Well, I think a lot of it has to do with how they are setup. If they are controlled by the thermostat, then they sometimes tend to not come on at the right time and cause overheating in traffic and such. If they are on all the time, then they still cannot pull enough air at sustained high speeds.

A few weeks ago, a bunch of us MKIV Supra guys were doing some high speed driving on some twisty country roads. Keep in mind we are in Canada, and it's not as hot as some places in the USA. Anyways, about 10-15 minutes into the run, one of the guys began to overheat. Sure enough, it was the guy with the FAL fans. He has a Fluidyne radiator as well. My car, with the stock fan and stock rad, had no problems though the entire 45 minutes drive. Neither did any of the other cars running the stock cooling system. That alone made me believe that the FAL fans are crap.

I actually have a set of FAL fans that I bought and had planned to install with my Fluidyne, but I've heard of so many different problems with them (overheating, drained ALT, wires melting) that I have now decided to sell my stock fans. I figure that if I ever wanted to build a show car, then I'd put them in. But for now, I'll take functionality over looks.

BTW, in person, the FAL fans really do make the engine bay look a lot nicer. Too bad nobody has come out with a fan that looks as good and actually improves on the stock fan's functionality.

 

My main concerns is that I'm planning on replacing the OEM radiator with a PWR unit and since this unit brings the fan shroud so much closer to the engine and the intercooler to throttle body inlet pipe I was planning on relocating the battery to the back and getting rid of the OEM fan setup. The TRD thermostat is on the way as well. But I really don't care for the OEM clutch fan setup. The drag that it causes on the engine alone tells me to get rid of it. Even though everyone still insists on avoiding it, I'm going to attempt it anyways. I'm going to see if the fans can be staged to come on in a two stage temp control. Basically involves using both fans in series (@ 170 deg F) to run 6V thru each one and then turn them into individual circuits @ 180 F.

Joe.

 

Best of luck with the elec fans...I've elec fans on 2 separate supras and took them out both times. Not only had both Supra overheated - the majority of elec fans draw a good bit of current, sometimes enough to see the dome lights dim (at idle....).

In my experience...in normal driving (no boost) on a Summer day - the car would overheat in ~30-40min and included mostly highway with a portion of around town / traffic. Once swapped back to the stock setup - no overheating at all..even in Summer heat.

Jay

 

My main concerns is that I'm planning on replacing the OEM radiator with a PWR unit and since this unit brings the fan shroud so much closer to the engine and the intercooler to throttle body inlet pipe I was planning on relocating the battery to the back and getting rid of the OEM fan setup. The TRD thermostat is on the way as well. But I really don't care for the OEM clutch fan setup. The drag that it causes on the engine alone tells me to get rid of it. Even though everyone still insists on avoiding it, I'm going to attempt it anyways. I'm going to see if the fans can be staged to come on in a two stage temp control. Basically involves using both fans in series (@ 170 deg F) to run 6V thru each one and then turn them into individual circuits @ 180 F.

Joe.

I actually had this same concern, which is why I decided on a Fluidyne instead. It'll fit with the stock shroud no problem. No one has been able to prove that PWR cools better than Fluidyne, and since most road racers use Fluidyne, it's obviously good enough for a street car.

As for the drag on the engine, I've heard you'll gain no more than 5hp from switching to FAL fans. To me, 5hp isn't worth the chance of overheating or killing my alt.

Might as well try it and see if it works for you. Some people do run the fans without any problems.

 

http://www.aq.wakwak.com/~ooparts/index/car/listbybrand/pentroof/supra/index80.html

I was on some research about why these cars would overheat and i'm wondering if this could be a remedy that the guys here have not come across. Let me know what you guys think.

Joe.

 

I have one large electric fan (rated at 2300cfm) and have no issues at all with overheating. It is wired to run all the time, and i have driven 2 hours straight in 80 degree weather just fine.

