Thinking Of Fitting a Kenlowe Fan - Advice Please

[Telaren]

I am thinking of replacing my fan on my Disco 1 for a Kenlowe fan

What do I need to remove, replace, throw-away and does the kenlowe fan bolt in easy?  :?

Can I just remove the fan and leave the fan pully or do I have to replace the belt for a shorter one?

What bits do I need?

Appreciate any advice including best place to get a kit or bits. :?:

 :(stoopid):

[Range Rover Blues]

The Kenlowes come with a kit that allows you to fasten it direct to the rad core.   Before you buy consider a Pacet, someone on here told me they are more efficient than a Kenlowe.  Anyway, the quick fix kit is a bit like tie-wraps but with big rubber feet.  Hardest bit is the wiring and I bought a non-adjustable sensor from Merlin Motorsport at Castle Coombe, but you can buy the adjustable ones for sensible money now too.  The non-adjustable probe can be moved up or down the rad to get the switch on temp correct.

Oh, and mine has twin fans, they can burn a fan belt in an afternoon and if you put the relays in a waterproof box they run too hot and melt, even though each one has it's own relay rated at 30amp.

[rommelsraider973]

Got a kenlowe fitted , been on about 7 months now , only problem was a burn't out fuse , they sent new one straight away! Think it might of been water ingress? Now covered holder in grease and put in surgical glove for waterproofing!! :D

As for fitting , just undo old fan and remove , i didn't change any other belts , pulley is still in situ. The instructions are easy to follow and if i can fit one then you'll have no probs!! Will get some photos uploaded later for you ok?

[barnhill4x4]

Got twin Pacets on my V8. Got the adjustable switch but I think I am gonna change it for the non adjustable one as it seems to stick on now and then and its probably cos it is nearly always covered in mud!
  Great cooling, engine is more responsive and quieter. Wiring was easy, straight to the battery with an inline fuse. But thats the problem with the switch sticking on, the battery goes flay if it does!

[disco-v8]

im just bought myself twin 12" fans for my 3.9 EFI

i went for some off ebay called SPAL which are atleast half the price of kenlowe and pacet.... really good fans aswell, they soon cool things down

[Disco-Ron]

I've just fitted 2 8 inch fans on my 200, with a twin temp swith from x-eng, i made a cowl for the back of the rad to replce the original one, and fitted two switches, relays etc, i can have the fans on auto, off (for wading) or on manula over-ride...... they seem to work very well, almost the hardest part of the job was getting the old viscous unit off.... it was quite tight!!

[BtB]

Have you got any photo's of the cowl you made?

I should have had a look the other day (but forgot about it).

I am trying to sort out the refitting of my electric fan (removed after problems with motors)

The problem with them is that if the fan fails you have to remove the hole assembly from the radiator before you can fi the viscous unit again (as i found out)

I had a pacet fan (14" diameter) which the motor lasted for just over a year. Then went wrong Pacet were very good and replaced it at cost price. But that new motor lasted 1 day! again pacet were very helpful and replaced the whole assembly (with a new bigger motor).

I haven't replaced it yet (as i am now very cautious) in case it goes wrong when you are away from home (and cutting the bits that go throught the rad off isnt easy (and will damage the rad after several attempts).

The only way i will think about re-fitting it is if i can fabricate some sort of shroud which allows easy removal of electric fans and fitting of the viscous unit.

[Disco-Ron]

HI Ben, i don't have any pics at the moment, the truck lives at my mates house, i may do some work on it tomorrow though, so i'll try to take a pic or two...... mine simply slots into the origianl slot at the bottom of the rad, and uses the two 8mm bolts at the top to secure it, thus making it a 2 minute job to remove the whole shroud complete with fans.... which would be very useful, if the fans went wrong, but the fact that i've used 2, working at different temps mean that the likely hood of both failing is slim.... one is adequate to keep the truck cool, even when playing....

Pics to follw.....

[muddymart]

i was thinking about this for next week when i get my 300, but im on the cautious side as well,

would a reverse fan, fitted in front of the radiator instead of behind work?

thus enabling the driver to re-fit the viscous incase of electric fan failure?

good luck mate, let me know how it goes.
Martin

[Disco-Ron]

Martin, yes, a fan in front does work, but they're not so good in mud, and also, my winch is sat realy near to my rad, hence the fans are behind....

