Ok, I have an 88 BII, 2.9, 4wd, standard with AC. I had the radiator rodded out and cleaned up. Radiator is not original, it's all aluminum and a 2 core unit. New water pump. Took out the t-stat (temporary) to see if it still over heated. Truck will drive fine without the AC, but with, the engine temp will be right in the normal range for about 30 minutes, then slowly start climbing. Last time it did this, I shut her down and checked the fan... it would spin pretty freely, so I think the clutch is bad. Ok, here is the question, with that setup, should I replace the clutch with another, with a flex fan, or go electric?? I was thinking flex fan, but I cant find how that will work with the AC. Anyway, thank you for the advice.

Greg

 

I have had name brand e-fans on my f-150 for over a year now with out any problems. I plan on putting some e-fans on my BII when $$$ allows.

 

I've heard that BII's won't get cool enough with solely e-fans. What I would do is install an electric fan as a puller for the air, and then have a spacer and flex-fan. That should keep the radiator cool.

 

I think Romer ment to use the e-fan as a PUSHER.
I have had no trouble with the stock fan/clutch set up.Just make sure your clutch is working and that fan is not cracked.
This is what my fan look like after a wheelin trip.Between the black marks the plastic is cracked all the way to the metal.

 

Thanks Gray.. just because I have a few more posts than you doesn't mean I'm always right lol.

 

A couple of thoughts:

1) "I shut her down and checked the fan... it would spin pretty freely, so I think the clutch is bad." -- I have never had good luck using this as a test for the fan clutch. The best test I've found for a fan clutch (assuming the overheating problem is consistent enough) is: Remove fan clutch, disengage outer end of thermostatic spring on the front of the clutch from its notch and rotate spring 1/4 turn CCW (disables freewheeling feature of fan clutch), reinstall fan clutch, test drive. If overheating problem is resolved, then the fan clutch is at fault. If overheating problem is still present, then fan clutch isn't at fault (re-engage spring in its notch to reenable the freewheel feature).

2) It is also possible for the dash gauge to be reading incorrectly. I'm currently diagnosing an infrequent, intermittant swing of my dash gauge. My current test (waiting for the dash gauge to take off on me) involves monitoring the computer's temperature sensor, which is different from the dash gauge sender. I want to verify that the dash gauge "swing" actually represents a swing in the coolant temperature and not some fault in the sender/dash gauge/wiring.

 

At $20 a flex fan will be your cheapest fix.

FWIW: My 1986 BII, with a -new- one core aluminum radiator, with a new heater core, with automatic transmission, 4x4, 2.9L, with A/C on never oveheated in GA and barely reached the normal mark even during 90+ days. I ran a reg. theromstat (180?).

I would say ditch the clutch fan if it is giving you problems.

Though I would check the IVR too, that can make your guages a bit wacky.

You can go electric, I never saw the need. A good electric fan set up can draw 30+ amps. and to me that is the biggest draw back.

 

since we are in here talking about fans and such.. im having trouble wiht the TFI getting hot and causing intermittent failures with it.. ive replaced it several times.. ive upgrades to a thicker radiator. its an 88' manual.. no A/C .. when it it hot outside i sit at idle and then i have a problem with the power stuttering.. after it cools down for a bit therei s no problme.. htis only seems to occur on days where the temp is above 85 degreees. would a bigger flex fan . say 17 inches push enough air through the compartment to maybe keep the temp on the tfi below 200?? this see ms to be the failure point for it...

 

Does your BII still have the fan shroud {spelling} on it. If not get one.This will help the fan pull the air through the radiator.
If you let the truck idle for a long time,this is what I would do.91-94 Explorer auto tran. AC radiator Good fan shroud and stock fan/clutch.50/50 mix coolent and a good radiator cap.Also a 185 T-stat.This is what I run on my 89 BII and NEAVER had a proplem with it.The hottest I have seen it is 190 at idle with the AC on,it runs 175 to 185 on the road all the time.

 

Thanks for the replies. I think I will go with the fan clutch. The fan is in good shape, and I am pretty sure it's overheating, as it has boiled over on those occasions the gauge gets to the "H" mark. The front of the fan clutch has oil and dirt residue on it, which I was always told meant it had gone bad. Besides, $39.99 for a new one isnt too bad.
Thanks
Greg

 

well i went with a flex-a-lite fan and a spacer but i didn't the like spacer so i made one even less wieght than before. works great i have a pusher fan as backup in place on my ac condensor 16in thin line efan but rarely use it as for the cooling problem about the tfi module i wired in a 80mm cooling fan to give it some air.

 

i'll you you what.... i have tried it all! bigger explorer radiator, clutch fan, flex fan, electric fan, etc, etc..... my 88 bronco II still will run hot at an idle when i'm stuck in traffic. today it was about 105 degrees in the shade, so probally 115 or so in the sun and my temp was getting up there, about 220 or so. yes i do have a good aftermarket gauge on it. that was with the a/c on too. i just can't keep my 88 bII cool in the hot vegas summer. i mean it doesnt boil over but it does get hot. i'm about to give up and sell the damn thing. ive had it for about six years now, it looks perfect, but gets too darn hot. currently i have the 4.0 radiator, heavy duty hayden flex fan (for rv applications) so it says. fan shroud, spacer, plus i also have a small 10 " pusher in front of the a/c condensor. heavy duty trans cooler too. does anyone have any ideas????? im stumped at this point.

 

Turbo i am in the same boat as you man except when it gets hot the TFI messes up... i am currently looking into louvring my hood...putting in hood vents...the add a nice stylistic touch and if they are the proper size they are said to cool the engine bay by 40 degrees by letting the air ,off the headers or manifolds or what have you, go straight up and out the hood.. my friends cherokee has them and the hot air pours out of them,,, theonly downside is that you can see the heat coming out which ca get distracting the first couple of days driving hot... most vents have removable drip pans for rain or in my case the winter months when i want less air coming out and ice staying out.. maybe you could look into that i postedon a nother thread looking into something lie tjat still waiting to hear back form people. to me it seems like a viable option

 

yeah, i have noticed that the bronco II has a pretty tight engine compartment. i have have ttied to think of how to get more air in and out for a while now. i really dont want to start cutting the hood though, if it were a mustang or something like that i would consider a cowl hood and leave it open in the rear. but... i just dont think the b II would look rite. anyways good luck to you.