Northernpathy Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 I know more than a few people with the WD21's have installed electric fans to either help the clutch fans cool things down or replace them all together as the main cooling fan. But I was wondering if anyone with an R50 has installed one? My R50 stays pretty cool most of the time, except when you have the A/C on and are either stuck in traffic or driving slowly down the trail. I have stopped the truck on the trail in the middle of the summer to get out and look at something or help someone only to get back into the truck and have the needle at max on the engine temp gauge. It has also happened in traffic a few times. It doesn't take long for the truck to start over-heating with the A/C on and driving slowly. I have heard the same from other R50 owners. And yes I love having A/C as I have a lot of fat to keep cool So after doing a search and not coming up with anything, has anyone here with an R50 installed an electric fan on their truck? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WOT Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 (edited) I have electric fans, dual 14" slim fans. Only 2.5" thick at the center compared to the stock shroud and fan which is HUGE!!! Never had a problem overheating, and it has a built in a/c override. Turns on at 185 I think turns off at 175. The kit was relatively cheap on Ebay I think around $100 and 2 hours or so to install teh wiring cleanly and permanent Id suggest a cooling system flush if youre overheating while idling though, mine definetely never did that with the a/c on and I used to be in hours of traffic and I have enough fat to cool aswell haha. Also the factory gauge isnt the most accurate thing in the world, along with the e-fans I installed a water temp gauge to know the almost exact temp of the car For reference, I can override the fans so they dont turn on, and when my aftermarket temp gauge shows 190* the gauge very close to the H mark, 195* and the factory gauge is pegged out, and 195 isnt exactly overheating... Im pretty sure you need to be well into the 200's before your in danger EDIT: the factory fan I was told prodcues about 2500cfm, but has a great shroud that pulls air through All of the rads surface. I think my fans combine to 3000cfm with no shroud and Ive had no problems on the hottest days Edited February 5, 2011 by WOT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northernpathy Posted February 5, 2011 Author Share Posted February 5, 2011 Yeah I probably should go get it flushed out to see if that helps. But I have talked to 3 other R50 owners and they all said the same thing. On a hot day if they have the A/C on and are going slow, the truck temp climbs high very quickly and goes all the way up to "H". Did you remove the original shroud and clutch fan on the truck? Also, did you mount the fans on the inside (pulling air), or on the outside (pushing air)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 (edited) It sounds as if your fan clutch isn't working properly. If you can spin it really easily it is probably done. My dad had a bad overheating issue on his r50 and it turns out his fan clutch was gone and his radiator was clogged up. It started out with just whehn the air was on but then it happened all the time. When its really hot outside it should sound like a bus. Edited February 5, 2011 by adamzan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WOT Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Did you remove the original shroud and clutch fan on the truck? Also, did you mount the fans on the inside (pulling air), or on the outside (pushing air)? Yup factory shroud I sold locally for $30 I think, and the fan clutch and fan assembly itself was in poor condition so that hit the trash bin. I mounted the e-fans as pullers. On my "race" car Ive never had success mounting fans as pushers so I didnt want to try on this setup, and the factory a/c condensor is much in the way on my Qx4 anyways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northernpathy Posted February 5, 2011 Author Share Posted February 5, 2011 Great. Thanks for the info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northernpathy Posted February 5, 2011 Author Share Posted February 5, 2011 It sounds as if your fan clutch isn't working properly. If you can spin it really easily it is probably done. My dad had a bad overheating issue on his r50 and it turns out his fan clutch was gone and his radiator was clogged up. It started out with just whehn the air was on but then it happened all the time. When its really hot outside it should sound like a bus. Just went out and turned the fan by hand. Went I push it hard, the blade moves about 3 inches before it stops. Not very far at all. Not sure if that is good or bad, but seems fine to me. Will probably start out by getting the radiator flushed out to start to see if that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towncivilian Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Huh, I'm in Florida and never had my R50 go above half mast on the temp gauge *ever*, even middle of summer with A/C on sitting in traffic. Dunno when coolant was last changed (but I plan to soon), and my cooling fan is operating properly (just spun it a bit earlier today, seemed fine). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theexbrit Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 I have the FF Dynamics Stage 1 Extreme dual fan kit on my 96. It works great, has an adjustable thermo & lifetime warranty. I kept the stock shroud, just had to cut it a little to get the elec fans to fit. Out in the desert it never goes above 195f. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Just went out and turned the fan by hand. Went I push it hard, the blade moves about 3 inches before it stops. Not very far at all. Not sure if that is good or bad, but seems fine to me. Will probably start out by getting the radiator flushed out to start to see if that helps. That's about right. I just replaced a basically locked clutch on my truck, trying to move it by hand with any more force would have broken the fan blades and it wasn't budging! You also don't want it to spin freely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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