viscous vs electric fans

alright all?
as above anyone fitted an electric fan to their 300tdi and lost the viscous coupling? i am interested in any experiences anyone may have had in this area, also has anyone used the cheaper generic kenlowes as found ebay?
cheers in advance!

Also interested in doing this so will keep an eye on the thread.

I've used the slimline electric fans you can buy on eBay in other projects and to be honest, provided you are comfortable mounting/wiring them in, there is nothing wrong with them.

i have done this on my 200TDI and used a 14" fan from ebay, it's on a switch. i did a days laning on sunday and never switched it on. only every used it if the car is sitting still for some time. last time was it's MOT

krsmayo said:

i have done this on my 200TDI and used a 14" fan from ebay, it's on a switch. i did a days laning on sunday and never switched it on. only every used it if the car is sitting still for some time. last time was it's MOT

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so when u fitted it did u disable the viscous coupling or are you running the electric fan in conjunction with the std viscous cooling system?

i took the viscous fan off, heats up quicker in the morning too and has a bit more power

excellent, exactly what i suspected... i shall look into finding a decent one for mux.. thanks for the info mate!

can't comment on performance yet but recently done this few other things to do before MOT then it'll be time to see. I have a Nissan lump with a knackered fan so was faced with source another or elec, most research suggested elec best way forward. I went with a HP Kenlowe fan with 2 stage boost controller etc came in at about £150, happy with the fit.

what size did u go for, 16 ?

I stuck a 14" Ebay special on and switched it using an X-Eng switch that is fitted in the bottom rad hose. Although I've tested it, it's never yet come on, even when towing 2 tonnes of boat and trailer.

One thing I would suggest, get the correct mounting ties that go through the radiator, makes it a very simple job.

cbrr3 said:

One thing I would suggest, get the correct mounting ties that go through the radiator, makes it a very simple job.

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going through the rad is exactly what those ties do in some cases, use with extreme caution !

took out the stat today while doing fluids, filters and egr blank. temp seems 2 b behaving now so will hold off on electric fan for now. on another note got a galvanised roofrack with ladder and mountings for 80 squids today, result.

There is a thread on the V8 section on this subject. Concensus is;

Dr Landrover doesn't fit them - so why should we?
Cars with Viscous do not overheat, ones with electric do
The claims about HP improvement are never really substantiated.

I'm leaving my viscous.

nice one mr rennie... i think i am inclined to agree really...

Planted a 200 in my 0ld 90 so not much choice nipped down scrapy n got elec fan off a mondeo, there are 2 little lips on the fan cowling that sit in nicely, made 2 clips to hold the top in place then bought ........
[URL="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Electric-cooling-fan-Thermostat-4x4-Land-Rover-/350415719408
Had this on mine for 3 years np so far...
would surgest having a switch inline just incase( u dont wanna be gettin knee deep in shyt when 4x4 n and it fooks up).
As for it being better or more eco i have no idea.....

i can't comment on electric fans but i have removed the viscous fan and my temp gauge has never gone past normal so never saw the need for an electric fan

Well i've had both at various points.

I put an electric one on cos the viscous one, i felt, kept the engine too cold in winter..heater output was awful..the difference, if any, was minimal on heater output or power.

I took the electric one off when i did the 200tdi conversion intending to put it back on at some point...never have...engine never gets warm enough to turn a fan on. I drive 40 odd miles to work every day too..so not short trips.

So I have no fan and no problems....

why bother unless your going wading ,if you need extra cooling check rad is working properly eg hot all across and not just top hose side

I bought my 110 with an electric fan. As I had a couple of trips to Aberdeen when we had the snow I put a rad muff on, 65mph from Preston to Aberdeen and the fan did not run once!
I drove 40 miles in slightly warmer weather at 70mph and forgot to open the muff, the fan came on for 3mins as I was coming off the motorway.
I will have to wait for the warmer days to see if it's needed in the summer.

I took the viscous unit off my 200 to fit an electric, but then realised that as it had aircon fitted, I already had two electric fans!!

So removed all the aircon gubbins except the fans and wiring and dropped them back towards the main rad (aircon rad removed as well)

LR had the foresight when wiring these in, to put a back up in the cooling system in that when the temp does rise towards 3/4 on the gauge the aircon fans automatically kick in to help the viscous unit out, this is now my primary cooling system and works a treat.

ive had various cars and vans (including a talbot express with 2.5 pug) with electric fans..... none of them have ever cut in whilst driving normally. my feeling is that they only cut in if the engine is already well too hot.
used to tow a caravan with a astra and then a renault 19... fitted a manual switch to turn the fan on before going up big hills or if stooded in traffic on the motorway which always cooled the engines right down before the gauge went up..
.. imho the thermostat cut in is a safety device fin case youve gone to sleep and not flicked the switch manually