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I was going to go with a zj fan clutch but instead want with the napa oem replacement. I was so impressed now all 3 of the jeeps have one including the supercharged cherokee. It was the fix for the low speed overheating in my case. They are also loud.
The main benefit I found from a HD fan clutch is being able to run AC at idle for as long as needed without coolant temperature creeping up. Also benefited when driving in deep sand which is slow speed with heavy load on motor and transmission.
The NAPA HD fan that everyone recommends is part #272310, and the application according to the NAPA website is 1994-2000 XJ w/2.5L 4 cylinder. Not a ZJ.
I did the napa zj swap. It's a tight fit so I'd make sure your motor mounts are in good shape. I've heard of guys whose fan has shredded the radiator. In my case I have brown dog motor mounts on my heep. The zj clutch fan works good but it is loud when accelerating. Almost like when a school bus is taking off from a turn that's how loud I'm not kidding.
Best option is to eliminate the mechanical fan completely and do an elecric 3 fan setup. If that' out of the budget the napa zj fan is a good choice. You will run cooler than stock.
Best option is to eliminate the mechanical fan completely and do an elecric 3 fan setup. If that' out of the budget the napa zj fan is a good choice. You will run cooler than stock.
That 3 fan electric setup won't pull as much air as the factory clutch fan, I have seen where people switched to the 3 fan setup and had overheating issues and went back to the mechanical fan. For the fan clutch upgrade the one for the 2.5 4cly is the one you want. The 4.0 ZJ had two different fan clutch options, standard and heavy duty. The standard fan clutch was the one that was the upgrade for the XJ 4.0 because the ZJ heavy duty fan clutch wouldn't fit. Now all of the auto parts stores only list the heavy duty fan clutch for the ZJ, which will not easily fit in the XJ. After doing some searching I believe the ZJ standard duty fan clutch, and the 2.5 4cly fan clutch are the same part.
That 3 fan electric setup won't pull as much air as the factory clutch fan, I have seen where people switched to the 3 fan setup and had overheating issues and went back to the mechanical fan. For the fan clutch upgrade the one for the 2.5 4cly is the one you want. The 4.0 ZJ had two different fan clutch options, standard and heavy duty. The standard fan clutch was the one that was the upgrade for the XJ 4.0 because the ZJ heavy duty fan clutch wouldn't fit. Now all of the auto parts stores only list the heavy duty fan clutch for the ZJ, which will not easily fit in the XJ. After doing some searching I believe the ZJ standard duty fan clutch, and the 2.5 4cly fan clutch are the same part.
4.0 runs hot yes but with enough cfm's coming from the fans it does work. I recommend looking into the 3 fan setup offered by Raffi over at k suspension. He sells a setup with a mounting plate and probe/controller. Everything you need for around $270. As far as the clutch fan yes you go with the standard zj not the HD. The HD is too big and you will have fitment issues.
I did the napa zj swap. It's a tight fit so I'd make sure your motor mounts are in good shape. I've heard of guys whose fan has shredded the radiator. In my case I have brown dog motor mounts on my heep. The zj clutch fan works good but it is loud when accelerating. Almost like when a school bus is taking off from a turn that's how loud I'm not kidding.
I needed a new fan clutch and was considering the ZJ swap. I work at Napa. My boss, who is a car guy but not a Jeep guy, said that it would be loud and my gas mileage would most likely tank. He said I unless I was towing or having cooling problems to just stick with the stock one. Since I don't tow and was not having cooling problems, with the exception of the fan still spinning after the engine was shut off, I just went stock.
I needed a new fan clutch and was considering the ZJ swap. I work at Napa. My boss, who is a car guy but not a Jeep guy, said that it would be loud and my gas mileage would most likely tank. He said I unless I was towing or having cooling problems to just stick with the stock one. Since I don't tow and was not having cooling problems, with the exception of the fan still spinning after the engine was shut off, I just went stock.
Any car guy would tell you to stick with stock. A jeep guy would tell you to run something that will help a hot running 4.0 stay cooler especially if you wheel a lot at slow speeds thats when temps tend to rise above 220 and im in Arizona it gets hot here. I never go over 190 when I wheel but I also have the aux fan wired to a switch. As far as gas mileage tanking I wouldn't doubt it. But then again I'm running 33's on 3.55 gears. My jeep is daily capable but it's mostly a trail rig. My mileage is bad already but I'll take cooler temps over a few mpg 's any day. And by no means am I saying stock is inefficient but a zj clutch is an old upgrade with proven results.
Last edited by studmuffin; 04-26-2018 at 05:13 AM.
04-25-2018, 05:04 AM
