1986 CJ-7 Taurus Fan Install

[Tom Schenk]

Ford Taurus 2 Speed Fan Install in a 1986 CJ-7 258ci I6
Taurus 3.8L 2 speed electric cooling fan (three wires)
Hayden-Imperial thermostatic switch
2 Ford Taurus fan relays (PN #FOAB-14B194-DC)
XJ/YJ/ZJ fuse & relay block
3” x 1/8” flat stock
1” angle
10G & 16G wire
1’ battery cable

Brian (last_renegade) wanted to put a Taurus fan in his CJ to replace its existing 12” puller. The 12" fan did great in NY but in AZ it was not cutting it. We eyeballed it and figured that it would be tight but would fit nevertheless.

The first thing was to trim the shroud down. This is pretty simple; use a square or other straight-edge and a Dremel tool to get the shroud edge flat and even. Note: We left the lip on the long side of the shroud.
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g205/tomschenk/jeep/cjfan005.jpg

Next was to fab the mounting brackets. WE DID NOT USE THE THROUGH-CORE MOUNTS. These may be fine for small, light fans but will destroy the radiator when used to secure a fan of this size. Using 2 stacked washers for spacing from the radiator, I welded a 3” wide strip on the driver side of the radiator. On the outside edge of that strip I welded 1” angle iron. On the other side of the radiator more 1” angle was welded. The lip we left on the long side of the shroud slips under the 3” stock and the other side drops in. The fan is then secured with #10 screws through the angle into the fan shroud sides.
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g205/tomschenk/jeep/cjfan006.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g205/tomschenk/jeep/cjfan007.jpg

Next we had to make room for this fan in front of the engine. I didn’t get a picture of the stock setup, but the radiator mounting brackets mount on the engine side of the grill assembly. We had to move the mounts to the inside to get the clearance needed, kind of like an SOA for radiators, if you will.:) Brian notched out the top of the grill so the radiator can slide down to be mounted. Once the radiator was put in the notches were welded back shut.
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g205/tomschenk/jeep/cjfan003.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g205/tomschenk/jeep/cjfan009.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g205/tomschenk/jeep/cjfan010.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g205/tomschenk/jeep/cjfan011.jpg
Tight fit, eh? That’s about ¼” between the pulley nuts and the fan. :eek:

[Tom Schenk]

For the wiring Brian found a ZJ fuse and relay block; same setup as I have in mine. It holds 7 relays and 14 fuses so you can hookup all your accessories to it with still room to grow. I welded a tab on his passenger fender well to mount the block.
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g205/tomschenk/jeep/cjfan012.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g205/tomschenk/jeep/cjfan016.jpg

I rewired the block with 10 gauge wire to handle the load. The first relay is switched off the ignition and serves as the fans on/off switch. The second relay controls the low/high speeds and is switched by the thermostatic switch.
http://www.photodump.com/direct/tomschenk/fanwiringdaigram.jpg

The thermostatic switch sensor was inserted in the radiator just under the top hose return.
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g205/tomschenk/jeep/cjfan014.jpg

The 1? battery cable was used to hookup the block to the battery. Here is a shot with the cover on.
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g205/tomschenk/jeep/cjfan017.jpg
All that is left is to loom the wires. End result: it sucks, or blows. Depending on what side you stand on. :D

[Stu Olson]

Looks good Tom.

Do you think that 1/4" clearance will be enough when the CJ starts to flex a bit? I ask only because I've heard the fans on some Jeeps on the trail start to "tick" when the suspension starts to get twisted up. They most likely have a clearance issue between fan and shroud. I was just wondering if there could be some front to back movement too.

[Tom Schenk]

That is something that we're still working on; we have a couple of ideas, some just crazy enough to work. :)
1. replace the pulley's nuts/studs with 5/16th find thread bolts. That should give another 1/8th or so.
2. weld a strap from the top of the fan bracket that runs over the radiator and bolts up to the top of the grill assembly. That will keep the radiator mounts from allowing flex towards the engine.
3. Add spacers (washers) between the radiator mount and the grill assembly, moving the radiator and fan away from the engine.
4. remove material from the fan shroud where it would contact the pulley. It is quite thick, we could clearance nearly 3/8" without affecting the integrity of the fan shroud.
5. all of the above.

I'm sure there will be several revisions to this setup before we're 100% happy with it. I'll post the changes as they are made so if someone else does this mod they can get it set up just right the first time. Stand by...more to come...