Does the Chevy HHR fan keep YOUR rig cool?

[Maniak]

It appears the HHR fan is working for some people, and not others..

if YOU have a Chevy HHR fan on your vehicle please answer this Poll. If you do not have an HHR fan on your rig (or did have) do not vote in the poll or I will have to smack you upside the head with a Hayden Severe duty fan clutch:

Once you have voted, please post a message with info about your Rig..

It should contain

Vehicle Make/Model/year
Engine type
Auto or Manual Trans
Radiator type (single core, double core etc)
A/C
Fan on/off temps and where the sensor is

Other useful info if it isn't working for you would be when does it not keep up (freeway, or city, with a/c on or off, and how hot was it when you were having the issues)

If it is working, useful info would be what temps have you tried it in and what conditions (slow speed wheeling, etc).

 

[Ronin8002]

I had one on my truck a while back. It couldn't keep up in the summer when I was running the A/C. It also had trouble keeping up when in traffic or offroad.

-2004 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 4x4
-4.0 V-6 SOHC
-Auto Transmission
-Stock Radiator (Trans cooler on the 3rd gens is separate from the radiator)
-A/C - yes
-I used a Spal PWM V-3 set to turn on 50% power at 190* and gradually ramp up to full speed at 198*. It used the factory coolant temperature sensor.

So I went back to the clutch fan and all is well.

 

[jd4242]

i have one on my 92 right now and it cant keep up.in 80+ weather i wont let it get under 190* and in 90+ in start and stop traffic it runs 190+ to 200+.in 4x4 ing it wouldnt keep up at all.i was just 4x4 in nc on the beaches just normal driving and it would over heat 230+!!i also run a 1200 cfm on the front as a pusher and it still over heats.
-1992 4x4
-auto- but run a all aluminum manual radiator with separate trans coolers
-no ac
-i run a 180 tsat
- i have a real temp gauge
-have a tsat in the heater hose with a on at 216 and off at 193

ill be going to the Taurus 2 speed but may try and see if that Taurus motor will work in the hhr fan shroud.my install thread
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=258507

 

[Xeek]

shouldnt this be: No - the HHR fan is not strong enough for my vehicle? lol




im using ronins old fan and controller.
i have been thinking of atleast trying something else. now that ive seen it overheats offroad also....
mudding = fine
driving on the beach some soft sand but mostly water side = overheats

my normal range is all the way to M-A on the stock gauge, then it drops to N-O, then repeats. sometimes itll stay around the R then drop.

my thermostat also busted after the beach trip, very slow leak from thermostat housing.


dont have ac, 1991, busted a4ld, mild cammed v6

radiator:
Radiator Style Crossflow
Row Quantity Dual-row
Radiator Finish Natural
Radiator Material Aluminum/Plastic
Transmission Cooler Yes
Inlet Size 1 7/16 in.
Outlet Size 1 1/2 in.
Core Height (in) 18.375 in.
Core Thickness (in) 2.250 in.
Core Width (in) 18.000 in.

the hhr is uncut and flush with the top it overhangs on the bottom maybe 3-4"
tranny fluid routes through radiator and two oem stock tranny coolers

thermostat is a duralast 198*, going to be replacing with a motorcraft 190* along with a flushing/new fluid



overall for city driving it seems fine. pretty sure its always on, atleast at 50% power. but offroad so far its a no go

 

[Dono]

I found in stop and go traffic with anything over 85* outside temperatures engine temps would climb above 205*. With AC on, temps would keep climbing. After a period of WOT temps would climb and the fan just couldn't get the temps down. At highway speeds, no issues.

-2000 Ford Explorer XLT
-4.0 V-6 OHV
-Auto Transmission
-Stock Radiator
-A/C - yes
-180* thermostat
-Temp sensor on lower Rad Hose (Exit from Rad)
-I use a Painless Controller set to turn on 50% power at 160* and full speed at 185*.

 

[jd4242]

shouldnt this be: No - the HHR fan is not strong enough for my vehicle? lol




im using ronins old fan and controller.
i have been thinking of atleast trying something else. now that ive seen it overheats offroad also....
mudding = fine
driving on the beach some soft sand but mostly water side = overheats

my normal range is all the way to M-A on the stock gauge, then it drops to N-O, then repeats. sometimes itll stay around the R then drop.

my thermostat also busted after the beach trip, very slow leak from thermostat housing.


dont have ac, 1991, busted a4ld, mild cammed v6

radiator:
Radiator Style Crossflow
Row Quantity Dual-row
Radiator Finish Natural
Radiator Material Aluminum/Plastic
Transmission Cooler Yes
Inlet Size 1 7/16 in.
Outlet Size 1 1/2 in.
Core Height (in) 18.375 in.
Core Thickness (in) 2.250 in.
Core Width (in) 18.000 in.

the hhr is uncut and flush with the top it overhangs on the bottom maybe 3-4"
tranny fluid routes through radiator and two oem stock tranny coolers

thermostat is a duralast 198*, going to be replacing with a motorcraft 190* along with a flushing/new fluid



overall for city driving it seems fine. pretty sure its always on, atleast at 50% power. but offroad so far its a no go

sounds like a no to me,why didn't you vote no.if you had ac it would be over heating in town and you didn't go through enough mud for long enough before you got stuck to overheat ;p

 

[Xeek]

well with my situation i dotn have ac. so its fine for that part, i wouldnt doubt ac would make it overheat. so i picked the sorta ok option. since it sees 99% road its doing fine. other 1% of off road trips its not.
i did go through a lot of mud, when i hit the ruts is when it was over. i was out there for 4hrs driving through there, last hour was basicly at WOT being pulled out.

