To anyone thinking of removing their fan shroud...

[Mike Duffy]

Don't do it!

 

I've had an overheating problem for a while now. Hopefully it will be resolved as of today as I've just fitted a big Koyo radiator (courtesy of NE Performance).

 

However, my fan shroud was totally shredded when I rebuilt my engine so I removed it entirely. I still had the overheating problem and, recently, it had got very very bad. I had to drive with the heater on and, even then, I couldn't go over 70mph or the needle would head north.

 

I bought a new fan shroud from Dave C (top bloke, highly recommended) and the difference was remarkable. I didn't have to drive with the heater on unless I wanted to hammer it. And if I did hammer it, as long as the heater was on it was fine. Hopefully the new radiator will solve the problem all together.

 

Now the point being, albeit with an obvious cooling problem, the fan shroud made a big difference. And not just a difference at low speed/stationary. The biggest difference I noticed was at high speed. Personally, I would have expected the shroud to be more of a hinderance at high speed. Funneling all that nice high speed air through a smaller hole can't be good.

 

So if any physics experts would like to explain that one I'd love to hear it. But, in my humble, personal, opinion... don't remove your fan shroud if you're thinking of it. It's not just there for traffic jams!

[MAC 1]

Ok here is my experiance on fan shrouds.

 

When I fitted my Koyo rad also from NE Performance LOL I had no problem at all when the car was going above 30mph.

However when I was stuck in traffic the temp would start to rise on my aftermarket gauge.

PS the stock gauge would not move a mm so I would not have known I had a problem if it was not for my aftermarket Autometer;).

 

 

 

Got a new shroud now so will be fitting it.

[Guest aaronjb]

Funneling all that nice high speed air through a smaller hole can't be good.

 

Presumably because it slows the airflow down - if it was passing through the rad too quickly it wouldn't actually get much of a chance to pick up the heat from the rad.. maybe.. possibly..

 

Dunno, I ran without a rad shroud (and with an aftermarket temp guage) for yonks, and didn't notice any hot running.. Possibly depends what you call 'hot' though :)

[Steve-o]

?? Removed fan shroud about three months ago, no probs at all on a hot day or sat in traffic?

 

Took her our for a hard drive the other night, was mild evening, was out for a few hors all fine!

 

Also took a 2-3 hour drive to billing non-stop in the hot weather, temp needle didnt move.

 

I think Smithy has had no fan shroud for years also, seems odd mate, you sure its not something else? air lock or something in the cooling system?

 

The travelling thing is odd, cause the viscous blows air on to the rad but when your moving, the air moving through the front cond/rad at say 80mph + will really mean that the air from the viscous will probably not even get to the rad that much anyway?

 

I've more recently (last week) cut holes in my bonnet to aid cooling anyway as I was borred. Without the fan shroud it seems to help circulate the hot air straight out the vents. I turned my car off at the pet station to fill up the other day, and the temp went from normal to a quater in five mins lol!

[jaffa]

I've been running without a fan shroud for 6 months with no problems. Only noticed the aftermarket temp gauge sit higher when in traffic, and that's with aircon on, since adding an Underdrive pulley.

But no overheating probs

[TopLess]

 

 

BTW The viscous fan sucks air through the rad.

[Guest Scottywil]

Dunno why you guys remove them, looks better than a big silly fan. :confused:

[Steve-o]

BTW The viscous fan sucks air through the rad.

 

FFS, I asked the nissan garage when I removed it as I was unsure to the effect on cooling (after the thread on here I posted), the guy said that the viscous on Z's arnt mounted close enough or designed to suck air through like normal leccy rad fans, but instead to stop hot air from staying around the rad, he said the one on the front sucks air and the viscous blows air?

 

I thought it sounded odd doing the oposite to the direction in which your travelling!

 

Last time I listen to F**Hbrothers!

[Steve-o]

Dunno why you guys remove them, looks better than a big silly fan.

 

Cause mine was broke, and I thought it looked better (with the fan colour coded etc), also easier to get to the front of the engine, and as I replaced the rad pipes, cooling pipes to the head (and rubber hoses) and water pump etc, it made it easier to monitor for any leaks.

[MAC 1]

?? Removed fan shroud about three months ago, no probs at all on a hot day or sat in traffic?

 

 

Steveo thats probably because you have a STOCK temp gauge,that thing would not move if you boiled it inside a kettle:D;)

[Steve-o]

Steveo thats probably because you have a STOCK temp gauge,that thing would not move if you boiled it inside a kettle

 

lol true, but I know if it goes anything over half it means trouble lol.

[kirbz]

Ive also removed mine for a while and i know of duffers and johnnyz32 who also have removed the fan cover and had no problems??

 

I sat in my zed for 4 hours in 30 degree traffic the other week and didnt overheat once but then again i am aware that the stock guages are crap so i must admit i pulled over a few times to check the levels and i didnt lose anywater at all. I suppose it all depends on the condition of the rad and engine etc

 

Also something to think about when the shroud is on surly its keeping the hot air from the engine in and therefore flowing it into the rad?? if its removed it give the hot air a chance to rise and the fan will blow colder air in?? or i suppose the other way you can look at it is the air thats blowing from the fan can escape upwards and not hit the rad as much??

 

Zeds arent they great :)

 

Mike

[MAC 1]

Mike how it works...........................................

 

Normal driving is not going to make much differance,however when you get stuck in traffic,as the fan is spinning the air from it will not get directed through the rad,it will just blow every where.

 

Check out what the fan shroud looks like when it is off the car;)

[Trevz]

Im thinking that removing the shroud would only help to cool the inner wings and nothing else! At high speed all that lovely cool air is wasted.

[jonce]

I've just took the advice off mt buddy Macca and put my fan shroud back on ;) I have noticed a slight decrease on my temp guage :) Thing is Nissan wouldn't put it on if it didn't do somthing (apart from protecting your fingers!!). You are directing cooler air onto the main block instead of flinging it everywere.

[jonce]

:dance: Also Mac did sell me a nice carbon fibre cover :dance:

[jaffa]

I do have a bigger rad though ;) and I took it off as it had cracked.

 

PS to stop it looking so ugly, spray the fan black :D

[Smithy]

My car when i bought it (5 years ago) already had the fan shroud removed, it was an ex SE customers car and it was they who had removed it, they also removed my fan shroud on 2 previous cars i owned and i know countless other customers cars too, which to me says it's no real biggie providing everything else is upto scratch. Also quite a few US guys have removed theirs as well. Bare in mind those who run an aftermarket electric fan set up in place of the viscous fan seem to have no probs either and report that the electric fan hardly needs to come on without any over heating problems.

As ever this shows one thing i learnt some time ago about the Zed, no matter what the mod or improvement you do to your Zed it never gaurantees the same result on another persons Zed :)

cheers

smithy