Upgraded Fan or Electric Fan (5 Viewers)

[Valgrind]

Has anyone either added another electric fan to the front of the radiator or replaced the clutch fan with electric fans?

I am in Florida, 95°F day heat, just after 20 minutes of off-roading, both the coolant and transmission temperatures were at 230°F. That made me nervous enough to stop any obstacles and let it cool by driving somewhere faster. Also, temperatures were at 215°F just by sitting parked for a while. Usually, I'm getting 180-190°F transmission and 195°F coolant while driving. I don't think these temps are bad by itself, but I won't always have the option to just stop driving after 20 minutes.

I know a few people have installed other secondary transmission coolers but id rather try the fans first if I can since my problem is slow speed.

 

[bloc]

If your fan clutch is working correctly there should be no need to downgrade to an electric fan.

I say downgrade because there isn't a single electric fan that will fit into our vehicles that can match the air movement of our mechanical unit when it's working correctly. Plus, you'd be paying substantial money for this downgrade, and likely reduce overall reliability. Toyota has kept mechanical on the 200 and 300 while other manufacturers are putting electric fans on their quarter-ton trucks specifically because it has more capacity when needed, in spite of the NVH and fuel economy penalties.

A number of people here tow heavy through very hot conditions and while some have augmented the transmission cooling as you point out, I haven't heard of a need to improve engine cooling.

So yeah, I'd verify belt and tensioner condition, make sure the aux fan is coming on with AC, then consider putting a fan clutch on it.

 

[Valgrind]

If your fan clutch is working correctly there should be no need to downgrade to an electric fan.

I say downgrade because there isn't a single electric fan that will fit into our vehicles that can match the air movement of our mechanical unit when it's working correctly. Plus, you'd be paying substantial money for this downgrade, and likely reduce overall reliability. Toyota has kept mechanical on the 200 and 300 while other manufacturers are putting electric fans on their quarter-ton trucks specifically because it has more capacity when needed, in spite of the NVH and fuel economy penalties.

A number of people here tow heavy through very hot conditions and while some have augmented the transmission cooling as you point out, I haven't heard of a need to improve engine cooling.

So yeah, I'd verify belt and tensioner condition, make sure the aux fan is coming on with AC, then consider putting a fan clutch on it.

Okay got it. Recently had the belt, tensioner and actual radiator replaced. So maybe I'll look into the fan clutch, see if thats bad.

Realistically, what temperature should I be worried about?

 

[04UZJ100]

The cooling system on these is designed for severe duty on the most extreme places on earth. Florida isn’t one of them.

Something is not working correctly.

 

[turbo8]

What kind of off-roading were you doing and were you in 4lo?

 

[bloc]

Realistically, what temperature should I be worried about?

Modern engines can and do run a bit hotter than older stuff we're used to, but I do start to get uncomfortable above maybe 220. I don't closely monitor digital temps but can say I've pretty much never seen my needle move off the usual spot, which correlates to about 192°F. This is in traffic up to about 110°F in Central Texas, same temps at freeway speeds across Northern Texas on my way to Colorado, over 100 in Houston where it's much more humid..

My rig has 225k and I replaced the fan clutch as PM at about 200k. Totally preventative though, I didn't notice any degraded performance, just figured it was a smart move.

 

[TeCKis300]

Agreed an electric fan is not an upgrade. All Toyota body on frame off-road vehicles use belt driven mechanical fans as it takes a significant amount of power to drive these effectively for enough airflow.

Something is going on as these rigs are very thermally stable and built for the toughest work in the middle east.

Other than having a rig in good repair... is the radiator clean and not clogged up with mud? Do you have any mods? Front bumper and under armor. These have been known to affect cooling to a degree but probably not what you're seeing. Do you have the front upper radiator cover that sits forward of the upper support and grill (important to prevent hot air from circulating). Do you have the fan shroud in place? Also does it have good seals and gaskets as it comes from the factory. All these factors play into maintaining good cooling efficiency.

I've been on big sand hills crawling, idling, and racing up in the summer. I don't see coolant temps spike to any degree and it stays under 203°F.