So I drove about 15 miles on the interstate to Prattville, went to Bass Pro Shops, and then 15 miles back on the interstate to get home. Basically, about 5 minutes before I got home and off of the interstate I start hearing this weird noise. I wait until I get home to pop the hood and it turns out, that plastic casing that wraps around the front of the fan broke off, so I pulled it out, cranked my Jeep, and the noise was gone. Fair enough I guess.

What I need to know is, what is that plastic piece and what purpose does it serve and if my Jeep will be okay without it.

Thanks.

 

it is the fan shroud and make sure you get it back on it helps keep the fan efficient enough to keep the truck cool with out it you may have over heating issues

 

So the fan shroud should be a fairly easy pull from a junkyard Jeep, and then an easy install in mine? I checked the Pull-A-Part inventory online and there's no 1989 Cherokees, but there is a 1990 and a 1988.

 

think they are all the same but take a pic of yours to make sure when hunting for a new one

 

Depends on how you use your Jeep. I tow with my dd but don't wheel it. I haven't had a shroud or electric fan for 1 year and it never gets hot. But I live in Michigan so it isn't as hot here as in Arizona! They are over $40 at the Dealer because I just bought one for my other Cherokee. Even came with the sticker! Try driving it without it and see if your running hotter. Why spend the money if you don't have to... Just don't stick your fingers in there!

 

true i don't have the electric fan and it is OK but in hot weather i would not want to be missing the shroud on the main fan when it hits 110

 

I didn't over heat running 40 miles with this setup... Was 80 degrees plus that day. Ran her down the highway at 60mph! Was a little nervous about it at the start but temp gage held in there so I kept her running strong. Doesn't matter anyway I only paid $1000 for the purple one. Put 12,000 miles on it so far after I popped the front end back out with my tractor and put a new front end on her...

 

You really should run a fan shroud. The shroud is what makes the fan pull air through the rad (kinda like a funnel effect). Without it, while you may get away with it for a while, the fan is basically just swirling air around in your engine bay and not sucking nearly as much through the rad. You will regret not having one on there the first time it causes you to overheat thats for sure. Especially if you can get one from the JY. I got a factory electric fan from the jy for $20 so I can't see a shroud costing you too much.

 

exactly good point

 

Thanks guys. When I said "home" I meant my girlfriend's house. My house is about 8 miles down the road. My plan is to drive it tonight to my house, then first thing in the morning go to the pull a part to get a new fan shroud. Thanks for all the help guys.

 

You are correct the fan shroud is there to direct and manage the airflow as well as protect fingers. My point is why would mine never have a problem if I've run it 12,000 miles without it? I guess the facts are hard to dispute... If I noticed it getting hot I would not drive it to the point of overheating. I've kept an eye on it since I orignally repaired it and until I see a problem I'm not going to get excited. I will keep this experiment going just to see what happens! I'll ask some of the Engineers when I go to the Chrysler Tech Center in Auburn Hills next week... Just going back after a layoff... The auto industry is pretty rough in Michigan these days!

 

While it's true some vehicles might run fine indefinitely without a shroud, for the majority of Jeeps it's a necessary piece of equipment to ensure that the air that's being pulled in by the fan is indeed coming through the radiator rather than from around or under it. The safety issue goes without saying.

 

So I guess from my experiment we are agreeing in my climate and with my driving habits over the last year.... And absolutely no overheating issues the Cherokee must be one of those Jeeps.

 

Sure in your case, and I'm sure there are plenty of others as well. As you well know, there are exceptions to every rule. But for the "average" person that rarely checks their gauges, it would be a risky chance to take. We hear too many stories on here of Jeeps with the shroud that have overheating issues. Imagine if they ran shroud-less.

 

Since I am a curious Engineer I'm going to try an experiment. Down and dirty but should shed some light on the shroud and it's directing of the air in the engine compartment generated by the fan... Since I have one Cherokee with a fan and one without I will attach pieces of string to various points on the engines. These will work like telltales on a sailboat sail. They should show areas where the airflow is lacking because of the lack of a fan shroud. I will start with the many strings taped in identical positions in the engine compartment. If these strings are too light I will go to heavier string to illustrate the velocity of the airflow. I should have some strings blowing straight out and some at a point less than straight out if the shroud has a dramatic impact on the directional airflow.
What do you think? How about a little science Ol' Blu?
By the way I like reading your replies...
Man I gotta' get back to work... Getting way too bored... Please buy new American cars everyone! Save me!