Would this mod be worth it...

Thinking about installing a manual override switch for the fan.    My temp gauge goes to about 210 on hard upgrades pulling my trailer (normal I understand)  and wondering if it would make any sense to start the fan earlier (somehow) if so how would I hook that up.  

 

  

Is your radiator cooling fan on a clutch or electric?

19 minutes ago, IBMobile said:

Is your radiator cooling fan on a clutch or electric?

 

Stock..  silicone material in a hub, on a bearing.  Not aftermarket elec.  

Anyway to tweak it?

2 hours ago, 015point9 said:

Anyway to tweak it?

Not that I know of.   If the clutch is coming on when under hard load going up hill an turning and off at the top then it's working ok. 

225°F is the far end of the normal zone. 

 

As for the mechanical fan clutch nor you have zero control. As for the 3rd Gens and up with electric clutch fans. I think you can program the fan using a Smarty Touch I think. @AH64ID would know that answer.

 

 

Edited June 2, 20195 yr by Mopar1973Man

Yes you can program the fan on 3rd and 4th gens with UDC Pro. 

 

@015point9 what temp thermostat is in your truck? 

 

 

19 minutes ago, AH64ID said:

Yes you can program the fan on 3rd and 4th gens with UDC Pro. 

 

@015point9 what temp thermostat is in your truck? 

 

 

Not exactly sure 100%...about 190 all day long till a grade either steep or not so steep but long.  I dont think I've ever been over 210 pulling trailer in western US.  

Reson for asking, I was wondering if there was a way to start fan sooner? 

 

Somewhere in my head I thought you could add more silicone mixture to fan hub or add a different sensor to make fan start sooner, before i got up to 210.  

Sounds like a 190° thermostat. They crack at ~190°,  but aren’t full open until 207°. Max allowable, per Cummims, is 225°. 

 

210° is a perfectly acceptable temp and I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s good to let the thermostat go full open. 

There is a way to change the locking point of a viscous fan clutch.  Basically, you shorten the spring that moves the pin which locks the fan clutch.  It is on the very front of the fan clutch.  Those springs expand and contract based on temp, and a shorter spring will expand/contract sooner engaging the fan at a sooner temp.  Just google "fan clutch spring mod" and plenty of YouTube vids showing.  However, It would be hard for a DIY'er to nail a temperature down without trial and error.   Theoretically, you could manually move the pin to "lock it", and remove the spring.  This would lock the fan at 70% (or 80%) as if the clutch were engaged all the time.  This is different than "pinning the fan", which would be a direct 1 to 1 drive.  Even locked, a fan clutch only spins at 70% or 80%.

 

But, I think these guys (https://kit-masters.com/fan-clutches/, use to be called "MS Tech") will modify the spring based on a specific temp setting you request.

 

I've also heard changing the oil in the fan clutch to a different viscosity will change when it engages/disengages.  

Edited June 3, 20195 yr by gerlbaum

3 minutes ago, gerlbaum said:

But, I think these guys (https://kit-masters.com/fan-clutches/, use to be called "MS Tech") will modify the spring based on a specific temp setting you request.

 

 

Would they work on a Dodge fan clutch? It looks like all industrial applications.

 

Just now, Mopar1973Man said:

 

Would they work on a Dodge fan clutch? It looks like all industrial applications.

 

In all honesty, I am not sure.  I heard of a company called MS Tech the Ford IDI guys used all the time but I can't find them anymore.  They may have gone out of business but a search for "MS Tech" brought that company up. 

 

Either way, I can't say for 100% certainty.  However, the spring mod will work for any viscous fan clutch - Ford, Dodge, etc...They all work the same.

1 minute ago, gerlbaum said:

However, the spring mod will work for any viscous fan clutch - Ford, Dodge, etc...They all work the same

True it would as long as it was calibrated.

 

10 hours ago, gerlbaum said:

.  Just google "fan clutch spring mod" and plenty of YouTube vids showing.  However, It would be hard for a DIY'er to nail .

 

OK thanks for info.  Your right...hard for DIY'er to get it right.

Not sure I'm going to mess with it now that I see how it's modified to come on earlier.  I know right now my fan works to spec's.  While I would like for it come on earlier, I can easely see where my desired end result might not turn out as planned and me having to buy another.  

7 hours ago, 015point9 said:

While I would like for it come on earlier, I can easely see where my desired end result might not turn out as planned and me having to buy another. 

 

Best having it come on later. Better MPG's. Higher coolant temperatures mean better thermal dynamics and more energy going to the wheels, not the coolant jacket. Then if the fan kicks in then it a fair amount of engine load to twist the fan for long periods for a loss of MPGs. Like I watch mine float up to 201 to 204F in coolant and hope to not trip the fan and typically get a small gain in MPG's.