It is worth getting for the following reasons:- It saves gas mileage by freeing power that was lost due to the resistence of the mechanical fan connected directly to the engine
- Once you're traveling at high speeds, it usually doesnt even come on because air is naturally flowing through
- It maintains a cooler temperature at an idle or at very low speeds because an electric fan is not dependend on engine rpm for air flow
- Can be setup with a timer to allow air flow after shut down
It is not worth getting for the following reasons:- Once the fan motor dies you are
- It places a normally unneccesserry load on the alternator and charging system
- Ive seen blades shatter and ruin radiators, however this is very rare. Shouldn't be a problem with higher quality fans
- Another reason for an electrical fire
- Requires an additional electric theromo switch to trigger it
I would say that the benifits outweight the disadvantages. And if you are worried about the motor dieing, then simply carry a spare 12v motor with ya, problem solved.
But listen, this will in no way cure your overheating problems. If it somehow does cure your overheating problems, then you've got a more serious issue at hand, like a plugged radiator or a headgasket that is leaking water into the cylinder, and you are slowly loosing water.
Before I bought a new fan, I would check the silicon in your fan clutch. Make sure your fan has a good amount of resistence when the engine is off and cold, like in the morning. If the fan eaisly rotats and maybe even spins freely by itself, then this should be the cause of your over heating. See the stock fan clutch has a fluid that gains viscousity as it heats up. Once it reaches a certain temp, it automatically increases the resistance between itself and the water pump, and it grabs the fan and matches the fans speed to the engine's speed. This is what actually pulls the air through the radiator. Without this, not much air will be moving through and it could overheat. Its simple to pull the clutch off and open it up to add more fluid, just make sure you've got the right stuff.
Is your theromostat stuck in a certain position? In this case it would be stuck slightly in the closed position. Does it seem like recently it warms up quicker than normal on a cold morning?
Is your coolant mixture more than about a 90%/10% antifreeze/water? The more % of antifreez you run the lower the cooling efficiency of your cooling system. If you live in a warm climate, then I would advise more like a 30%/70% antifreeze/water mix; just use some deionized (filtered) water to ensure less deposits in the water to decrease the rate of corrosion within the system.
Have you tried Red Line's Water Wetter? I will be running 3 bottles of it in my 3RZ once I get it going on the streets. Track only vehicles are prone to using a 80%/20% water wetter/water mixture for maximum cooling efficiency on a demanding engine. But water wetter does not protect against freezing, so be advised.
Have you had your radiator flow tested? Is it loosing any water? Is your radiator cap holding the pressure or is your overflow tank overflowing?
Have you used a high pressure wash on your radiator to clean out dirt and dead bugs? Debris in the fins will dramatically reduce the amount of air flow and thus reduce the cooling efficiency.
If you have AC, is your condensor allowing enough air to flow through? or is it also dirty?
Have you installed a winch and it is blocking your radiator?
Is your engine running lean? This would increase the cylinder temps and place a strain on the cooling system. Is your gas mileage consistent or has it decreased lately?
When was the last time you flushed your cooling system?
Do you have any air pockets in your system? Specifically in the heater lines under the dash? Use the vent inside the engine compartment at the top center of the fire wall on the high pressure side of the cabin heater lines to vent out any possible air.
If you've replaced your water pump with a non-Toyota pump that uses plastic fins and you have over heated it a couple of times, is it possible for the plastic fins to have warped and possibly causing cavitation within the pump housing?
It could also be a badly worn out timing cover with pits on the surface that the water pump blades reside above. This is caused by runing old and sour coolant and by not taking proper service intervals over the cooling system. If the timing cover has many pits where the water pump bolts up, then the gap between the blades and the cover may have increased and will allow internal water cavitation, thus reducing the flow rate of the water through the entire system.
About the head gasket, have you ran a cylinder compression test and verified consistency between all cylinders?
Any moisture in your engine oil? Check under the oil cap for a white milky liquid.
Any oil in your cooling system? Check under the radiator cap for some grayish sludge.
If you do have traces of oil in your cooling system, then you may need to check and or replace most or all of your hoses that are involved with the cooling system. The rubber hoses used for the water lines are made of a natural rubber that will absorb any oil which causes them to swell and eventually expand and rupture. Make sure your hoses are firm when squeezed (
) and feel revalitively new. If they feel soft then they may have oil soaked inside of the rubber which will eventually destroy the hoses.
hmmmmmmm.............................
