Zebvance Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I spend most of my time crusing up and down the beach that I grew up at going fishing and booze crusing. Any way I have a 1988 mj 4.0 with the closed loop system and If I crusie around the beach in 2wd It starts to get in between normal and overheating, putting it in 4x4 helps and lowers the temps because Its not having to work as hard to get through the sand but still have gotten hot in some soft sand. However I can cruse around town and sit at a idle all day long and for the most part stay under normal, but thats as off right now in 80 degree heat. I live in texas and It gets HOT, so I don't know how the truck runs in 110 degree heat yet. I was looking at dirt bound offroads triple electric fan kit. however from what I have heard the stock mechanical fan puts out around 4000 cfm with is what dirt bounds kit does also. I guess what I'm looking for it was is my best cheapest way to beef up the cooling. I already am In the works for adding louvers but am not sure if that is going to be enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeep Driver Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Electric with shroud to make sure that 100% of the pull is through the rad. Mechanical fan...........too much variation in speed and too much pull lost even with shroud. I'll never run another mechanical on a keeper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backdraft Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 My opinion. Slapping a bunch of electric fans on it is just band-aiding the problem. Are you losing pressure? Is your radiator clogging up? Fan shroud in good shape? Electric fan working properly if so equipped? Have you modded the hell out of the drivetrain adding more work for the engine and still have the puny 20+ year old single core radiator? Those are problems to look at before throwing money at "look at me" parts. I live close to you and feel ya on the summertime heat coming up. But seriously, if your truck can't keep itself cool traipsing around on beach sand, then you have a real problem. You really don't need to upgrade to the open cooling but it does eliminate some headache. Personally, if I added a bunch of extra work for the engine, I'd consider open cooling for ease of use, 2 or 3 core quality radiator, and maybe even the heavier duty ZJ fan clutch. Ensure that my system is clean, water pump/thermostat are good, and I have no pinholes or pluggage in the system. If all that is gravy, then it would be on to more serious problems to investigate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirteatr717 Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Ever try letting air of the tires? its free and it lets the tires float across the sand rather than churning it, also just slap it in 4wd itll put less stress on everything and your truck will run cooler and you won't have to add electric fans and spend money on parts you may not need.... I goto the beach at least 2 times a week in the summer, of course its not 100+ degress here but it does stay over 85 for most of the summer and my truck doesnt get too hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeep Driver Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Going electric is an approach, not a band-aid. There are a couple of other reasons to go electric also. I replace my entire cooling system and went electric......but I did not suggest that you do the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backdraft Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Going electric is an approach, not a band-aid. In his case? Explain please... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeep Driver Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Last July I bought a rust free, damage free, MJ with 5K miles on a rebuild. Since then I have gone end to end and top to bottom solving any foreseeable problem. Going through all of my electrical and mechanical.....brakes......cooling.....front suspension.....new drive shafts.....replaced every sensor...exhaust and intake...etc...... Lot of money and time and effort. This year it will be paint and interior. I took an approach......since I cannot afford, nor would I anyway, buy a new truck this one will have to give me years of service. As it sits now I expect 3-5 years of DD hassle free service. I also travel quite a bit from home and I need to trust it to get me there and back. I say that for this reason, if I have a problem I solve it. Benefits- In my experience electric is more efficient and provides better cooling. Less drag on engine. When shrouded 100% of the fan's draw must come through the radiator. Clean up the front of the engine bay, I have access to service hoses, belt, water pump......etc.....without removing the fan. Should increase pump bearing life. Quieter, and for the most part, except for prolonged idle, the fan is not necessary. Safer as fan is more or less inclosed. When I find my keeper XJ I will also have the trans cooler separated from the radiator and run through it's own mini cooler with it's own fan. Auto trans generate too much heat and add to the cooling problem, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backdraft Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I understand and appreciate your extensive explanation. But that was with your specific case, not the OP's case. All I'm saying is diagnose the problem and repair it. I understand electric fans are an option. An approach. But