Intercooler fan yes or no ?

[FNqGu04]

While looking for anew inter cooler I noticed a lot being offered with an electric fan attached.
Is it worth while having a fan on your IC ,just putting it out there ??


Craig

[MB]

G'day Craig, I'd say it depends on the intended truck usage mate. If it were for highway use then I'd imagine the scoop would do all the work needed. I'm thinking for low down slow crawling applications a fan would near be essential to stop heat soak on top mount IC's.

[threedogs]

there has been lots written on this topic have a search and see what you can find,
Depends what you use your Patrol for,,what motor /IC do you have

[Hodge]

My cross country IC arrived with a fan fitted. I wired up a in-dash switch so i can manually turn it off or on. As MB said, general driving around town or on freeway it makes sweet f*** all difference with fan on or off. If the cross country intercooler is as good as they say it is, I don't know why it comes fitted with a fan.... But anyway I left my fan on and wired it up.
I haven't yet tested it under crawling conditions though.
However... I have a enormous ARE scoop which scoops up a lot of air movement while vehicle is at speed. So...
My guess is, (and this is only my guess) cars with standard size intercoolers and/or scoops will benefit much more with a fan, than the larger intercoolers and/or scoops. The fan will promote more air flow.
My 2c.

[Winnie]

G'day Craig, I'd say it depends on the intended truck usage mate. If it were for highway use then I'd imagine the scoop would do all the work needed. I'm thinking for low down slow crawling applications a fan would near be essential to stop heat soak on top mount IC's.

I agree with what MB says here. In fact at highway speeds or even general road speeds, a fan is more of a hindrance than a help.
But offroad at speeds below 40kph then fan does help a fair bit then.
I have a fan on my cross country cooler wired to ignition so it is always running. I would forget to switch it on at low speeds if I had it on a switch, and I think it helps with heat soak when stopped at lights etc, it always has cooler outside air flowing through it so doesn't soak up as much heat from the engine.

[Wizard52]

In theory a fan should help at all speeds if set up properly as standard set up does allow air to flow through all the intercooler as can be seen from attached photo of mine. Back half is dirty from air and dust hitting top of intercooler but front half is as clean as a whistle. Standard scoop & intercooler.

[threedogs]

From the info I received when I brought my ARE scoop was the STD scoop
doesnt really do much till you hit 80KPH, with the ARE scoop fitted that drops down to 60KPH
Heat retention would be the enemy, Not sure which is the best way to wire one up.

[FNqGu04]

Hi guys
Thanks for your feedback , I have seen them wired up to a thremocouple fitted to the outlet
of the IC so it comes on when the air temp reaches a certain point .

[clubbyr8]

I mounted a 10" or was it 9" fan under the standard intercooler so it sucks air through the IC. It's wired via a Jaycar 50 C normally open thermostat switch that's connected to the IC outlet. I've also got a manual override switch in the dash. It sucks a lot of air through the IC and only comes on when the temperature rises above 50 C. Doesn't come on much at highway speeds but works well in traffic....

[jff45]

I use a 12" Davies Craig fan under a 450x300x76mm core size which is also controlled by a Jaycar 50C temp switch and in dash override (which I've never had to use).
IMO, they are needed. The IC is a massive heat soak when the engine is shut down for only a short period, e.g. stopped for shopping, and the the scoop acts as a chimney to funnel all the engine heat up through the IC.