Hp mods 200-250$

[aldive]

Best bang for the bck is underdrive pulleys.

Take a look at http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1377150#post1377150 and http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1394998#post1394998

 

[Xenowolf]

I went to a junkyard and got two fans off of a minivan or something at my local Upick junk yard... cost me 50 bucks only because i had 2 instead of one.

Turns out i only needed one because the second one wouldnt fit.

So I removed the stock fan, I made the mounts myself out of some thin pre-drilled strips of metal, wrapping onto the radiator.

Ran the wires to the battery and to a relay that is only on when the car is in the on position..

Fan: 25 bucks
Wiring: 15 bucks (with tons of leftover)
Mounting brackets: 10 bucks (with about 45 minutes of hammering them
cheap fuse from auto zone just in case: >5 bucks

Total: about 60 bucks

Car cools the same as it did with the stock fan. The fan from the junkyard had 10 fins all curved and angled.. which i personally like better than the fans I saw with 5 big fans.

Its lasted me about 9 months now with no problems and increased MPG.

I hope to put a second smaller fan between the radiator and the AC radiator just to help out some more.

I agree with everyone.. underdrive pullies and E-fan.. but dont get that expensive stuff, a junker is just as good and if it ever goes bad, no warranty... but 25 bucks gets you another one =)

-Chris

 

[CALDWELL]

thanks for the advice for pulleys and the fan boys !!!

 

[86EXPLORER86]

here are the pics of the efan and controller (kind of hard to see but you get the idea). I didn't realize how dirty the fan was until i took some pics. The controller should go for about $25 bucks.

the efan is held on by the plastic zip ties for efans. Fan has one wire that is grounded, then the positve goes to the controller and from there another feeds power from the altenator. Easy mod to do and plenty worth it!

think you could do a write up with pic's on how to install it

 

[Limited02]

I may be able to make a writeup. It's really pretty simple, but pics and a little info can go a long ways for people.

I plan on tuning up the ex this weekend and trying out some seafoam. I'll try to get better pics of the efan setup and the seafoam process. Heck, may even do a video of the smokeshow I hear will happen after you do seafoam

 

[Carguy3J]

I also have a flex-a-lite fan but I am not sure which model it is because my dad just had it laying around. I went to Autozone and bought a thermostat controller that you put the metal thermometer end into your radiator hose and it will read the temp. You turn a knob to your desired temp. Mounted it in front of the airbox and ran the positive lead to the alternator.

I would like to upgrade to a better unit because the fan only comes on when it reaches whatever temp I have it set at. So on a hot summer day, you cannot run the AC until the fan kicks in or you are driving(need air blowing over the AC condenser for it to work properly) So what I have been doing is I pop the hood, turn the knob down to low so that the fan kicks in ASAP. Get home, turn it back up so that I doesn't continue to run all night. The AC thing really isn't that big of a deal for me. I will get some pics up but I cannot find my USB plugin for the memory stick.

I can say that last week we had 100+ degree temps with humidity nearing 90% and the Ex stayed cool with the AC blasting

There is a very easy solution for your problem. Use a relay, triggered off the a/c clutch wires, to turn on the fan when the a/c comes on. That's all you need to do. No need to "upgrade" your controller. It will do what it does just fine. Set it to the proper temp and leave it alone. I've used one of those Autozone temp swithces myself.

 

[Limited02]

Do you mean like, run a positive lead to the controller from the AC pump so that when it kicks on, it will make the fan come on? Or run a lead straight to the efan to power it?

 

[High_Order1]

I think he means get a Bosch 12v relay that triggers off the A/C clutch switch lead.

Can anyone verify the A/C wont like it if you idle at a stoplight 2-3 minutes with no fan? I never thought of that...

-Shawn

 

[Rofocowboy84]

So I know this thread has mainly turned into the e-fans, but I have a question about underdrive pulley kits. Which kit would you recommend for a 4.6? Summit has their brand and Trick Flow's for $20 more. Are there others out there that you think are better?

 

[Limited02]

So I know this thread has mainly turned into the e-fans, but I have a question about underdrive pulley kits. Which kit would you recommend for a 4.6? Summit has their brand and Trick Flow's for $20 more. Are there others out there that you think are better?

I have heard good things about Steeda UDP's.

Also, no the AC won't like running without the fan moving at a stoplight. Mine just shuts off and blows hot air until I get moving, that's why I turned the temp down so it will kick in quicker

 

[rocket2ya]

im also thinking about doing the udp's but which set should i get? i see summit does have their own set, or should i look into steeda? any difference in brand? only reason i ask is because of price.

 

[X6StringerX]

All of the Mustang guys say that Steeda is the way to go. The other brands of pullies piggyback, whereas the Steed pullies replace your old pullies. I'll go on to say this as well, in the 4.6 Mustang world UDPs don't make that much of a difference. It could be night and day for an Explorer, but I'd do some research before I laid down the cash.

 

[86EXPLORER86]

can someone send me the like for the Steeda pullys for a 4.0 v6 explorer year 2004

 

[tonydp]

i would second skipping UDP from experience with my last 2 cars. Electric fan sounds best bet? Any info on hi-flow cats and Mufflers?

 

[aldive]

I have UDPs on my 4.0 SOHC Explorer and they did indeed make a good power difference as well as a gas mileage improvement.

I would say they are the best bang for the buck.

 

[Carguy3J]

i would second skipping UDP from experience with my last 2 cars. Electric fan sounds best bet? Any info on hi-flow cats and Mufflers?

On the cat/muffler question; I will be installing a cat-back Gibson setup, and NO cats. I'll probably post my experiences with that. It might take a while though. I'm pretty busy right now, and the Explorer probably won't be reassembled for about a month. However, based on my experience with another vehicle that had no cat (that I didn't know about when I bought it); as soon as I installed a new one, it became a real dog in comparison. Common sense leans towards cat-removal, or high-flows if your stuck on the rules, has to flow better than stock, and therefor make an improvement, much like a performance muffler,etc....

 

[Carguy3J]

MPG improvement?

I have UDPs on my 4.0 SOHC Explorer and they did indeed make a good power difference as well as a gas mileage improvement.

I would say they are the best bang for the buck.

Al, how much of a MPG improvement would you say (on avg) attributable to the UDP? (Yes, I know it's in your thread somewhere, and yes I've actually read all 100 pages or so. But it's getting cluttered with alot of other people's nonsense posts, and therefor very time consuming to find a simple answer, such as my question above.)

 

[tonydp]

any update on efan how to write up and maybe part list (efan and controller)?

Is there a way to have the fan run when stopped? i was confused by the fan not working? My wife likes it hot except when she's driving....the Explorer.

 

[Limited02]

That's the thing with the controller I have, when the the truck reaches 180 degrees, the fan kicks on and stay on until the temp drops below the set tempature. The bad thing is it take a few minutes to turn on because the engine temp needs to rise.

I have this fan controller. I have the zip ties for Efan holding the fan on.(I'm cheap)
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/ca...e=1631&searchText=&brandName=Compressor+Works

 

[macknos94]

what did you guys use to hold the pulley still? that was my biggest pain in the ass. how much trouble did you have what you tried to crack the nut that holds the stock fan in place