Member Since: 25 Dec 2012
Location: leicester
Posts: 734
Engine cooling fan
Whilst looking at what’s involved in replacing an alternator I have been reading up on the procedure. I notice the size of the cooling fan is huge and I guess it carries with it an attendant power loss penalty?
Has anyone removed the fan and the pulley to save weight and reciprocal power losses and replaced it with an electric fan or even two?
My old shogun had a large similar fan which I replaced and the gains were noticeable but I guess the fan technology was older.
On a motorway not towing I doubt the engine requires more than fresh air blowing through the rad?Discovery 3 tdv6 HSE 2007
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14th May 2019 10:38 am
Pete K
Member Since: 15 Jan 2016
Location: GL
Posts: 10374
LR fitted these types of fans to suit off roading at 10 MPH. Mechanical fans are more suited to this.
Yes these are modern fans. The fan speed can be changed electrically. when the coolant temp increases or the AC is on.
I would leave the design alone. Plenty of other things to worry about!
p.s good luck removing the fan. Not a nice job when its been on there for 100K miles
14th May 2019 12:10 pm
rrhool
Member Since: 28 Aug 2014
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 4405
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14th May 2019 12:53 pm
lynalldiscovery
Member Since: 22 Dec 2009
Location: Maidstone
Posts: 7274
I think you would be mad removing the viscous unit and fitting electric as Im pretty sure any 12v electric fan simply wont shift the amount of air needed, then add in the constant low air flow keeping things at a sensible underbonnet temperature and I think the electric fan is a potential route to disaster.
We have trouble at work with the electrically switched/monitored viscous fan hubs causing all sorts of issues with just about every system on the truck.
14th May 2019 2:28 pm
L319
Member Since: 14 Dec 2013
Location: Herefordshire
Posts: 2080
The viscous fan drive is hardly ever engaged, the fan just idling most of the time. Mine only is running fully engaged on start up & hardly ever again. When I was in the US running at plus 39C it still didn't lock up although V8 D3 petrol one I borrowed was engaging at every set of lights. I would leave to its own devices
14th May 2019 3:16 pm
gearmuncher
Member Since: 30 Oct 2018
Location: Woodley
Posts: 143
the fan on a Disco 3 is electrically controlled, most of the time it will be doing nothing, just after starting it is activated and you can hear it blowing, I don't know why they do that or it may be just the way the viscus coupling works, it is nothing to do with temperature as it stops way before the engine begins to get warm.
14th May 2019 3:19 pm
Pete K
Member Since: 15 Jan 2016
Location: GL
Posts: 10374
It maybe as a self test or it maybe to exercise it.
14th May 2019 6:08 pm
discovery3ski
Member Since: 25 Dec 2012
Location: leicester
Posts: 734
Ok , I will leave it well alone.Discovery 3 tdv6 HSE 2007
Alfa GTV CUP
Alfa 156 JTS
Alfa Spider TS
Alfa GT Cloverleaf
Volvo XC70
14th May 2019 6:10 pm
lynalldiscovery
Member Since: 22 Dec 2009
Location: Maidstone
Posts: 7274
gearmuncher wrote:
the fan on a Disco 3 is electrically controlled, most of the time it will be doing nothing, just after starting it is activated and you can hear it blowing, I don't know why they do that or it may be just the way the viscus coupling works, it is nothing to do with temperature as it stops way before the engine begins to get warm.
All visous units do that, plain old viscous or electrically switched/monitored viscous and all that has happened is the oil in the viscous unit has settled to the bottom and when started it has to sort itself out which takes a short time.
Even when the fan is idling they draw some engine power not a lot but some.
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