1st Gen Durango 1998 - 2003 Durango's

Viper Fan upgrade....worth it?

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  #41  
Old 06-24-2007 | 04:10 AM
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Kensai
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Default RE: Viper Fan upgrade....worth it?

ShadowRango,

Think again.Automakers put electric fans on cars instead of clutch fans mainly because either it is front wheel drive or cars that are not made to tow. Let's say the V10 you mention that would be in a viper. Ever seena viper tow anything other than itself? Big engines is one thing, but if they are in vehicles not design to tow or endure heavy loads, they won't even work up a sweat.

As I have stated earlier in my post, have any one ever seen a truck with electric only fan straight from factory? I haven't? That is the real debate here, D owners that do part time towing or even full time towing are wanting some hard facts before giving up the clutch fan for a electric fan. Otherwise, if your D is strictly for performance driving or just hauling your family around, the electric only fan should do just fine.
 
  #42  
Old 06-24-2007 | 02:53 PM
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Default RE: Viper Fan upgrade....worth it?

I'm more willing to take the chance on a Mark VIII fan for cost reasons. I'll be out less than $100 versus $450+ if I go Viper.

After my trip in July, I'll let everyone know the results. Guess I'll have to take the clutch fan with me though, just in case
 
  #43  
Old 06-24-2007 | 09:10 PM
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Default RE: Viper Fan upgrade....worth it?

I guess it just seems odd to me that a V8, even while towing, would produce more heat than a V10 being driven hard. Isn't the mechanical energy an engine gives off supposedly only 33% of the total energy, ie the viper's 500 hp engine gives off another 1,000hp worth of heat? Kensai I'm not questioning what you're saying, but I've never heard anyone say that a viper fan couldn't cool their truck. Most say that it never even has to use high speed.
 
  #44  
Old 06-25-2007 | 03:31 AM
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Default RE: Viper Fan upgrade....worth it?

I think the viper fan is more than enough even if towing.(low t-stat/goodwater pump/fabricate a shroud) My neighbor has a 5.9 ram with Ls1 fans and he's one of those "dedicated" people that love to tow just about everything. He said it never overheats and he turns the fans off on the highway. I want to put electric fans on mine but my charging system won't be good enough because of the underdrive pulleys.[:@]If you're looking for cheap fans(not $400+!), goto a junkyard and get them off a LT1/LS1. I bought this gauge/controller for my tranny/oil cooler fan, it should work great for a project like this. http://store.summitracing.com/partde...p;autoview=sku
 
  #45  
Old 06-25-2007 | 06:25 PM
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Default RE: Viper Fan upgrade....worth it?

ORIGINAL: ShadowRango

I guess it just seems odd to me that a V8, even while towing, would produce more heat than a V10 being driven hard. Isn't the mechanical energy an engine gives off supposedly only 33% of the total energy, ie the viper's 500 hp engine gives off another 1,000hp worth of heat? Kensai I'm not questioning what you're saying, but I've never heard anyone say that a viper fan couldn't cool their truck. Most say that it never even has to use high speed.
I agree, logically it should work. We're all just a little ansy here not wanting to dump alot of money for such an expensive fan kit and then find our expectations are not what we thought.

We cannot wait for Cesspool and Mean grean to try out the Mark III fan kit. For $45 just for the fan it is well worth the experient. I will be waiting in line to get my clutch fan removed and replaced with the Mark III fan after we hear the possibly good results from them.
 
  #46  
Old 06-25-2007 | 06:30 PM
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Default RE: Viper Fan upgrade....worth it?

Yep doing it tomorrow, The only thing is that I need an overflow and washer fluid reservoir out of a 98-99, I've asked all of my coworkers if they have them and was going to ask to swap out my shroud for their overflows but they all have 00's or newer. I think one of them has a 98' but thinks he has a 00' it has the OEM chrome rims that just look wrong on the D. Oh well I'm gonna call Dodge and see what they have and how much it will cost me, other than that Summit is right down the street and I know they have overflows.
 
  #47  
Old 06-26-2007 | 02:20 AM
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Default RE: Viper Fan upgrade....worth it?

MG,

What's wrong with keeping your '00 shroud?

IndyD
 
  #48  
Old 06-26-2007 | 11:51 AM
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Default RE: Viper Fan upgrade....worth it?

I don't see it fitting with the e-fan, I am going to give it a shot after I get some sleep since the junkyards I have been to don't have any overflows... Gotta get some sleep first though I just got off of a graveyard shift and I'm dead tired.
 
  #49  
Old 06-26-2007 | 06:34 PM
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Default RE: Viper Fan upgrade....worth it?

Ok, time for me to jump back in here with some more questions...today here in Buffalo it was only 91 Deg F and my D started getting hot again sitting in stop and go traffic. Hot in this case was above 210 on the factory temp gauge. It did start to drop once I was on the highway again, but never gets below what I would consider 190? ( I have to see what thermostat is in there when I tear into this thing...I bought it used so i don't know if it has ever been changed...) I looked over the engine compartment this morning and I have some questions about putting the Mark VIII fan in here ( i have also been watching a few on ebay!). I thought the stock e-fan was between the radiator and the A/C unit. Wouldn't you have to have a shroud built/fabricated that would completely cover the sides from the Mark VIII fan to the radiator for it to properly pull air thru the radiator? I mean if you didn't, then wouldn't it just pull air from the easiest source? ie not THRU the radiator, but from around its surroundings? And if you did make a shroud, would it have both fans inside it now making this a tandem fan unit with the stock e-fan discharge becoming the MarkVIII fans intake? Maybe I am over engineering this, just curious before I waste a day and a couple hundred bucks to find it doesn't work... Also, I know larger pumps can lose efficiency, what about the water pumps on the Ds out there? Do they fail altogether or can they lose capacity over time? If Im going to rip into this, I want to do it all at the same time since I don't have alot of free time...also any pics of the "all E-fan" or Mark VIII upgrade would be great, I will take some and post after I am done since I really believe in documenting all work done...Thanks guys.
 
  #50  
Old 06-26-2007 | 08:06 PM
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Default RE: Viper Fan upgrade....worth it?

360 you get rid of the stock e-fan as well as the clutch fan when you upgrade the e-fan. Aside from that I am almost 100% certain that your fan clutch is bad and it isn't the t-stat, it is a good idea to change it anyway but it isn't your problem. As for the shroud definitely leave as much of it on the mark VIII fan as possible because it will help with cooling but it is there. I am going to pull my sOEM e-fan and see about pulling the motor and blades (if it is even possible) so that I can keep the fabricating to a minimum and keep the OEM look.
 


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