Electric Fan Conversion

hamsta · 06-08-2007, 04:34 AM

I have a 1998 JDM Grand Vitara 2.5V6 with the same running gear as the later versions, and am wondering if anyone has converted from the viscous fan system to electric? At present I get a max of 10litres/100km
(28mpg imperial/23 US mpg) This is over 90,000 km's of running.
I am aware of the power loss of the present system, but has anyone got figures of what can be gained?

grats · 06-08-2007, 09:32 AM

http://www.suzuki-forums.com/suzuki-...400km-per.html

I don't know if this link will work but we've disscused this earlier.

JimD · 06-08-2007, 10:22 AM

Hamsta,

I do not know what your Suzuki has but the 06 and later GV has electric fan(s).

I would also add my 2 cents to the link posted above. If you get additional hp or gas mileage from an electric fan it is not the drive that helps, it is the coolant temperature change or eliminating running the fan when it is not needed. Converting mechanical power to electrical through the alternator to drive the fan is not 100% efficient (although it is pretty efficient) so a mechancial drive has the potential to be more efficient than an electric. The problem is that mechanical drives tend to have the fan on all the time or at least at times when it does not need to be. That wastes the power to the fan and can also make the coolant lower in temperature than it needs to be for peak engine efficiency (it might even actuate the choke at times).

My main message is that if you are correct that your 1998 is similar to my '06, you need to double check to see if you do not have an electric fan already.

Jim

hamsta · 06-10-2007, 01:58 AM

Thanks for the reply JimD. The Vitara 3 has electric fans but the Series1 & 2 are mechanical type. These are what we are comparing (engine size apart) The series 1 was JDM only and was a test-bed for the Series 2. Same running gear- different panels.

geevee · 06-10-2007, 11:59 PM

Our '91 Pathfinder had a mechanical fan, but the fan included a clutch controlled by a metal temperature sensor. So it only ran in high ambient temperatures. I would guess that some of the savings were cancelled by the thing typically having to be replaced when the vehicles got older. It would have to save a lot of gas to pay for the $100-300 replacement bill. Not to mention the fuel/energy needed to manufacture the replacement unit. I wonder if it was a net savings either way?

(When it failed, it took a while to realize something was wrong. It seized, so the fan spun all the time, making a funny noise I can't even describe. Diagnosing it was quite a challenge, as the strange noise corresponded to the engine revs.)

Even my '79 Chev Impala had a fan with flexible blades, so as the fan sped up, the blades flattened out. Hi tech!

MetalToyMaker · 02-05-2008, 12:03 PM

FWIW: Keep in mind if you swap to an electric fan(s).....not only does it need to turn on when the thermosensor calls for i, it also needs to be wired in so it comes on with the A/C.
If not, you will not get the required heat transfer through the evaporator coil (since it's designed around a fan running anytime the engine is running) and your systems pressures will rise ultimately leading to an early failure of the A/C compressor.