Has Anyone Added An Electric Fan?

@ColoradoTJ You have a very good point. I can remember back in the day when I tried to upgrade the cooling system on my 94 Civic. The biggest mistake of my life. The HP cooling kit came with lighter racing pulleys, HP radiator, water pump, thermostat, and hoses. I installed it all by myself and was very proud that I did it. But, back then, there weren't any available tuners that I could install myself. I had to get the ecu mapped by an out of state company. So, removed it from my car and sent it to Cali. It came back within three days and I installed it in my car. Little did I know that the tune they put on my ecu was for a much more modified car than mine. My car immediately began to run hot an my cooling nightmare began. No matter what I did, I could never get the cooling right with the car. Even after I replaced my ecu and had the dealership reflashed it, I still had heating problems. I said, never again!!

 

To double down on @ColoradoTJ comments, I too have an LS in my crawler. I have a dual pass aluminum radiator and 3 SPAL fans that pull 60 amps on start up,if it’s a real hot day. 60 freaking amps!! LS engines run hot, similar to Toyota engines and I have a hard time keeping the heat out of the coolant on REALLY hot days. This is with an effectively air tight shroud. The same setup in GM trucks run fine with a thinner shittier alternator and mechanical fan.

 

I am not surprised by that LS performance issues. I stay away from all Gm vehicles just because the tend to over heat. I know that when I were on active duty in Afghanistan, all that I saw were Toyotas!! Them insurgents rode around in toyota pickups and SUVs. They never overheated it the desert heat, sand storms, or sub-zero temperatures of the winter. I have sent several rounds down range into those Toyotas engines and they seemed to keep on running just like the Energizer Bunny!! I am a die hard Toyota owner and especially Tundra owner for life. No one makes a better truck!!!

 

I just cleaned mine out back in the spring...was super dirty from OR.

As part I removed the fan and inner shroud...PITA. I damn near just replaced the whole thing with a Koyorad.
www.koyorad.com
Here's a vid of one being replaced on an '08. Same application applies for '07 - 18.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqsDJWtHmBA

 

I'd just leave the factory stuff alone. Toyota has done a ton of R&D on this, its not like a 1964 Impala with a 409 big block that will overheat in traffic or after 2 passes down the drag strip because the factory cooling system isn't up to snuff(and is probably the same radiator they put in 327 cars)

 

Electric fans have there place for saving HP but for everyday use i would stay away from them, I've worked on some GM cars with electric fans and thought they were a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. As for the the toyota cooling system i would believe it's a sound system. If you want to help cooling system especially for your location S. Florida i would use Water Wetter to help reduce the boiling point of you coolent to prevent boiling in the crucial areas of the system. I used to use it in all my race bikes to keep preignition in check. I added it to my Tundra for safety of the newly installed supercharger and to help out the after cooler performance, granted it's only going to be 60°s today in Minnatoeta lol.
https://www.tundras.com/threads/diy-supercharger-install-2016-5-7-ffv.26402/page-3#post-651304

 

Interested in this as well...
GM and Ford went the Efan route and you don't feel any fan clutch lag when accelerating. Though my wife's expedition makes it difficult to order at a drive thru every so often. When it's 100 degrees plus with the AC on, those efans are loud...

 

Electric fans fail in the off position. mechanical ones might fail but worst case is they run all the time.

 

+1
The db level on my 2014 f150 company trucks e fans are crazy loud. I usually kill it at the drive thru windows.

 

Very interesting. The fact that the cooling system plays such a pivotal role in engine performance, makes it one of a he most important part of a vehicle that needs to be improved upon. I’m not a mechanic, so, I will never mess with anything that I can’t handle myself. Stock will be my only choice from this day forward.

 

I already have more than enough noise to contend with in the cab of my truck. Therefore, I’ll definitely stay away from the electric fans. Thanks.

 

I added two auxiliary 12" fans as pushers in front of the coolers and they're toggled via a switch. It's not the most ideal because it's been proven that pullers are more effective (ie. stock clutch-powered fan) but I didn't want to remove the stock fan. I've done a few rough tests almost a year ago in Summer temperatures here in San Diego. I mostly use the fans when in 4-low for long periods of time in hot weather conditions on trails; I saw, on average, about a 11-degree drop in transmission temperatures.

 

That’s interesting. All feedbacks and research materials have steered clear of recommending electric fans for the Tundra. All of those learned people can’t be wrong. With that said, I’m keeping my stock cooling system as is. Thanks for the great feedback.

 

I run efans on 67 Chevelle and they pull 50 amps. That's huge amount of energy. And WTH is a sea wart?

 

True, but that is dependent on a few factors. Those being aerodynamics, mounting location and overall engineering with coolant flow.

 

So I thought about doing this for only one reason. Help with AC efficiency after a hot day in the sun or slow speeds. Increased airflow over 100* at low speed or idle will definitely assist in more AC efficiency... but unsure of the price being worth it. Did a water pump at about 145k and did a fan clutch at the same time... but same AC results. Cools great while moving or at 1500+ RPMs