What is the "Best" Cooling setup for first Gens?

[RockRanger]

While I have 93 ranger it does share a lot of parts with the explorer. I have a nagging overheating issue on long grades I want to get rid of. When I am going to the local trails I climb from 1600 feet to 5000 ft in about 12 miles. It is one long continues pull. I pretty much put it in 4th and hold my foot to the floor to the top to hold 50 mph. It will hold the speed but the temp gauge starts to climb. As soon as I clear the grade and get into the tight turns the temp comes right back down. It will get slightly warm around town when the outside temps are 90 plus If I drive it fairly hard.
I know part of my problem is my winch is blocking airflow to the radiator. Short of getting rid of my winch that wont change, so I need to deal with areas I can change. There are a few areas I feel that can be improved: Radiator, Fan, Fan Clutch.

I am currently running the factory single core radiator. My understanding is there is a duel core radiator that is out there that can bolt in. Is that correct? When I change from single core to duel core I need to change the shroud as well correct?

Listed on Rock Auto is a 9 blade fan ( I currently have) and a 10 blade heavy duty fan.Has anyone made this swap and noticed a difference? Anyone know the CFM difference between them?

There is a standard duty and heavy duty fan clutch listed on Rock Auto. Has anyone ran either of these and been able to notice the difference? What is the difference?

My truck never runs warm on the trail. It can be 100 degrees plus outside and I can leave it idling or pulling in double low with the temp staying nice and low.


Any opinions?

 

[timtimtimajim]

I've had the same issue as you before and occasionally still do.

Yes there is a dual core radiator. I'm pretty sure most Explorers came from the factory with them. It should bolt into your Ranger no problem. I'm not not 100% about the shroud, but my gut says that yes it would need to be changed as well. Hopefully someone chimes in on that.

I can't speak to the 9 vs. 10 blade fan. Replaced my factory 9 blade with another 9 blade.

I just recently upgraded to the heavy duty fan clutch. It seems to help keep the blade better engaged and it seems like my fan now moves more air. Luckily it didn't seem to take any power from the engine.

I would say the thicker radiator and heavy duty dan clutch would probably be your best bet. I don't really see any need to switch from a 9 blade to a 10 blade fan.

Another trick that has worked for me to keep the Ex cool is to crank the heat when going up long inclines. It sucks when it's 90 degrees outside but it really helps to keep the engine cool.

 

[natenkiki2004]

Get the Severe Duty fan clutch from Hayden. I've got it in mine with a dual-row radiator and it moves enough air that I rarely hear it engage for more than 20 seconds or so. The bigger difference with the Severe Duty fan clutch is that it has a higher percentage engagement, same as the Heavy Duty but is built a bit better.

From Hayden's website:
Standard Duty Thermal
Turns the fan 50-60% of shaft speed when engaged. Used with fans with lighter pitch. (1-1/2" of pitch) Flat plate impeller design with 30 Sq. In. of working surface.
Heavy-Duty Thermal
Turns the fan 80-90% of the shaft speed when engaged for increased cooling. Used with deeper pitch fans. (2 1/2" of pitch). Land and groove design with 47 Sq. In. of working area allows higher operating RPM's.
Severe Duty Thermal
Turns the fan 80-90% of the shaft speed when engaged. Used with deeper pitch fans. (2- 1/2" of pitch). Land and groove design with 65 Sq. In. of working area. Larger working surface provides cooler running and longer life expectancy.


*EDIT*
Thinking about it more, the fan clutch wouldn't hurt but that would be more for stop & go and offroad use. The thicker/beefier radiator will help you more at speed. Your problem isn't necessarily airflow through the radiator, it's that the radiator can't dissipate heat as fast as the engine's dumping it in.

 

[RockRanger]

Wonder how I tell what fan clutch I have. I replaced it a while ago as I was having overheating issues when I installed my doubler. I could overheat the motor in about 2 minutes when I was in low low. Swapped a new clutch in and now I can hold the motor at 2500rpms in double low going 2 miles an hour and not over heat at all. I can't remember what I bought. I usually buy the heavy duty stuff. However if they didn't have it in stock I probably went standard duty.

Also who knew Jeep TJs were using explorer fans and clutches to help cool there motors.
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/tj-radiator-fan-upgrade-info-2000-2006-tj-1237538/

 

[jd4242]

The dual cores were stock for the autos..you can run them with a manual, direct bolt in..you can also get a 3 core aluminum one from ebay.

Id start there since you have a new fan and clutch but a heavy duty fan clutch will help alot all the time,sounds loud as hell like a jet taking off tho..

What gears and tire do you have?? Sounds like your loading the motor pretty well,3rd gear and little slower might be best solution

 

[RockRanger]

37s and 4.88 gears. I also have a roof height close to 80 inches. A huge brick in the air. If I turn the heater on it usually brings the temps back down a bit. My truck is no A/C so the first thing the air hits is the radiator.

 

[Brian1]

Dual core radiator and a heavy/severe duty clutch (automatic trans application) should cure your problems. I switched my single core out for a dual after one of my Mojave Road trips and pulling the long grade out of Baker, CA. Did the trip again after that and it stayed much cooler.I have had a "supercool" fan clutch from Ford for years but I think any aftermarket HD clutch should be just about the same.

You will need a shroud from an automatic if you switch to a 2 core, they are different thicknesses.

 

[natenkiki2004]

a heavy duty fan clutch will help alot all the time,sounds loud as hell like a jet taking off tho..