 

FWIW, I have the dual electric fans (on stock radiator), and they are wired to run any time the ignition is on. I have noticed no overheating in my car, and it runs a bit cooler than my 94 supra w/ stock fan and radiator.


mav

 

i have a greddy 3 row, pwr and the only modification i had to do is trim a very small piece off the stock fan. I did that just incase i didn't want the shroud to get torn up. I've taken the car to 160 mph since with no cooling problems or any damages to the stock shroud. Anyone who says that a PWR assist in the engine's ability to run any cooler over a fluidyne is insane. Bill Perkins reported in a 25F drop in engine oil from going from a stock 95 radiator to a pwr. He also reported that he only gained 15F drop in engine oil with an oil cooler after he put the PWR on. If you do the math, a Fluidyne barely holds a quart more than stock while a PWR hold 2.5 quarts more therefore aiding the stock cooling system.

good luck,
sid

 

no problem for me either . I have dual electrics and ran the car hard. I wouldnt trade them !
John

 

Sid - I have no facts to back any of this up, but this is what I've been told by some of the T04r.com members who often road race. Because the Fluidyne is thinner, it allows air to travel through quicker, and thus, cooling is improved. So although there may not be as much coolant in it, the coolant is cooled quicker than it would be in the Fluidyne, making up for the PWR's extra capacity.

That being said, either radiator will work great, so to me, I'd prefer something a bit lighter and easier to install.

Sorry for the hi-jack.....

 

THE DUAL FANS DRAINED MY BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR
PLUS MY SUPRA OVER HEATED IN A NUT SHELL THEY SUCK

MATTER OF FACT I GAVE THEM AWAY FREE ON THIS FORUM
IM WITH YOU I WANTED THEM TO GET RID OF THE STOCK FAN
SHROUD ..........THEY CLAIM THE DUAL FANS FLOW MORE AIR
THAN THE STOCK ONES,S I SAY BULL SHIT

WITH THE DUAL FANS ON I GRANNY SHIFTED MY SUPRA AROUND
TOWN FOR LIKE 15 MINUTES AND WHEN I GOT HOME
MY CAP ON MY RADIATOR WAS READY TO EXPLODE.....

DONT GET THEM .. SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO ALOT OF
PEOPLE BUT WWW.SUPRASTORE CONVINCED ME THEY WERE
GREAT ....... THEY SHOULD STOP MAKING PRODUCTS THAT DONT
WORK AS ADVERTISED

 

Greg,

If the Fluidyne was superior then we would see a drop in temperature of the oil system which IMHO is the poorest cooling system made in the supra. Remember it is the goal of the coolant system is to pull heat away from the head. Having a bigger radiator won't necessary drop the temp of the coolant. Especially on a road track since anything above 50 mph is dependent mostly on the ram air effect and that is why efans seems to overheat in traffic.

A 20F drop in oil temperature is significant enough for me to try to find away to make it fit and work. If thinner was better then getting a small FMIC would be ideal since it is thin and would draw more air through it and therefore cool it quicker right? Ofcourse not, depending on your application and what you are planning on running and your power goals.

The thickest radiator possible without breaking anything is the best idea because the radiator is the last thing and it is not blocking a condenser, fmic or etc from getting the proper cooling.

Also the bigger radiator is able to expand the cooling capacity by being able to carry over 2.5 more quarts of water to the head. The only down affect it is it would take longer before the head would get to designed operating temperature.

Thanks,
Sid

Sid - I have no facts to back any of this up, but this is what I've been told by some of the T04r.com members who often road race. Because the Fluidyne is thinner, it allows air to travel through quicker, and thus, cooling is improved. So although there may not be as much coolant in it, the coolant is cooled quicker than it would be in the Fluidyne, making up for the PWR's extra capacity.

That being said, either radiator will work great, so to me, I'd prefer something a bit lighter and easier to install.

Sorry for the hi-jack.....

 

Well, a FMIC is a slightly different situation. Since it is up in front, even a thick FMIC can have air pushed through it at very high speeds. If a radiator were up front, you would have no argument from me, thicker would definately be better. However, when there is a big FMIC and an AC condensor in the way, by time the air gets to the radiator, it is not only moving slower, but it is also hotter. The faster it can get through the radiator, the less time the warm air stays in the system. For the cooling system, a smaller FMIC would be ideal, and a SMIC would be even better, but everything is give and take. A few degrees warmer engine is worth the colder and denser air getting into the engine.

As for the oil temp, I can't really argue about that, because niether you nor I have any solid facts about what the oil temp. drop would be with a Fluidyne as opposed to a PWR, on the same car, in the same conditions.

