Viscous fan ....... removing it for winter

I've had one TDi 200 and loads of TDi 300's and I can say without fear of contradiction that if the cooling system is up to spec, taking the fan off will do your TDi no harm at all.

Taking the fan off isn't a problem because when your driving the rad is getting sufficient cooling from the air going through it so the fan wouldn't kick in anyway. Even in winter if you leave your engine running for too long when stood it will overheat as the engine generates to much heat to be cooled just by the air around it
By all means take the fan off but put an electric one on instead

Hmm, i might try it today, see what happens. A decent leccy fan would solve the problem but i'd want to get one with a better 'stat than the in-header-tank ones that kenlowe uses, always had leaks on them on the series landy.

V8jon said:

Even in winter if you leave your engine running for too long when stood it will overheat as the engine generates to much heat to be cooled just by the air around it

Click to expand...

that's complete ballcocks mate - all diesel landy engines are designed to work their fooking nuts off for hour after hour, and i don't mean just a 2 mile drag up a hill with a few cows in the trailer

and in this weather it'll take an hour sat ticking over with no fan just to get a trickle of heat outta the block

Sean said:

that's complete ballcocks mate - all diesel landy engines are designed to work their fooking nuts off for hour after hour, and i don't mean just a 2 mile drag up a hill with a few cows in the trailer

and in this weather it'll take an hour sat ticking over with no fan just to get a trickle of heat outta the block

Click to expand...

So what's the fan there for? blowing marylin Monroe lookalikes skirts up

Sean said:

all diesel landy engines are designed to work their fooking nuts off for hour after hour

Click to expand...

I think thats what the fan is for

Also i guess for when your'e lugging a trailer full of camels across the desert, as we all do from time to time.

Sean said:

that's complete ballcocks mate - all diesel landy engines are designed to work their fooking nuts off for hour after hour, and i don't mean just a 2 mile drag up a hill with a few cows in the trailer

and in this weather it'll take an hour sat ticking over with no fan just to get a trickle of heat outta the block

Click to expand...

Coudn't agree more, a 300tdi will idle all day without getting up to temperature, even in the middle of summer. Warms up ok as soon as you start to use it.
V8 totally diferent, definitely need a working fan.
Run my 300tdi for years, summer and winter without a viscous fan fitted, no electric fan either.

so is it better to keep the fan on and use a rad blind or is it better to take off the fan and leave the blind?

oh and by better i mean mpg,bhp possible cylinder head death ect

I'm not answering but my money is on get rid of the fan and forget the blnd. My reasoning is solely based on the fact the blind will also restrict the cooling air to the intercooler.

But lets see what answers come forth...

davek0974 said:

I'm not answering but my money is on get rid of the fan and forget the blnd. My reasoning is solely based on the fact the blind will also restrict the cooling air to the intercooler.

But lets see what answers come forth...

Click to expand...

Imo thats the way to go.

I have never used a radiator blind, I just whip the fan off, keep it in the boot just in case. I've never had to put it back on.

I accept that as I'm moving away from std I must take on the responsibility for ensuring all is correct in the cooling system. Flush out the rad, put in good quality coolant, check the header tank level often etc etc.

I believe the fan is there because these vehicles are designed to go offroad, designed to tow heavy loads, designed to survive very hot climates.

If you only do modest amounts of the above and if you are prepared to take responsibility for the condition of your cooling system, operating fanless is ok.

thebiglad said:

I have never used a radiator blind, I just whip the fan off, keep it in the boot just in case. I've never had to put it back on.

I accept that as I'm moving away from std I must take on the responsibility for ensuring all is correct in the cooling system. Flush out the rad, put in good quality coolant, check the header tank level often etc etc.

I believe the fan is there because these vehicles are designed to go offroad, designed to tow heavy loads, designed to survive very hot climates.

If you only do modest amounts of the above and if you are prepared to take responsibility for the condition of your cooling system, operating fanless is ok.

Click to expand...