If I'm understanding you right, this is a common misconception. Heavy Duty and Severe Duty fan clutches don't engage more often or more frequently, they just run at a higher percentage of the input RPM. Standard, heavy and severe duty all engage at the same temperature but standard is at 50% shaft input speed while heavy and severe is 90% shaft input speed. It is louder and does suck more power from the engine but it's worth it.

 

[jd4242]

If I'm understanding you right, this is a common misconception. Heavy Duty and Severe Duty fan clutches don't engage more often or more frequently, they just run at a higher percentage of the input RPM. Standard, heavy and severe duty all engage at the same temperature but standard is at 50% shaft input speed while heavy and severe is 90% shaft input speed. It is louder and does suck more power from the engine but it's worth it.

I was just saying it will help all the time,meaning not just when he's running hot or putting a heavy load on motor..

Yes at anytime the engagement temp is reached he would benifit but with side effects ..

But having more fluid amount and more surface area to cool would be my first choice,meaning a thicker radiator/more cores..this wouldnt effect the power/mpg of the motor or the sound and maybe enough for his situation..even a oil cooler id look towards . .if not then id look towards the fan clutch but would be last choice, it definitely effects power and mpg. .

A single core is very thin(1") and holds barely any water..also using the wrong gear(transmission) or having the wrong gears can overload the motor causing it to run hot under heavy loads..

 

[natenkiki2004]

My bad, the way you worded that, it sounded like you meant that it was engaged more often or all the time. I definitely agree, he needs more cooling capacity.

 

[jd4242]

My bad, the way you worded that, it sounded like you meant that it was engaged more often or all the time. I definitely agree, he needs more cooling capacity.

Lol no need to apologize, i suck at explaining stuff or typing in general. .

I just dont think a heavy duty clutch alone would solve it..a thicker radiator may or may not, but its definitely needed either way and doesnt effect anything else and he has a new fan/clutch so we know thats good..thats only reason i suggested radiator first

 

[Turdle]

How old is your lower radiator hose?
It might be interesting to view a video of it while you climb said incline, if it is possible to get a camera on it.
It's not uncommon for a lower hose to collapse, or partially collapse when the thermostat is wide open, and the water pump is sucking coolant out of the radiator at full flow.

 

[malohnes]

At 50 mph a clutch fan is not gonna pull more air through the radiator than the truck can motivating ahead. You said the truck stays cool at low speeds and at idle, that suggests to me that your cooling system is solid over all but a little weak when at speed and under heavy load.

So, i'd go a different direction than others here and vote for an oil cooler. I'd also convert to E-fan to uncork a few ponies so your engine doesn't have to work so hard pulling up the grades. Jd's comment about dropping a gear might be good to, though your gearing sounds smart given your tire size. 37's are heavy and take some moxy to move.

 

[RockRanger]

Not sure how old the lower hose is. I have owned the truck 11 years and 12,000 miles of driving and don't think I have changed it. As far as gearing the truck has more gearing then stock as the speedometer reads about 7mph faster then gps speed when the speedometer says 60 mph. Today I went to the junkyard and picked up a fan shroud for a two core radiator. The radiators they had looked questionable so I will be ordering a new one soon.

Does anyone know a way to tell the difference between a standard fan clutch and the heavy duty?

 

[jd4242]

Not sure how old the lower hose is. I have owned the truck 11 years and 12,000 miles of driving and don't think I have changed it. As far as gearing the truck has more gearing then stock as the speedometer reads about 7mph faster then gps speed when the speedometer says 60 mph. Today I went to the junkyard and picked up a fan shroud for a two core radiator. The radiators they had looked questionable so I will be ordering a new one soon.

Does anyone know a way to tell the difference between a standard fan clutch and the heavy duty?

Gearing isnt far off so probably not causing your issues,for 37s you really should have 5.13s but didnt i see you have a doubler also??

I do not know how to tell them apart other than it sounds like a jet taking off even at idle and especially if you rev it.they are very loud compared to a stock clutch.i think you would know if you have one just from the sound,maybe someone else can chime in with more info

O also your probably going to need a new lower radiator hose anyways as the manual output on the radiator comes out at a angle and the auto come straight out.. (may have those backwards) so would be good time to get a new one anyways

 

[natenkiki2004]

For reference, here's what my Hayden Severe Duty fan clutch looked like before I put it in, next to the one it was replacing. I think you can tell by the largeness and number of fins. Less fins = less surface area for it to function/cool.

 

[RockRanger]

Yes I have a doubler. When I did the 4.88s I was running 35s and had to drive to the trails. The cost for the gear change now isn't justifiable for the small change. The drive ability and acceleration are acceptable to me as it is. I do not see bigger tires in my future as the 44 and 8.8 can't handle much more. I would install an Atlas before I did an axle gear swap.

I probably have the standard duty fan clutch as I can't hear a noticeable sound when it warms up.

 

[natenkiki2004]

I probably have the standard duty fan clutch as I can't hear a noticeable sound when it warms up.

That likely only means that your fan clutch isn't working 100%. At least the Hayden ones should spin engaged on a cold startup for maybe 30 seconds or 1/4 mile then disengage and quiet down.

 

[RockRanger]

But I can leave the truck at near idle for hours on end at 100 to 1 crawl ratio and the temp guage never moves up from where it normally runs. But a long grade and it warms up. I am thinking the larger radiator to give the fluid more time to cool will solve my issue. As soon as I finish pulling the grade. And get off WOT the temp comes down quick.

 

[malohnes]

I wonder if your hoses, upper or most likely lower, are getting soft from heat and collapsing, thus blocking flow and causing the issue. I've had that happen to me before.