Also, there is something else that needs to be considered. Both PWR and Fluidyne have their own designs. Unless someone were to actually do some scientific experiments as per the cooling abilities of both rads, we really can't determine which is better. The Fluidyne might be better designed than the PWR, but then again, it might not. I'm sure both designs are patented and secret, so it's not like we can really compare them either. What I'm trying to get across is that there is more to think about rather than just thickness and fluid capacity.

 

As friend of main said AEM should have fans steering function "...The next release, 1.x that's being tested, will have a turn on and turn off temp". I am thinking of using to fans from lancer Evo 6.

 

I have one large electric fan (rated at 2300cfm) and have no issues at all with overheating. It is wired to run all the time, and i have driven 2 hours straight in 80 degree weather just fine.

Just you wait until you get into an "extreme" situation.

All the AZ guys had been running electric fans in 120deg. AZ heat w/ out problems. But when they came to Cali and hit the canyons, they had problems overheating so they all switched back. The 85 deg. heat, altitude (5000ft.) and constant load/boosting (mountain roads) was too much for the electric fans.

The stock fan is the most efficient.

 

Just you wait until you get into an "extreme" situation.

All the AZ guys had been running electric fans in 120deg. AZ heat w/ out problems. But when they came to Cali and hit the canyons, they had problems overheating so they all switched back. The 85 deg. heat, altitude (5000ft.) and constant load/boosting (mountain roads) was too much for the electric fans.

The stock fan is the most efficient.

i only have to worry about that one time, in vegas this year. so if i make it through that, im fine.

 

Well, 10 min into my first canyon run out here I almost over heated too with these electric fans. I had no problem driving through Oklahoma and Texas heat on the way to Cali either. I'm going to have to either find a stock fan to put back on or buy one of those aftermarket fans.

 

Well when does the car overheat if it does? And when it does would raising the hood remedy the problem? As far as the temp goes. Does anyone have a fluke temp meter or an infrared pyrometer to check and see what the temp is on both the radiator hoses. If the fans are the problem then the temp on both hoses would be high. Whereas, if the problem was with improper under hood cooling the temp would immediately come down once the hood was raised.

I'm looking into the TRD thermostat and running the fans with an adjustable controller or the AEM to control them. Oil cooler is also going in with the stock cooler and adaptor deleted. I'm looking into a Setrab oil cooler and a Canton remote mount canister filter along with 8AN lines. Hopefully the reduction in oil temp would help in the reduction of viscosity breakdown and it may also help in bringing the overall engine temp down a little. And I just might be able to resolve the front main seal failure when I'll eventually upgrade from the stock pin wheels.

Joe.

 

I'm not sure....I did raise the hood, but I also ran the heater full blast...and the heat did come down.

 

south Georgia sux if you have a over heating problem, and i do

before water wetter i was 100C
no wiht watter wetter in same driving conditions 97-98C

TRD thermostat and cap on the way.

i have eletric fans on stock radiator, i over heat, and they drain my ALT

i will post my temps when i get the TRD stuff put on

 

Is the TRD thermostat REALLY worth having? I have the PWR on my car (finally...grumble) and I haven't noticed any change in temps. I thought about water wetter but don't know if it worth it to add some additive to my new PWR unit. I am about to install (or try again at least) a new factory thermostat, but should I upgrade to the new TRD one.


OH, and I'm glad I didn't switch to the new electric fans. Has anyone tried the SPAL electric fans?

 

IMO, you can't beat the factory setup of a manual fan and shroud. Best part is: it's free, it came with the car! That is an advantage RWD's have over FWD's - they have to use elec fans.

It seems with the TRD t-stat, the temp will get to around 190 deg VS 205 deg for stock. After extended driving, it may even get closer to 200 anyway. This was using a Techtom on a buddies Supra.

Al

 

OH, and I'm glad I didn't switch to the new electric fans. Has anyone tried the SPAL electric fans?

I think Ryan ( RSA SUPRA) was using the spal fans. I'm not 100% sure on that though. Maybe he'll chime in and clarify.

 

I have a SPAL pusher fan on the front of the radiator (13") and one behind the tranny cooler. (7")

Very high quality, but even those 2 draw some serious juice. But the pusher makes a big difference when cruising around town in really hot weather with the AC on.