Hi m8, just confirm.....everything u said above is valid for Td5 too? .....coz i got rid of the viscous unit and i have the leccy fan and the thermocontact prepaired but if no need i wont fit them

I wouldn't use a blind but taking the fan off has it's advantages,people just need to be aware that the fan is there for a reason,if it wasn't necessary why did landrover bother putting it on it the first place? Maybe I'm wrong,maybe spending 16 years as a mechanic hasn't made me see things straight? All I can do is offer you my advice and that would be fit an electric one instead of the viscous fan

V8jon said:

I wouldn't use a blind but taking the fan off has it's advantages,people just need to be aware that the fan is there for a reason,if it wasn't necessary why did landrover bother putting it on it the first place? Maybe I'm wrong,maybe spending 16 years as a mechanic hasn't made me see things straight? All I can do is offer you my advice and that would be fit an electric one instead of the viscous fan

Click to expand...

I thought so myself that's why i've adapted the viscous fan blade to an electric motor and bought one of these too X-eng High Performance Off-Road Engineering ....i'm just fookin lazy that's why i asked

sierrafery said:

Hi m8, just confirm.....everything u said above is valid for Td5 too? .....coz i got rid of the viscous unit and i have the leccy fan and the thermocontact prepaired but if no need i wont fit them

Click to expand...

Hello Fery, all the comments I made about removing the fan relate solely to Disco 1 TDi engined vehicles.

I made a test on my TD5 auto in the summer, to see if it was viable to apply the same argument to that engine. I connected Hawkeye to give live readouts of engine temps and went for a drive. Maybe it's just me but I found that the temps continued to rise and I didn't want to push tooooooh hard to find out when the temp would settle. This is in part caused by the fact that accurate digital data was being provided and when you see the numbers ever climbing, it's a bit nerve-wracking. so I stopped and re-mounted the fan.

Yeah chicken, I know, but TD5 engines are a bit pricey

im thinking the way to go is whip the vicsous fan off and fit a leccy one off a car wired to a switch on the dash. most vehicles the only time you need the fan is towing uphill or in sluggish traffic on a hot motorway, any thermostat will only turn the fan on after the engines already started cooking.

thebiglad said:

......I found that the temps continued to rise and.....so I stopped and re-mounted the fan.

Yeah chicken, I know, but TD5 engines are a bit pricey

Click to expand...

Thanks biglad, it seems that i didnt waste my money on the bits then.....

you're not chicken just wise...and i'll be the same from now

Sean said:

that's complete ballcocks mate - all diesel landy engines are designed to work their fooking nuts off for hour after hour, and i don't mean just a 2 mile drag up a hill with a few cows in the trailer

and in this weather it'll take an hour sat ticking over with no fan just to get a trickle of heat outta the block

Click to expand...

Sean is right on this,left my fan-less 300 tdi ticking over for 4hrs by mistake,(got called away on another matter)the other Saturday-did not even get more than a quarter up on the guage-nice n warm inside though

for what it's worth .....

the 110 i use mostly has a disco 200 in, with no fan and a sheet a 3mm rubber behind the grill (fixed using the grill mounts) - and it completely covers the rad and the IC - temp gauge sits bolt upright unless it's been pulling a few ton on a trailer for a few hours, it then sits at 1ish

LR build them to cope with all conditions, so it's engineered to cope with the WORST ! - but as someone has said you'll not be towing 12 camels across the Sahara on a 3 axle iFor too often

BUT - if you already have cooling issues such as a poorly rad or a water pump that's sticking taking the fan off will result in a hot engine

don't forget diesels don't like running cold, in this weather there's a real possibility of the standard setup (without a muff) over cooling the lump

Well, i took the fan off this afternoon while at work and tested it on the way home which is 25 miles, half clear A-road and half bendy country lanes.

I did notice a 'slightly' quicker warm up but only by a couple of minutes, once the gauge started moving it went up fast which was a little unnerving but then settled exactly at the same point it always does - eaxactly over the wavy lines under the thermometer symbol, its never moved from this point.

The heater seemed a bit warmer and she was a little quieter.

The only thing i didn't like was the fact that i was preoccupied with the temp gauge, and was dreading the moment when it started climbing. It didn't though so i'm guessing that as it settled at exactly the same point as with the fan fitted, my viscuous unit must be working well.

I will leave it off for a few more trips but next time i get to work, i'll borrow the I/R thermometer from the workshop and check the temps on the rad and hoses etc, i need to satisfy myself that all is well and the temp gauge is working properly before i relax without a fan. Its an 88c (i think) thermostat so i guess temps around that will be ok.

Dave