[muddymart]

so thats out of the question then if im think of fitting a winch, so what if i got myself a twin fan system, then there would be a back up if i only stuck to using one fan, but would this compromise the cooling,
cheers

[Disco-Ron]

It depeneds what size rad you have, if v8, i think you could get away with fans in front due to the fact that twin fans wouldn't be central ( if you see what i mean) and there fore there might be room for the winch.... plus the fact that i have fitted my winch very far back under the grill, so as to make is as inconspicuous as possible......

That hurt my head typing that long word!!

[beast5680]

a quick "beware" make sure the fixings cant move if you tie to the rad core as they can chaff thru the core if not

[needbeer]

ive got a kenlow on my 300tdi and the only prob i had was with all of the mud  
grit and water sezed it up and burnt it out so ive put the old one back on
but to be fair it done the job when it worked

[ben_haynes]

Can I just remove the fan and leave the fan pully or do I have to replace the belt for a shorter one?

no you need the fan belt as it runs your water pump

[Telaren]

Thanks for your replies, sounds like a popular subject  :roll:

I have a 200 TDI would anyone suggest putting electric 2 fans on,
1 for normal cooling and another set at a higher temp to cut in during serious playing?
2.  To act as a back-up incase of terminal failure of one on them.

Cheers All

Taz

[ben_haynes]

Thanks for your replies, sounds like a popular subject  :roll:

I have a 200 TDI would anyone suggest putting electric 2 fans on,
1 for normal cooling and another set at a higher temp to cut in during serious playing?
2.  To act as a back-up incase of terminal failure of one on them.

Cheers All

Taz

Yes fit2 but you need then both running all the time as you have a radiator and an intercooler next to each other (unlike normal cars as there is limited space in the front of them) so you need one over the radiator and one over the intercooler. hope this helps

[Wireless]

Yup, had twin Kenlowes on mine, and the fuses/relays burning out is a common problem, and what could happen is either the engine will start to overheat or you could damage the battery.  First time you find out that something is amiss may be a radiator top hose bursting just when you don't want it to.  I had that short one on the top of the engine burst, and one of the heater hoses went the second time, both times the fuses/relays had burned out on the Kenlowes, second time taking the battery with it.

Anyway, happened twice to me, the fuel saving was the only reason I had mine fitted, yet with a new battery, the original cost of the kenlowes, and a couple of new hoses later, I'm not sure I broke even during the time I had it fitted, plus fuel savings were in low single figures rather than the 9% claimed.  Could be my driving style is significant, but I think not, I rarely drive over 60mph and don't lead foot it everywhere.

Luckily I kept the original fan and radiator cowling, and there's not been a problem with it since they were refitted years ago, Kenlowes went in the bin, bleedin after market tat!

Mind you, some people may sing the praises, but then they have parted with their money, so best make you own decision.

For wading through deep pools they have to be a good idea on a manual switch, but beyond that I don't see the point.

Hope that helps.

[Telaren]

Cheers Wireless

You have given me food for thought  :?

Taz

[Timi]

the fuses/relays burning out is a common problem, and what could happen is either the engine will start to overheat or you could damage the battery.

I found that on my disco with a kenlow fan, I did not have as much power due to the airflow only being drawn through the intercooler when the electric fan kicked in.

So I have toyed with idea of fitting extra fan for intercooler 'intercooler charging'

Timi

[BtB]

I found the fan worked perfectly, until it stopped working! Then you have major problems (i was doing 70mph at the time just about to hit the M25 in rush hour so facing long slow moving traffic). Not nice and things became very hot in an effort to keep things cool.

The fan worked fine for a year, but any savings in cost disapear when you have to fork out for a new motor on the fan.

It is somthing that people overlook when fitting an electric fan, what happens when it goes wrong (i know that viscous fans can and do go wrong) i agree its not somthing that you would normally think about. But the fan is doing a really important job.

