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Radiator fan guard

SARgroundpounder

NAXJA Forum User
Location
San Jose, CA
I've put my mechanical fan through my copper and brass radiator twice. Both times when motor mounts went bad (1st OEM, 2nd aftermarket).

I'm thinking about soldering a metal ring to the side of the radiator facing the fan to act as a guard to prevent/slow the fan coming through the radiator in the future.

Has anybody on this list done something similar?
 
You could do it but why? That seem like a Band-Aid fix to me. just invest in some GOOD motor mounts and be done with it. I am running some modified Daystar TJ mounts, but other's like Rawbrown's and M.O.R.E.'s are very good as well. and replace the trans mount at the same time you'll regret it later if you don't.

Another option is to move the radiator forward a bit. all you have do is redrill the upper and lower holes. or to be even easier just redrill the upper holes, this sometimes will cause clearance issues with the rad cap but it can be fixed easily with the cutting tool of your choice.

Dingo
 
The ring isn't intended to be a fix; it's intended to be insurance.

I am running M.O.R.E. mounts and they are excellent; however, the bushings sheered. I'm replacing the bushings today.

The tranny mount is less than two years old and is in good shape.

Moving the radiator could work. I have the closed system so there's no radiator cap to worry about.
 
Are you using the MORE Rubber mounts? I have the rubber bushed MORE mounts on my ThumperXJ. The bushings sheared how?...... Im really not into having my motor try to fall out the bottom while Im out on the trail in the mud AGAIN.(The old stock mounts gave out on me the first time.) Do you have pics of the failure? Can you explain how it happened? NEED INPUT!
 
Why not just put a sheet of expanded metal there, so it will catch the fan before it gets to the radiator.

I'm currently working on a "fan clutch eliminator" - doing away with the viscous coupling (the slight power loss from the "always on" mechanical fan is, in our case, negligible,) making it a solid part, and making it not stick out so far so that you don't have to worry about bad motor mounts as quickly.

I'm pretty sure it's going to go back a full inch or so, but I'm still playing with clearances before I can come up with a working model.

I should have more later this summer - see my "New Parts Ideas" thread for more info, or to make suggestions or post comments for things I should be thinking of.

5-90
 
Thumpersdriver said:
Are you using the MORE Rubber mounts? I have the rubber bushed MORE mounts on my ThumperXJ. The bushings sheared how?...... Im really not into having my motor try to fall out the bottom while Im out on the trail in the mud AGAIN.(The old stock mounts gave out on me the first time.) Do you have pics of the failure? Can you explain how it happened? NEED INPUT!

I wouldn't worry about your motor falling out of the bottom. M.O.R.E. mounts are solid. I have the old poly bushings. Looking at the damage, it looks like it was caused when I was rearended. You can see the metal is deformed from the engine mount striking the body mount.

There are some pics here (they're big):

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/[email protected]/album?.dir=/350a
 
bonzo said:
Why not just replace it with an electric fan? A lot easier, cheaper, save gas mileage, you can turn them off for deep water/mud, and ya just might get a pony or two out of it.

http://www.off-road.com/jeep/cherokee/98/06_jun/cooling/cooling1.html


I like the idea, but I'm not convinced about that mod. That was written a long time ago and I followed the build up with close attention when it was originally written. From what I heard the electric fan did not cool as well as the mechanical fan and the guys I know who tried it saw their cooling problems get worse.
 
i've been noticing a few comments on this myself. I know another guy used a 14 inch puller fan, that was rated to 1800cfm. The flexilite #110 i think is only 1200. I'm thinking of doing the conversion myself, but now I'm not too sure. I sure as hell don't need to create anymore problems for my junk.
 
Common consensus seems to be a minimum of 2200-2500cfm for an electric fan to be suitable for replacing the mechanical fan.

Most people who do the electric conversion don't note this, or hold to it, and end up reversing the conversion later.

There's nothing making the job actually impossible, but you will run into a slight barrier between fan size and consistent output - mainly due to the low height of the radiator core.

If I were really hitting my head on cooling, I'd want to do this:
Add volume to the cooling system. A pressure cannister somewhere that holds an extra gallon or so of coolant will significantly increase the "heat removal capability" of the system - even if the radiator area isn't increased.
Engine oil cooler. The engine oil is closer to the point sources of heat than the coolant - and the extra oil volume also increases the ability of the system to transfer heat. Adding capacity to the circulated oil (just like the circulated coolant) is helpful, but the addition of an effective oil cooler will do that while giving the oil direct cooling.
For exotic engines (high forced induction, exotic fuels with high heat values,) the addition of "oil piston cooling" is valuable - but also a lot of work. In this case, small spray jets are added to the system to constantly spray the underside of the piston with engine oil. The addition of an engine oil cooler with the piston cooling is more than a good idea - it is damn near mandatory. This is the sort of thing that has to be done while an engine is torn to bits - but it can be a valuable mod to the right engines.

Other things that prove useful:
Addition of a radiator with an extra core, or with "high heat transfer" capability (like a Modine or Performance Parts "Desert Cooler" radiator.) This will give more effective heat transfer area, and therefore the ability to eject more heat. This is complemented well by the addition of a "high volume" water pump, which allows more coolant to be flowed through the radiator
Water Wetter. An additive by RedLine, WW lowers the surface tension of water, which allows for more effective contact between the cooling fluid and the system heat exchangers (the engine surfaces and the radiator.)

If you're looking to increase the cooling capacity of the system, you have to look at the entire engine and support parts as a system, then address apparent deficiecies that are not accounted for elsewhere in the whole package - that's the trick.

5-90
 
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