What engine fan on 2.3

[Muffin1]

Does the 2.3 have and electric or belt driven clutch type fan (the noisy whoosh type)? I didn't get my truck yet and was wondering ahead if that would be something I could change to (elec).
TIA.

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[P. A. Schilke]

Does the 2.3 have and electric or belt driven clutch type fan (the noisy whoosh type)? I didn't get my truck yet and was wondering ahead if that would be something I could change to (elec).
TIA.

Hi Rob,

It is a engine driven clutched fan. Critics complain about the roar upon startup, so sure you can change to an electric fan but why? It is only for a few brief moments. However....what ever floats your boat! Not worth the effort in my opinion. Also, it appears that Ford did something to improve the "morning sickness" as it is called.

Best,
Phil

 

[AdamHarris]

If some of you “engineers never intended this!” And “never alter your truck!” Types don’t speak up with this here, then you need to shut up forever.

 

[Muffin1]

Hi Rob,

It is a engine driven clutched fan. Critics complain about the roar upon startup, so sure you can change to an electric fan but why? It is only for a few brief moments. However....what ever floats your boat! Not worth the effort in my opinion. Also, it appears that Ford did something to improve the "morning sickness" as it is called.

Best,
Phil

Hey Phil thanks for the reply, I had changed out my clutch fan on my '02 Ranger, got rid of the roar, took the load off the water pump bearings the original still was going @ 121,000 miles when I sold it and maybe I picked up a bit of power without that ancillary load on the motor from the fan, who knows, it was my main goal to quite it down, any other benefit was a plus.
Now I haven't gotten the truck yet so I will of course see first if the roar is 'acceptable' to me lol.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Does the 2.3 have and electric or belt driven clutch type fan (the noisy whoosh type)? I didn't get my truck yet and was wondering ahead if that would be something I could change to (elec).
TIA.

I'm no fan of the engine driven fan on this truck. To me it's simply overkill. Especially when you consider that Ford has the F150 with the V8 in it and has electric fans on it. They don't have any issues can keep that thing cool. The Explorer has the same engine as the Ranger and is far heavier than the Ranger but has electrics... So why not on the Ranger? No clue really..

To date there is not any aftermarket electric cooling fan kits for the Ranger that I have been able to find. You might be able to pull the electric fan components out of an Explorer or 2.3L Mustang and adapt them in the Ranger. Getting everything to line up, and behave correctly on the other hand, well there lies the challenge.

 

[Muffin1]

I'm no fan of the engine driven fan on this truck. To me it's simply overkill. Especially when you consider that Ford has the F150 with the V8 in it and has electric fans on it. They don't have any issues can keep that thing cool. The Explorer has the same engine as the Ranger and is far heavier than the Ranger but has electrics... So why not on the Ranger? No clue really..

To date there is not any aftermarket electric cooling fan kits for the Ranger that I have been able to find. You might be able to pull the electric fan components out of an Explorer or 2.3L Mustang and adapt them in the Ranger. Getting everything to line up, and behave correctly on the other hand, well there lies the challenge.

IMO it's a cost saver, clutch fans are a relic, even the cheapest entry level sedans (shitboxes) have elec fans. I recently had a F150 w/5.0 and the elec fans, the only roar I enjoyed was the engine & exhaust, I loathe clutch fans. Also I agree there don't seem to be any aftermarket fans available I checked Flex-A-Lite and they have nothing specific

 

[DHMag]

It's not just a clutch fan, it's an electronic locking clutch fan

 

[BlackRanger01]

Hi Rob,

It is a engine driven clutched fan. Critics complain about the roar upon startup, so sure you can change to an electric fan but why? It is only for a few brief moments. However....what ever floats your boat! Not worth the effort in my opinion. Also, it appears that Ford did something to improve the "morning sickness" as it is called.

Best,
Phil

I love the roar upon startup myself.

 

[BlackRanger01]

Hey Phil thanks for the reply, I had changed out my clutch fan on my '02 Ranger, got rid of the roar, took the load off the water pump bearings the original still was going @ 121,000 miles when I sold it and maybe I picked up a bit of power without that ancillary load on the motor from the fan, who knows, it was my main goal to quite it down, any other benefit was a plus.
Now I haven't gotten the truck yet so I will of course see first if the roar is 'acceptable' to me lol.

It's pretty loud.... so I'm sure you're gonna do something about it.

 

[Apples]

Actually, the fan is an electro-magnetic-ferro-fluid gizmo. I don't like it either, but to Ford engineers it serves the purpose.

 

[Delirious]

Hi Rob,

It is a engine driven clutched fan. Critics complain about the roar upon startup, so sure you can change to an electric fan but why? It is only for a few brief moments. However....what ever floats your boat! Not worth the effort in my opinion. Also, it appears that Ford did something to improve the "morning sickness" as it is called.

Best,
Phil

If I don't remote start my truck, as soon as I start it up I put it in reverse and then back in the park and it knocks down that roar of the engine. I'm not a fan of high RPMs at start up until the oil has had a good chance to circulate. Maybe that is not an issue? I always felt the engine idling that high at start up was equivalent to racing the vehicle on a cold engine. What say ye Phil? I'm sure I could speak for everyone on this forum in saying that we always appreciate your inputs.
Also on every start up it sounds like you're driving a semi or a jet engine at first. Is there any way to stop that and what exactly causes that? This happens whether the engine is cold whether I've stopped for a few minutes and restarted the engine.

 

[OFC Ranger]

From my understanding and maybe my memory fails me, I seem to recall FORSCAN being able to reduce start up RPMs of the fan.

 

[VAMike]

IMO it's a cost saver, clutch fans are a relic, even the cheapest entry level sedans (shitboxes) have elec fans

Those cars have their engines pointed sideways, so a mechanical fan would be facing the wheel well. So that's not really a useful data point.

 

[NickTheEnforcer]

Hi Rob,

It is a engine driven clutched fan. Critics complain about the roar upon startup, so sure you can change to an electric fan but why? It is only for a few brief moments. However....what ever floats your boat! Not worth the effort in my opinion. Also, it appears that Ford did something to improve the "morning sickness" as it is called.

Best,
Phil

Phil,
Been off this forum myself for a bit and it's good to see you are still kickin'.. I'm 52 and have had my share of medical challenges lately.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

If I don't remote start my truck, as soon as I start it up I put it in reverse and then back in the park and it knocks down that roar of the engine. I'm not a fan of high RPMs at start up until the oil has had a good chance to circulate. Maybe that is not an issue? I always felt the engine idling that high at start up was equivalent to racing the vehicle on a cold engine. What say ye Phil? I'm sure I could speak for everyone on this forum in saying that we always appreciate your inputs.
Also on every start up it sounds like you're driving a semi or a jet engine at first. Is there any way to stop that and what exactly causes that? This happens whether the engine is cold whether I've stopped for a few minutes and restarted the engine.

Hi Nick,

I too do not like high idle on a cold engine. The fluid in the fan clutch drains to the bottom of the clutch when the motor is off...usually over night....this locks up the clutch and the fan roars. low idle will also unlock the clutch but it takes longer than to spin at higher rpm. I choose to just start the Ranger, Engage reverse back out of the driveway and then drive and pull away. Roar stops about three houses down... I do not rev the cold motor in neutral...

best,
Phil

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