Is a Kenlowe fan worth it?
 

I have a 200 tdi defender - with a large intercooler on the front which probably blocks some degree of air flow. On a hot 35 degrees day my temperature gauge does get a few notches higher on a long run.

My esteemed outfitter suggests doing the following:
"The Kenlowe fan fits on the inside of the radiator. I'd have to cut some small slots into your cowling to make some strong brackets to hold it. The standard Kenlowe method of attaching it to the radiator is not ideal.
You can have a switch if you want, but there is an adjustable thermostat that turns it on and off as needed. But it's no problem to add a switch in the cab if you want."

Would it make a noticeable difference on a hot day if I add a Kenlowe fan?:Beach:

Yes is the short answer. What it will do is increase the airflow which the key on those long gentle climbs which always seem to cause overheating.

Don't bother with the automatic thermostat switching. The 'sender' unit has to be mounted inside the top hose and can (and in my experience always does) leak. It's a further source of potential trouble. Keep it simple and simply mount an on-off switch in the cab. Don't use the Kenlowe fan mounting. Their method is fine for on-road cars but puts too much strain on the radiator on off-road vehicles.

Q

x2 on what Quintin said....

I have two mounted on the front of my DI and they're great!

If you're worried about the thermostatic sensor leaking (which i agree, they usually do), then you could try an x-eng fan controller which you cut (the rubber pipe) and fit in line, which won't leak and are easily adjustable. very neat looking.


/sceptical head on/

i suppose that an electric fan would be OK... i mean, plenty of other modern vehicles (rangerover/disco/jap stuff) has them, but a niggling thing in the back of my mind makes me think that a mechanical viscous fan would be harder wearing than a "flimsy" electric one.

worst case, is the viscous thing stops viscous-ing then they can be wired up to give a fixed drive, to get you home. if an electric fan breaks, what you gonna do?

I agree with Jim and should have made it clear. Have the Kenlowe (or equivilent) as a back up to use when you're starting to run hot. Having it as your only fan is fine where you can easily source another but is asking for trouble when you're out in the sticks.

Spinning blades next to critical and delicate component? African roads?

A much more robust solution would be to take your existing radiator to a specialist and have it recored to stretch across the gap left by the original intercooler. A bigger radiator will seriously boost your cooling without any fans, wires or fiddly bits and it's a simple spanner job to fit.

Take the opportunity to flush out the cooling system while you're at it.

Kenlowe or not
 

Hi Darrin,

I'd echo a lot of the previous posts. Don't rely on the Kenlowe if it's your only fan. You're right to get stronger mounts - we had a Pajero in the Sahara in April with a Kenlowe. The fixings kept working loose and the fan blades were chomping through the rad.

Jojo

Thanks for all of the suggestion guys,

A Kenlowe is going in this month - it is to supplement the existing fan, and I will have a on/off switch to control it myself. Last summer cruising on the motorway for hours on end through Spain and Portugal the engine temperature was noticably higher than what I was used to, and with a super big intercooler blocking(?) some cooling capacity I thought it was worth going for as the engine is quite new and it might help prolong it's life etc.

The rad is new also, but I have the old one and might take it with me in the roofbox if there is room - not too heavy and worth 40 euros if I'm running low on bread money etc

I'll report back if it makes a noticeable difference or falls off, tears things up and I have to sue my esteemed outfitter ;-)

Kenlowe
 

Ive gone the other way, as an experiment. As you know Darrin Ive the same setup as you, 200TDi with big intercooler - I fitted an electric fan (not a Kenlowe, a Pacet) with mounts from a rally car - supposedly very tough (?!) and dumped the viscous fan as the cowling was missing anyway (engine mounted quite far back, cowling having no effect)

The ram air effect on motorways will have more effect than a Kenlowe anyway I think - Ill use the electric fan for the slow steady climbs, sitting in traffic and high revs at low foward speeds eg dune bashing

Havent tried it "in anger" yet......

I like the idea of recoring the rad. LR used to make a "tropical spec" rad for Series trucks and early 110s- Ive yet to find anyone who knows of one for "modern" (or even tdi) Defenders. Matt S has never heard of it. My old 110 in Cairo had one.

Hi Y'all. Darrin, it's on! The mounting we've made is VERY strong and neat.
The fan is mounted to the engine side of the rad.
With regard to the fan being next to the radiator, I think if you look at EVERY single modern car they ALL have electric fans on the radiators. It's the way forward!
Also, I think the Kenlowe will provide more cooling than the ram effect when you are on the motorway. But, like Sam says, in traffic etc is the main use.

Right, I need to go to sleep now as it's bed time...

Good night everybody, yawn..

Defender over-heating..? - a few ideas to try...
 

Hi DJRY,

I have also lost sleep pondering this popular subject
Temp gauge creeping up towards red on hot heavily laden long up hills at speed - but it is not the case that Defenders have an inherent over-heating problem (discuss).
It has never actually over-heated - but I was spending too much time looking at the temp gauge and not enough time enjoying the ride..!

