Thread: removal of the viscous fan?? d1 v8

well finally i have removed the ardiator , its down at the rad shop getting rodded,,, apperently it is over 50% blocked........

im hoping this will fix the over heating issue.

thanks for all ur help.

rodding cost me $99 with me fulling the rad out.

also does any 1 know the cost of new radotaor as the bloke says it will need to be replaced within 12 months..
would like to do it now, but in the last 3 weeks have spent nearly $3k on the beast

Originally Posted by mcrover

I went down this path more for the power sucking potential of the viscous fan rather than your reasoning.

You have other problems which fitting electric fans will just cost more money than what it's worth.

The sender mounted on your water outlet is a thermoswitch that operates the condenser fans when the temp gets above about 98 deg. Its used as an overtemp protection when slow running.
I did a thermo conversion to my Classic and have never looked back. Twin 13" with custom shroud.
Removed the condenser fans completely as they really aren't worth a pinch. You need to change the thermoswitch to a lower temp range, I used ON @ 90 OFF @ 80. The fans I used were SPAL although you can get Pacet who make LR kits, off eBay.
The fans wire directly to the original condenser fan harness and switch according to the thermoswitch.
Fans are mounted as a "pull" type.
No additional wiring is needed, no senders to hook in, no hoses to cut and adapt.

Not too sure what the "additional problems" with fitting thermos are, I did mine over 2 years ago and its never let me down. Just make sure you get high quality fans like SPAL or Pacet. Stay well clear of Davies Craig or any other cheap brands. A fan with 2000 cu.m /hr air volume is more than enough.

The best thing is that unlike a viscous fan, at slow revs you get full air draw thru the radiator at slow engine speeds and much increased airflow in the engine bay.
Personally, I didnt go with the Falcon fan setup as the Falcon rad core is much thinner than a LR V8 and core thickness plays a big part in flow loss, hence the need for a good high volume fan.

I would suggest you check the Pacet website and check the LR link.

Let me know if you want pics of the install.

Regards

Andrew

bolt it all back in(check tranny cooler for bugs/mud)
fill with coolant(add some water wetter maybe?)
let summer take its course.


rodding, cleaning, coolant and thermostat should see you right.

I was idly pondering the viscous a while ago, and it occurred to me that the power loss at cruise would be nix/nada.
This is because the airflow through the radiator would be trying to turn the fan, thus taking a lot of the load from the engine in driving it.

I first saw this effect in Saudi, when I could hear this squeaking from the front of my car when cruising. I saw from another car that it was my ( dry bush) thermos going like mad from the wind flow.
Around town is another matter however .
As with previous posts on the subject, I still think the desirability of electric fans depends on your use of the car. Tow with a tailwind on a 40c day with aircon on and see how far you get . Do low range through some sandhills on a hot day ditto.
That is the reason Land Cruisers still have viscous. Have new RRs got one also? It's not a modernity thing it's a usage thing.
Regardds Philip A

Originally Posted by glenn82

rodding cost me $99 with me pulling the rad out.

Excellent price .... I pay $150

Originally Posted by glenn82

also does any 1 know the cost of new radiator as the bloke says it will need to be replaced within 12 months..

I paid $600 for a Copper core heavy duty 2 years ago

Originally Posted by glenn82

have spent nearly $3k on the beast

That's nothing .... You should see my "parts only" bill so far

Originally Posted by PhilipA

I was idly pondering the viscous a while ago, and it occurred to me that the power loss at cruise would be nix/nada.
This is because the airflow through the radiator would be trying to turn the fan, thus taking a lot of the load from the engine in driving it.

Not in a viscous unit. You still have the frictional load from the silicone oil and that depends on how much the spiral wire has opened or closed the bleed ports. On top of that, your viscous still cuts in and out like a thermo, but increases load everytime it does.

I first saw this effect in Saudi, when I could hear this squeaking from the front of my car when cruising. I saw from another car that it was my ( dry bush) thermos going like mad from the wind flow.
Around town is another matter however .

As with previous posts on the subject, I still think the desirability of electric fans depends on your use of the car. Tow with a tailwind on a 40c day with aircon on and see how far you get . Do low range through some sandhills on a hot day ditto.

With the aircon on, the condenser fans run as the varying flow in stop start is not sufficient to cool the condenser.
A viscous will almost never unlock itself from the extra heat coming from the condenser not to mention the hot ambient air adding to it.
With my setup, as I wired the SPAL's up to the condenser fan wiring, they come on automatically with the A/C.

Thermo fans address all the shortcomings of couplings. Constant rate of flow regardless of engine speed, no loss of engine power, more efficient cooling and take up less space.
You would be surprised at how much more room there is between the rad and the fan pulleys. Much easier to work on when adjusting pulleys etc.
I can switch mine to auto, manual or off if I want to go wading.

Then why do 4WD manufacturers still fit viscous fans?

They are aware of all the things you say, and test their cars in the worst conditions.
They are desperate to get better fuel economy as well as drive-by noise numbers yet they still fit viscous fans, why?
AFAIK Toyota put electric fans on all their road cars yet still have viscous in their 4wd.
I think it was this that decided it for me when I was considering it.
Regards Philip A

Originally Posted by PhilipA

Then why do 4WD manufacturers still fit viscous fans?

They are aware of all the things you say, and test their cars in the worst conditions.
They are desperate to get better fuel economy as well as drive-by noise numbers yet they still fit viscous fans, why?
AFAIK Toyota put electric fans on all their road cars yet still have viscous in their 4wd.
I think it was this that decided it for me when I was considering it.
Regards Philip A

Thats the question that eludes me. All I know is I used to sell a lot of solid hub adaptors for cruisers working in pits and underground mines here as the viscous units just werent up to the job. The solid adaptors which we had custom made at least keep the fan at a max speed when trying to haul up and out of the pits under load. We suggested the thermos to them but the ease of fitment was the decider for them even though it cost basically the same.
Maybe its just the simplicity of it all.....