as for them not being a band-aid? How are they not? Would installing them fix whatever's causing the overheating? Or would it simply mask the problem until it (if ever) failed to do so? I look at it this way. If my DD car was overheating and I took it to the dealer for repair, would I be happy if they ripped the mechanical fan off and put electric fans on. Absolutely not. Reason being? They failed at step one. Diagnose the problem. If the OP wants to put electric fans on his truck, then by all means he can. Hell its his truck. But he came here asking for advice. Best advice I can think of when your vehicle has a problem.......find and fix the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeep Driver Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Well then he should replace his cooling system and for about $350 he can do so. But he did ask about fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebvance Posted March 22, 2012 Author Share Posted March 22, 2012 The clutch is not slipping, I will try to flush the system though. and there is no air in it and the radiator is not clogged to my knowledge. But like I said I run pretty cool around town and idialing, and down the high way. Prob at about 180. its only when its under a heavy load going about 15 mph. oh and here is the truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I had a similar problem with mine. :idea: I live in NC and I know it doesn't get as hot here. In my case I had to look at maybe a cheaper quicker option. Mac's Radiator has and aluminum tank to replace the plastic bottle (mine was always hissing). It works great because there is no plastic. Later I ordered a 2 row radiator from 4WD :typing: . I also have a set of hood louvers that I pulled from my old MJ and have yet to put them on this one, but they did work great. Hey, its worth a shot and no wiring fans. Good luck!!!!! :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebvance Posted March 23, 2012 Author Share Posted March 23, 2012 I had a similar problem with mine. :idea: I live in NC and I know it doesn't get as hot here. In my case I had to look at maybe a cheaper quicker option. Mac's Radiator has and aluminum tank to replace the plastic bottle (mine was always hissing). It works great because there is no plastic. Later I ordered a 2 row radiator from 4WD :typing: . I also have a set of hood louvers that I pulled from my old MJ and have yet to put them on this one, but they did work great. Hey, its worth a shot and no wiring fans. Good luck!!!!! :cheers: so Is the radiator you ordered a upgrade from oem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 if it overheats when going slow, it sounds like the fan isn't pulling enough air. is your fan shroud intact? how old is the radiator? 180 is actually pretty low temp for a closed system 4.0L. 200-210 is more typical for a normal operating temp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PIKE Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 " I guess what I'm looking for it was is my best cheapest way to beef up the cooling." I would start with a new fan clutch. You can go with the heavier duty ZJ fan clutch like Backdraft suggested but its going to be loud. Might not be a big deal under 15mph. Do a google search for napa # 272310 lots of info on this subject. Also with the Macs tank that Shane talked about, you can convert your system from closed to open by adding an expansion bottle from a xj or mj that had a 2.5 Good luck. :cheers: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harley Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I would shop around a bit before I would buy from Mac's. I was checking out the website and noticed the plastic universal tank they offer is WAY over priced. They want $40 and I bought the same exact thing a few months back from Oreillys I believe it was for about $8! Just sayin shop around and check prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I would shop around a bit before I would buy from Mac's. I was checking out the website and noticed the plastic universal tank they offer is WAY over priced. They want $40 and I bought the same exact thing a few months back from Oreillys I believe it was for about $8!Just sayin shop around and check prices. :agree: but at the time it was the only place I could find the aluminum one like I wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I had a similar problem with mine. :idea: I live in NC and I know it doesn't get as hot here. In my case I had to look at maybe a cheaper quicker option. Mac's Radiator has and aluminum tank to replace the plastic bottle (mine was always hissing). It works great because there is no plastic. Later I ordered a 2 row radiator from 4WD :typing: . I also have a set of hood louvers that I pulled from my old MJ and have yet to put them on this one, but they did work great. Hey, its worth a shot and no wiring fans. Good luck!!!!! :cheers: so Is the radiator you ordered a upgrade from oem? yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche County Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 You can also add a radiator hose cap from a Durango, keep your current rad and have an open system, sort of. But I think your temps are normal, with an aux fan mine still gets hot when slow idling/wheeling. Also, check out hornbrod's set up, its sweet. I'm pretty sure its in the DIY section. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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