged(didn't bother to do a chem flush). Post 21: http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1057920&page=2#post245272162
kudos for the honest test.

Two 97+ here....and it was north of 105 degrees at the worst today with considerable humidity. I've got it spliced in (via a relay) with the stock fan's wiring to where it works with the AC or once the correct temp is hit. My temps hover just a hair above 210 all day.

gradon how do you run the new electric fan? is it running constantly or do you have a thermo switch activating it?

I truthfully don't want the fan running non stop as that seems a bit redundant and seems like it would wear out the fan in no time. I think the 5.9 fan switch kicks on at like 212ish which seems perfect for any efan setup.

I'm still on the fence because this volvo/taurus fan seems to move a LOT of air, but I do know that the stock xj fan moves quite a bit of air as well for its size. The main reason I'm thinking of going for a stock xj fan is simply becuase it looks like it will fit eaiser, no cutting off of the original pully (I think?), and I won't have to go hacking up the fan shroud itself.

Oh btw- I run a CSF 3 core radiator thats about 2 or 3 years old.

I've got a 92 auto 4.0 w/ AC, stock thermostat and dual early style e-fans on a CSF 3-row. I put the dual fans on earlier this year and ran them without any issues. I use the Derale fan controller and I had the main fan come on at the lowest setting. I also tapped into the aux fan circuit so that it would kick on when the AC kicked in or when the thermoswitch kicked it on.

Over the summer I put two massive stacked-plate style coolers in front of the radiator that took up about 75% of the surface area of the radiator. One is for transmission and the smaller is for power steering. After doing that, the temps always ran hotter but I was expecting that. It was also above 100deg here for a month straight so that might have something to do with it. I now have the main fan come on immediately to help keep things under control but unless I'm running the AC, they never get too bad. Never into the red but a little past the mark before the red, but only when running the AC. I've been looking at better aftermarket fans but it's not a priority right now.

And before everyone tells me to switch to the late model 10-blade fans, I've yet to see any airflow comparisons between the early model straight blades and the late model curved blades. Until I do, and it proves that the late models move more air, I'm not wasting money on them. If you check out every major fan manufacturer, they all state that curve blades are not as efficient as straight blade fans and you sacrifice air flow just so your fans are quieter. I drive a lifted Jeep with exhaust and 33's. I'm more concerned about keeping it running cool than keeping it quiet.

Woah the mark before the red zone on the temps?? Thats WAY to high for me to be safe with, my shot fan clutch and stock efan never let my temps go past 220ish.

I don't use AC that often as its pretty shot in my xj but still, I can't have my jeep running that hot regardless. When I'm wheeling I know there is a sever lack of airflow so the stock fan has to be able to keep up. I guess I could always install the clutch fan back in place if its that bad but I want it all done right the first time.

Something that always blew my mind was this, with the jeep idling and my efan running (off of a seperate manual switch) I could put my hand in front of the radiator and feel a major difference in the side where the efan is mounted. Much more air is pulled through but that is also at idle, I wonder how much the clutch fan pulls at higher speeds/rpms... I've always been told that clutch fans are pretty useless above 30mph but do they create some kind of vortex or a "vacum" effect behind the rad at high speeds? Just some food for thought ....

Btw thanks so far guys! Anyone with a taurus fan please chime in here!

XGarfX said:

Woah the mark before the red zone on the temps?? Thats WAY to high for me to be safe with, my shot fan clutch and stock efan never let my temps go past 220ish.

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Remember, that temp was AFTER I installed the massive coolers in front of the radiator AND ran the AC. It never got that hot before the coolers and still never gets that hot when the AC is off even after the coolers installed. So if you're not running any aux coolers in front, you'll be fine with two stock e-fans.

I also forgot to point out that I recently replaced my sending unit for the gauge and ever since then, it's read hotter than it did before. Normal operating temps were always straight up or to the left of the 210 mark. After replacing the sending unit the normal spot for the needle has always been to the right of the 210 mark, around 220. So I take that into account too when I'm keeping an eye on my temps. So if it's reading 235 now, it's around 220 with the original sending unit.

Which is correct though? I have no idea.

I run the taurus fan on mine. I love it. It keeps temps in check very well with the VW dual temp switch, and volvo 2 spd relay.

I have a huge 02 4.7 WJ ps cooler and 5.2 ZJ trans cooler on mine also.





It will suck your shirt to the grill if you stand near it lol

Garf, what are the dimensions of your Volvo fan?

Boost Happy said:

I run the taurus fan on mine. I love it. It keeps temps in check very well with the VW dual temp switch, and volvo 2 spd relay.

I have a huge 02 4.7 WJ ps cooler and 5.2 ZJ trans cooler on mine also.

It will suck your shirt to the grill if you stand near it lol

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Thats good to hear, now let me ask you this did you have to go hacking up the old fan mount and get a new belt? I've also heard that you might have to chop a little on the alternator bracket or possibly cut it in half?

Talyn said:

Garf, what are the dimensions of your Volvo fan?

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I'll try to get those dimensions for you, from what I remember it was roughly 4.5 inches deep, and something like 21 inches long but thats just from memory. I'll get back to you on it.

On my old 96, I did an e-fan swap using a 16" zirgo off of ebay. We ended up removing the a/c compressor to get to the mount that has the idler attached to it and sawed off the front half to completely eliminate that pulley. We then made a crude steel shroud that enclosed the fan and closed off any area on the perimeter where it exceeded the height of the radiator. It was a lot of work but I could run the A/C all day idling in an asphalt parking in 105 degree Texas heat and 40 percent humidity

I took measurements of a Volvo fan from a 94 850 Turbo yesterday at work.
24 wide, 16 tall, 6.5" deep from shroud to base of fan motor. IIRC the shroud itself is 3.25" tall, leaving 3.25 worth of motor. 8 fan blades, ~15" diameter. Outer ring that holds the fan ~16" diameter. Four mounting screws on the ring, square pattern 12" to a side, hold the fan to the shroud.
Fans have ground, B+ (through resistor pack) and B+ (raw) wires coming in. Controlled by a relay for each B+ with triggering done by computer in stock format.
Could easily be spliced in so that high speed comes on w/ the stock E-fan & low speed comes on w/ an independent temperature switch mounted in one of these
They are hella expensive on Ebay but in a junkyard... probably not. Could clip the harness & get your pigtails, too. Probably $50, maybe $75 for the whole project if you are lucky.
These fans, combined with a pretty humble / ordinary radiator, cool 350HP station wagons w/ AC & auto transmissions just fine.

^ your measurements are pretty much the same as mine.

To anyone wondering I actually bought another 97+ efan to use but ended up grabbing some parts of my buddies engine he was junking. So in the end I might just end up using this whole volvo fan setup. I bought a mechanical fan/ac compressor bracket and an alternator bracket that I can chop up outside of my jeep and save mine as spares to return to stock for any reason. I'm gona get a new short belt and give this volvo fan a shot, I might still have to trim the shroud down depth wise but will cross that bridge when I get there.

If I can remember I will try to do a write up on this with some pics too

XGarfX said:

Thats good to hear, now let me ask you this did you have to go hacking up the old fan mount and get a new belt? I've also heard that you might have to chop a little on the alternator bracket or possibly cut it in half?

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yes had to cut clutch fan snout off, and trim the alt bracket for belt routing. no way around that