I will fit my new electric fan, but only when i have a solution for when it breaks down.

As for fans in front of the radiator it would be hard to fit anything of a good size. I was recomended a 14" fan for the back of the rad (sucking), do twin 8" work as well? Perhaps this was part of my problem?

I found that the fuses and relays started to burn out as the motor was getting worn (but it only twigged after the motor faulted), due to the motor requiring more power to start it.

The radiator mounting ties (bit like a zip tie) are fine in theory but after seeing what they actual do to the radiator fins makes you think twice about using them. I like Disco-Rons idea, its nice and easy to make (cheap) and easy to remove and refit viscous fan if required.

[Disco-Ron]

Ben, here's the pic i promised..... i haven't worried about the shroud covering the intercooler, i would hope that i won't be using high boost that much when travelling really slowly, and after-all, the viscous fan is triggered by water temp, not inlet charge temp....



Hopefully from that you can get the idea....

[BtB]

Thanks Disco-Ron

What temperature sensor have you fitted and where have you fitted it?

I have a rev tec electronic unit fitted but i am not too sure abouts it (it works well but after my problems i kinda want to change it).

How thich is the aluminium you used for the shroud?

And how do you find the twin 8" fans? (What make are the fans?)

[Disco-Ron]

Ben, i got the temp switch thingy from x-eng, whatever their standard switch is, is what i've got..... it fits nicely in the bottom hose, i actually used a sheet of galvanised steel i had laying around, not ally.....

and the fans where fopr sale on a rover forum, a guy had them fitted to a rover 200 turbo, they were nearly new, and i got them half price.....they're either tripac, or craig davies fans, i can't remember..... if you want to fit one large one, you may struggle with space, and even with the small ones, one of them is fairly near the old fan pulley.... therefore a bigger/thicker one might be an issue.....

Ron.

[Muddy]

I have a renault megan fan on my 200, ot fits a 200 rad perfectly and only needs 1 hole drilling for the top hose. It shift probably 3 times or more as much air as the viscous and with the engine off if you put the fan on the whole car vibrates lol. Although is doesnt cool the intercooler i am planning to fit a full width one so hopefully this should then further cool my intercooler. The fan was also a baragin at £3 :D

[Range Rover Blues]

Can I just remove the fan and leave the fan pully or do I have to replace the belt for a shorter one?

no you need the fan belt as it runs your water pump

On the early V8 EFi if you don't have air con you can run the belt loose without the fan and make your water pump last longer

[Range Rover Blues]

If anyone's interested I have wired my twin fans up as 2 speed, so they come on slow (more iportant quietly) without the ignition and full speed with the ignition.  If I had 2 temp switches then I'd have it fully 2 speed as often it doesn't need full power, you hear the alternator belt protest sometimes when they come on :shock:

[Cheggs]

I have the 16" Kenlowe puller on mine but, have found that the engine gets a bit to warm when towing a caravan in the Highlands, I'm looking for a pusher fan to go infront of the rad as well to give me more cooling, but perhaps making a cowl will work just aswell, after all it would use all the surface of the rad and not just the area directly infront of the fan.

[Tyke]

the engine gets a bit to warm when towing a caravan

When I spoke to Kenlowe they told me they wouldn't recommend heavy towing if using one of their fans . . . . and I was only a pulling a Sankey. They said sticking with the standard viscous would be a better bet . . . at least they were straight and honest about it.

I think there's a mention about on their web site as well IIRC . . . thats what prompted me to talk to them.

Love 'em or hate 'em . . . . they're just another lump of elektrickery to burn out, short or get fried when immersed in ooze and water . . . . personally I think they can be unreliable . . . . and some are quite noisy as well.

[Range Rover Blues]

I found the same when I spoek to them about the LSE, they sent me a checksheet to work through because their engineer reckoned I shouldn't be getting overheating when towing with the LSE, check timing (oops, it was retarded), check vicoous unit, clean radiator and flush it internally.

Will have to wait for the summer to see if it's completely fixed but IIRC it is fine except for if you hit traffic after a long hard slog, then it heats up and won't cool down.  Now if I need a new fan I'll go electric and save a few quid in fuel.