Outer Limits 4x4 Board

i have a 89 model vitara, carby.

was wondering if anyone uses a thermo fan for their radiators, instead of the crank driven fan.

is this a good idea or shouldnt i worry about it.

i saw a sierra yesterday, running 35" muddies with only drop shackles, and looked like a 1.0L(judging by the tine pea shooter exhaust, and i mean tiny)
but with a huge (maybe vitara) radiator, running 2 thermos. not sure if there was a engine fan there as well or not.

does it free up any more power if i replace the engine fan with a thermo?

thanks

Does it free up more power... yes.

Is it a good idea? Probably not.

Being able to turn the fan off for water crossings (with an override switch or a timer) is a really good idea.... there is the potential for the fan to work like a great big propellor and pull through your radiator if the viscous coupling dies.

However, anything electrcial when exposed to water or mud may stop working.

How much water and mud do you face in your driving?

in the dry season, where theres no rain, its just all dust up here.

but in the wet/monsoon, it pours every bloody day. so i guess the answer is, a lot of water crossings, and mud driving.

is the thermo fan mounted in front or behind the radiator? or either?

i suppose if the fan/electrics get submerged under water, they might stop working, but if the water is that high for the fan to be submerged, should i be worrying about other stuff, like, engine?

well, i wasnt sure, as i saw the little sierra, and it only looks like a mud racer. like, it wouldnt have much flexing with 35"s and only drop shackles.
damn, i shoulda got a photo, but anyway.

if its a mudracer, then theres a lot of muddy water everywhere, and he runs 2 thermos of his?

I've quite comfortably driven through water over the top of my bonnet even without a snorkel (not recommended since doing stuff like this eventually killed my engine).

So I'd consider that to mean no, the engine can cope.

If you place the thermo fan on the inside of the engine bay (behind the radiator) it'll be better protected from mud and water.