My experience with my 300Tdi is as follows - a bit of a ramble I'm afraid, but there may be a few useful pointers for some - and with a gratis punchline if all else has failed..!
Some of this is my own stuff, and some stuff gleaned from Land Rover technical forums-fora/flora & fauna.
Sorry if it is a bit basic for most of you - OK, here goes...

1/ My 300Tdi seemed to be over-heating - temp gauge would creep up very close to the red and then recover - could it be a sticky thermostat or something else - hmm..?
Changed thermostat for genuine LR part (worth it at this price level - there is some rubbish around) - make sure it is the right temp rating for your model engine.
But this didn't help...
In the end it was a loose earth wire on the back of the temp gauge.
When no earth connection is present, gauge goes to full deflection 100% hot reading, so with road vibration, making and breaking earth contact many times a second, it smoothly appeared to over-heat and recover.
(I am no mechanic - quite pleased I worked this out for myself with the help of a bottle of Scotch - but do not drink and drive etc).
2/ Fitted a VDO temp gauge and correct engine model matched sender. Marked in degrees C so you can see what is actually going on, rather than the suggested temp trend from the standard unit, and can now help with a bit of problem solving.
John at Croytec advised on matched sender and supplied - easy to fit using existing wiring.
3/ Temp gauge rises by a few degress with headlights switched on - no it's not the extra fiery heat from the Lucas headlamps..!
Check, clean contacts and refit earth straps between bulkhead, chassis and geabox cures it - similar electrical problem to 1/ above.
4/ Check your standard viscous fan is pulling air - don't know, but some people say it is possible to fit the fan blades the wrong way around so it is pushing against ram air and therefore ineffective..?
5/ Coolant sytem is pressurised - check expansion tank screw cap is keeping pressure (approx 15psi I believe) - you know it is if it hisses with pressure release when unscrewed - obviously only do this when engine has cooled down to avoid risk of scalding..!
6/ Check for slight air leaks on old or loose hoses - it prevents full pressurisation of the coolant system as in 5/ above.
7/ Check to make sure radiator is not full of mud, and carefully hose if necessary.
Don't use a high pressure washer as the radiator fins are quite soft and damage easy.
8/ Check water pump still working at best - not too expensive to replace.
9/ I then bit the bullet and visited our old friend AlliSport. He fitted a nice shiny new direct replacement radiator with something like an extra 20% cooling capability - not cheap.
It did seem to help, but still the temp was rising on those long steep heavily laden hills - aargh..!
10/ And then - bingo..!
Some clever chap on I think the Land Rover UK Forum made passing reference to what turned out to be an absolut(e) nugget of gold, as below:
Look at the expansion tank - there is a narrower diameter overflow (or something) hose coming out the side which leads to a narrow bore plastic T-piece - see it..? Yes, that's it.
Take off the plastic T-piece and clear blocked bores with some wire.
I was lazy and during dismantling I bunged the leaks with Blu-Tack to avoid a full coolant refill.
Re-connect, tighten clips and top up expansion tank to level.
Since then, I have not had any problems - deliberatley pushing 3.5 tonnes hard up hills in the recent 28 degrees C UK ambient (nice day) - the gauge only increased slightly from its cruising on the flat reading.
My VDO temp gauge now shows approx 89degC warmed up and idling in traffic, approx 92degC cruising at 50-60mph on the flat and approx 94deg C pushing hard up long hills...
I hope it works for you...

There's no harm in getting one if you've got some cash to spare and short of a project - the viscous fan's good, but they do fail - you can lock them up, but it's always nice to know you aren't going to be stuck steaming in the middle of nowhere p*ssing into your rad cap.
TDi's do seem to be overcooled, when I went to Libya and was massively over weight (down on bumpstops carrying fuel & water for a mate), I did overheat a little once after a particulary hard day bashing up and down dunes - five minutes rest and a top up of water sorted it, and back out to play.
I have a tdi conversion and the viscous sits 9" back from the rad, and I later found it was bust anyway, so I effectively had no fan cooling at all (till I put a no6 screw through the viscous coupling :smile3:)

I've seen the needle climb quite a bit on long slogs up the alps too, but never resuted in anything more than hot feet and a relaxed boufant.

Peace of mind thing though isnt it, so a justifiable spend of household funds on shiney stuff if you ask me. :thumbup1:

(BTW, I've put a kenlowe on now cos I'm fed up of keep looking at the gauge and wondering if todays the day...)

A picture of the finished installed Kenlowe fan with custom made brackets. (Also shows the R380 gearbox oil cooler mounted where the original intercooler was).

http://www.roamingyak.org/temp/kenlowe.jpg

Looking good Darrin.

i'm currently building a 110 Td5 station wagon, and have an R380 oil cooler, just trying to work out where to mount it, as i'll have an allisport full width intercooler soon.

think i might end up getting an "air conditioned" spec front panel and fitting the oil cooler in front of everything else.

keep the forum posted on how your mods go though mate... very interesting.