Rakkasan_Jeep

Should the electric fan work just fine in the Jeeps with the hydraulic systems with out having to convert too much? I think I'm going to have to switch out the power steering pump and a few of the lines but I'm thinking the cooling fan should just be able to be plugged in, right?

Any info on this would be helpful.

dave1123

If you go back a couple weeks on the posts, this item was covered extensively with an excellent write-up with pics and parts list. Check it out!

Rakkasan_Jeep

I know the thread you're talking about because Flame was the one who started it, but I think he had a much larger motor than I do and he was changing electric fans, not converting hydraulic to electric.


Just to add, I did check the thread you're talking about and I sent a message to flame just to double check, but I do know he's running a 94 model with a 5.2 in it. I'm running an 03 with a 4.7 in it. The difference is, hydroboost wasn't introduced until 2003 when both Jeep and Lincoln started utilizing the power steering pump to run the cooling fan as well.

Last week we had a 2000 model come in, same size motor, just a 4x2, with all electric fans. This got me to thinking that the conversion shouldn't be too painful on expense nor time. But I did shoot a message to flame to see if he converted hydraulic to electric or just a full electrical fan swap for a better fan.

dave1123

I'm sorry to go postal on you, it's just that I've talked to so many people about this, it seems redundant to talk about it again. Yes, you can convert it easily. The reason Jeep went to the hydraulic fan was to reduce the load on the electrical system for all the electronics they were planning on putting in future jeeps. They used the power steering pump because it was there, making pressure and doing basically nothing most if the time. However, they are expensive to repair. Some big rigs even have hydraulically boosted brakes.

The biggest concern for cooling is the CFM of air moving through the radiator. Engine driven fans take a lot of power from the engine to run, that's why some have viscous clutches to reduce this load when they aren't needed. Electric fans draw about 30 to 40 amps from the system so they need temp sensors and relays so they don't run when not needed. An alternator only puts out about 10 to 20 amps at idle, so you can see that long periods sitting at idle will draw down the battery if they ran all the time.

All you have to do is block off the supply and return hoses to the fan or replace the pump with a different one that doesn't have hydroboost. If you're going to replace it anyway, that sounds the least expensive way to go. I think Flame said he could feel air being sucked into the radiator when his fans were running. That sounds adequate to me. Remember, forward motion of the vehicle does a lot of the cooling. If you don't think so, stick your hand out the window at 40 mph.

I don't think you'll have any problems with the conversion. Good luck and keep us posted on the results.