I'd like to see the Website for the alt bracket too.  Is there any down-side to running a higher amp alt?

BTW, I've seen some electric fans advertised on eBay (so take that for what it's worth) that say they're water-proof.

Pics of the alt install and the fan install would be great!

ok i will deff make a better effort at finding that site again since i have had a few requests..it might take me a while i think last time i found it took me a few days of searching

the only thing i could see to running a high amp alt is..size..and also itl take more power to turn so u might want to do that and the K$N filter at the same time to make up the tinny bit u losse

That's odd.  Never had a problem with my Kick.

It has a plastic fan, and a liquid filled clutch.

When I splash it in the creek, it just spins at whatever speed it can, but never hit anything, or broke.  Not like you NEED a radiator fan, when the radiator's in the creek...

do all trackers have water filled clutchs??if they dont then theres no reason for an elec fan right? aside from the fact that it wouldnt strain the engine to have an elec fan

hmmm decisions decisions

do all trackers have water filled clutchs??if they dont then theres no reason for an elec fan right? aside from the fact that it wouldnt strain the engine to have an elec fan

Yes, as far as I know, they do (and it's not water in the clutch - that would freeze).

Wouldn't strain the engine?  Now there's a misconception!  Kick a high current load on, and watch your engine bog down!  Electricity isn't free, you have to create it with the alternator, and yes, your battery stores it up, but as soon as you start drawing it down, the voltage regulator demands more current to charge it back up.

The conversion of mechanical force (the engine roatating) into electricity (the alternator) is NOT 100% efficient.

The conversion of electricity (in the battery, replenished by the alternator) into mechanical force (spinning the fans) is NOT 100% efficient.

You LOSE POWER (in the form of heat mostly) at each step.  What that means is, you actually use MORE power from the engine with an electric fan, than you do with a direct-drive mechanical fan - the BENEFIT is that the electric fan can switch on and off, and the mechanical fan is always on.  If the electric fan is on more than about 60% of the time, you're actually using MORE power to run the electric fan, than the mechanical fan.

thats true..i just will have power to burn while the winch and other things (stereo) isnt on

doesnt an elec fan shut off at over 40mph orsomething like that?

i will take pics when i install my fan, but i will have to send them to someone to post - no www

my mech builds stock cars and suggested the el fan for more hp on my 4 cy engine, i agree with the loss of power by draw logic, but this should be resolved by an alt with more amps.  which should not take more power cause you will have to use the same size pully,  well it might turn harder...

watch where you get a fan, cause there are thermotic switches involved and the size on our cars radiators are pretty small.  size IS an issue here

i saw an gm alt bracket at http://www.trailtough.com for $24 or so.  but i need to call them cause its listed for a sammy.  and i read somewhere (?) that you will need to put in a slightly bigger fuse with a bigger amp alt.  and i looked at some 92 amp gm alts the other day at an auto el shop, where the guy told me NOT to try to amp up my alt, and the gm one was pretty much the same size as mine.  but it only had one bolt bracket on the bottom...

read someone used a pontiac 6000 alt in a sidekick but the stock pully had to be reamed out, why has no one figured out the right combo of alt to do this....or is that what we are doing

and.... the fan i got (and the one in my g/f 2003 sport track) are controled by radiator temp.  not mph.  i think they all work this way.

Yes, as far as I know, they do (and it's not water in the clutch - that would freeze).

Wouldn't strain the engine?  Now there's a misconception!  Kick a high current load on, and watch your engine bog down!  Electricity isn't free, you have to create it with the alternator, and yes, your battery stores it up, but as soon as you start drawing it down, the voltage regulator demands more current to charge it back up.

The conversion of mechanical force (the engine roatating) into electricity (the alternator) is NOT 100% efficient.

The conversion of electricity (in the battery, replenished by the alternator) into mechanical force (spinning the fans) is NOT 100% efficient.

You LOSE POWER (in the form of heat mostly) at each step.  What that means is, you actually use MORE power from the engine with an electric fan, than you do with a direct-drive mechanical fan - the BENEFIT is that the electric fan can switch on and off, and the mechanical fan is always on.  If the electric fan is on more than about 60% of the time, you're actually using MORE power to run the electric fan, than the mechanical fan.

it would be less of a strain though wouldnt it? ur alt only spins as much as it is going to it doesnt get harder to spin when u draw from it does it? so in a sense u take the fan off of the engine and run it using the electricity u are already priducing anyway...right??

it would be less of a strain though wouldnt it? ur alt only spins as much as it is going to it doesnt get harder to spin when u draw from it does it? so in a sense u take the fan off of the engine and run it using the electricity u are already priducing anyway...right??

Nope, if you weren't using any electricty at all.  All the power you will use is just to spin the alt.  The more power you use the harder it is to turn.

Think of a gas generater.  If you ever seen one operate, the engine has to work harder to produce more electricty.

oh..see id dint know that i thought the alt just spun at one speed....

that makes more sense otherwise if u have a 200amp alt theres alot of power being wasted

nvm im slow  

thanks for the info though

I'm running dual 12" electric fans with an adjustable thermostat. When they kick in i can barely tell,the motor doesn't drop any rpm's. Their also pretty quiet.

You also almost have a full liter more of engine also.  About a 1/3 more.

it would be less of a strain though wouldnt it? ur alt only spins as much as it is going to it doesnt get harder to spin when u draw from it does it? so in a sense u take the fan off of the engine and run it using the electricity u are already priducing anyway...right??

Bobzooki's first law of Automotive Physics:  Nothing is free.

If you have a MORE EFFICIENT alternator, it will produce more power for a given load on your engine.  Guess what?  Nobody is trying hard to make a more efficient alternator.

So, if you take out an 80 amp alternator, and put in a 100 amp alternator, it's gonna be harder to turn when you're drawing full power.  That's a bigger load on your engine.

So, you say, when the electric fan kicks on, the RPM's don't drop.  That's because of two things.  (This is hypothetical.)

1.  A 5 amp draw on an 80 amp alternator isn't exactly going to break the bank - it'll take a little more force to turn it, but not THAT much.
2.  When the fan turns on, it draws its initial current surge out of the battery, and the alternator load gradually increases as the battery voltage is drawn down (and the voltage regulator demands more current to charge it back UP).  So, you would notice it a lot more, if the battery wasn't there.

You could try this experiment:

Start the engine, and disconnect the battery, so you're running entirely on the alternator.  Turn on the fans (rig it).  Now you will se the ACTUAL draw that fan puts on the electrical system.  The battery just softens the blow.

The advantage of electric fans is that they are not on at all when the engine does not need additional cooling. That means that the fan is not on when you're driving down the highway. However, if you're creeping down some rocky trail on a hot summer day, the fan is likely to come on at least occasionally as the engine gets hot. Although there is efficiency loss in generating electricity etc to run the electric fan, there is also loss - sometimes significant loss - in spinning a fluid clutch fan. The fan wants to turn at engine speed. Any time it spins at less than engine speed, it's turning mechanical energy into heat. That's just lost power.

Here in Michigan it's all mud.  I wish it wasn't, it just get tirersome having to wash it all the time.  Anyway, electric fans just don't seem to hold up to that kind of abuse around here.

My 2cents