Anyone running without the fan?

dirtmover · **Posted:** Sun Nov 02, 2014 9:41 am

I'm about to change the timing belt. I was considering leaving the fan off for the winter. With the temperatures we get up here I can't imagine the clutch is ever released anyway.

Anyone else running without it?

flash7210 · **Posted:** Sun Nov 02, 2014 10:04 am

When I did my t belt 2.5 years ago, I took the mechanical fan off and never put it back on. Running electric fan only. It works great. Even in Florida summers.

dirtmover · **Posted:** Sun Nov 02, 2014 10:41 am

flash7210 wrote:

Running electric fan only. It works great. Even in Florida summers.

Just to clarify, are you referring to the stock electric fan at the front of the radiator assembly and not some aftermarket fan you put in?

Did you put the shroud, or part of it, back in to support the hoses that are attached to it?

diesel_guy86 · **Posted:** Sun Nov 02, 2014 12:51 pm

I took it and the entire shroud off 10k miles ago and haven't had a problem. I even towed a 16ft tandem axle enclosed trailer loaded down in 80° weather. The coolant temp did rise up 215° a few times but always cooled back down. Only fan that is there now is the factory pusher.

flash7210 · **Posted:** Sun Nov 02, 2014 3:54 pm

dirtmover wrote:

flash7210 wrote:

Running electric fan only. It works great. Even in Florida summers.

Just to clarify, are you referring to the stock electric fan at the front of the radiator assembly and not some aftermarket fan you put in?

Did you put the shroud, or part of it, back in to support the hoses that are attached to it?

Yes. Stock electric fan.
Yes. Put the shroud back in too.

I have never towed anything however.

WolverineFW · **Posted:** Sun Nov 02, 2014 6:39 pm

You will be fine. I was running most of the summer without the mechanical fan and shroud. Needle never moved off centerline on temp guage except for one really steep grade in 30C plus weather and immediately cooled down once reaching the summit.

dirtmover · **Posted:** Mon Nov 03, 2014 10:01 am

Thanks for the feedback guys. You've given me the confidence to leave it off for now. I just can't be bothered wrestling it back into place at the moment.

mass-hole · **Posted:** Mon Nov 03, 2014 1:11 pm

Better MPG's too

striperman36 · **Posted:** Mon Nov 03, 2014 3:41 pm

what fan?

I still have the shroud in though contemplating taking it out permanently after I had to replace the serp and idlers

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Mon Nov 03, 2014 3:53 pm

I ran without the mechanical fan for about 6 months -(electrics almost always on - because the AC is almost always on)

Temp gauge never budged until it was 105F and I climbed a hill.. the combination caused the gauge to move past 1/2.

105F, flat roads, traffic jams - were not a problem.

when I put it back together - I cut the shroud just below the bottom mount - easy to get out -still gives some top protection

SargeIndustries · **Posted:** Mon Nov 03, 2014 4:25 pm

no fan since March of 2011. 216 is the hottest I have seen it reach with a trailer and three dirt bikes in the back...

weeks101 · **Joined:** Mon Jul 30, 2012 3:29 pm **Posts:** 747

I remove the mechanical fan in the winter. I also block the upper grill. No overheating issues, but keep in mind I am in the tundra.

I do run the mechanical fan in the summer, as it keeps ambient air flowing across the intercooler while idling. This keeps intake temps as low as possible.

greiswig · **Posted:** Mon Nov 03, 2014 9:30 pm

Those of you running without; do you know what your ATF temperatures are like relative to with they fan? Or your intake air temps?

RockyMountainYote · **Joined:** Sun Oct 20, 2013 8:32 pm **Posts:** 77

Here in Colorado, you cannot run anything other than the mechanical fan if you travel I70w. 15 mile stretch of an 8% grade will exploit any weakness in the cooling system. I've driven 10+ different CRD's up it, and if they didn't have a newer fan clutch they would start to overheat like clockwork

dirtmover · **Posted:** Wed Nov 05, 2014 9:27 am

greiswig wrote:

Those of you running without; do you know what your ATF temperatures are like relative to with they fan? Or your intake air temps?

Great point but I'm not sure that Chrysler put that much thought into engineering this solution in the first place. Controlling the airflow through a stack of coolers doesn't really cut it for controlling the temperatures of the individual systems. I'd be very interested, however, if anyone has any data on the operating temperatures of these other systems with and without the fan.

greiswig RockyMountainYote

RockyMountainYote wrote:

Here in Colorado, you cannot run anything other than the mechanical fan if you travel I70w. 15 mile stretch of an 8% grade will exploit any weakness in the cooling system. I've driven 10+ different CRD's up it, and if they didn't have a newer fan clutch they would start to overheat like clockwork

Yeah, I don't think anyone is disputing that there are operating extremes where the mechanical fan is 100% required.

Anyone running without the fan?

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