 

[jd4242]

well with my situation i dotn have ac. so its fine for that part, i wouldnt doubt ac would make it overheat. so i picked the sorta ok option. since it sees 99% road its doing fine. other 1% of off road trips its not.
i did go through a lot of mud, when i hit the ruts is when it was over. i was out there for 4hrs driving through there, last hour was basicly at WOT being pulled out.

ac makes a big difference and i was just joking you about the getting stuck part!!

 

[Dono]

So, we seem to all agree thru first hand experience that if anyone is going to do a e-fan conversion to NOT use a chevy HHR fan. The $20.00 fan I pulled from the pontiac fan with the S style blades is working way better for me. This weekend is going to be hot (Around 90*) so I will be able to see how the fan holds up.

Having said that, anyone that wants my HHR fan can have it for the cost of shipping.

 

[Maniak]

So, we seem to all agree thru first hand experience that if anyone is going to do a e-fan conversion to NOT use a chevy HHR fan. The $20.00 fan I pulled from the pontiac fan with the S style blades is working way better for me. This weekend is going to be hot (Around 90*) so I will be able to see how the fan holds up.

Having said that, anyone that wants my HHR fan can have it for the cost of shipping.

sending PM

 

[Dono]

Happy to ber rid of it. I hope you will be able to piece it together in some reasonable configuration that will work. If it ships by weight, It shouldnt be much.

 

[jd4242]

i wonder if another fans blade will fit in/on the hhr or another motor.or it just might be easier to make another fan fit period

 

[Xeek]

ok now im not sure anymore. went to corolla today, in 4x4. didnt overheat at all. stayed around the M-A on the gauge. and to jd, i went further today then what we did a couple weeks ago.
i did start to get a little hot when i parked and left the truck on, it went to the L on the gauge.
new thermostat is sitting in the truck, this is still the current one with the leak.


i am pretty sure ac would do me in tho

 

[jd4242]

It should have got cooler when parked.i think you need a real gauge because that fake one don't tell you anything.the l could be 220+ witch isn't overheating but not safe.what did it say they day is was puking ,that's around 250 when its boiling over witch is very bad!!.it not about if you oveheat but if it keeps it at a safe temp,under 220.also it might not have been as soft of sand and it was all most 20* cooler this weekend!!

 

[Xeek]

i stayed on the water. and the sand was soft, around the same, and more of it. where we parked last time, didnt exist anywhere it was all soft.
the day we all went it was past the L, nearing the bar on the end.
the fake one does tell you what it is, but since it doesnt give you a number you have no real idea.

maybe i was just low on coolant that day, i know when i got home i think the next day i filled damn near the whole overflow.
and 20 degrees cooler my ass! im a lobster! lol

 

[Dono]

Ok, interesting the fan works for you. I think even the fan I'm using now would not keep up in the heat with the motor under heavy load for an extended period (4 wheeling in the heat).

What I have found with my motor is that I have to have the scanguage hooked up to monitor engine temps as my guage stays in the centre, even though tems have risen an extra 20*. I have a feeling once the factory guage rises, you are already at risk of hurting things (Another cracked head?).

Id like to see another thread on the Lincoln Mark VIII fan pro's and con's from peoples real world use, and if it's overkill for the exploders. Sorry, a bit of a hijak.

 

[jd4242]

Ok, interesting the fan works for you. I think even the fan I'm using now would not keep up in the heat with the motor under heavy load for an extended period (4 wheeling in the heat).

What I have found with my motor is that I have to have the scanguage hooked up to monitor engine temps as my guage stays in the centre, even though tems have risen an extra 20*. I have a feeling once the factory guage rises, you are already at risk of hurting things (Another cracked head?).

Id like to see another thread on the Lincoln Mark VIII fan pro's and con's from peoples real world use, and if it's overkill for the exploders. Sorry, a bit of a hijak.

I agree about needing a real gauge.

 

[Xeek]

yea i want real gauges for sure. is there anything i can add inline atleast under the hood to check the temps? im not ready for mounting gauges and crap inside yet.

i agree, we need threads for other fans also. i know explorinitup has i think a thunderbird fan? with a v8, would like to see a thread for that one and what he thinks about it

 

[jd4242]

yea i want real gauges for sure. is there anything i can add inline atleast under the hood to check the temps? im not ready for mounting gauges and crap inside yet.

i agree, we need threads for other fans also. i know explorinitup has i think a thunderbird fan? with a v8, would like to see a thread for that one and what he thinks about it

just in case you havent seen this thread
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=227617