hydraulic fan horror
 

I have an '03 WJ Limited GC with a 4.7 HO that has the hydraulic fan setup.

The fan is leaking power steering fluid as it's linked to the steering pump & reservoir for its power source.

The dealer price on a new fan and kit is really freakin outrageous! Waiting for Just Jeeps in TO to give me some info on this unit before searching the used market.

Anyone go thru this nightmare? Suggestions? Thx!

Re: hydraulic fan horror
 

I cannot help you but if by Sunday nite you haven't gotten any reasonable reply or help come into the Sunday chat and pop ur question there. I know of 2 fellows that might be able to help.

Re: hydraulic fan horror
 

Thanks Mr. White.

I have a line on a used one because A) there are no aftermarket ones, and B) the dealer cost for parts alone is $2,700.

Yep, you read that figure right. I called a second dealer to confirm it. And Just Jeeps confirmed this situation too.

This hydraulic style fan is not specific to the HO, as many regular 4.7's between '01 and '04 are equipped with it too. So there are many ticking time bombs out there.

Great idea to save the draw from the battery and serpentine, however the cost of the new redesign is completely absurd.

I will update the thread when I'm done with the repair next week.


ps. I'm a big fan of Keitel and Tarantino ;) ... I'd like to pull a Mr. Blond on the Chrysler/Fiat engineer who made this call.

Re: hydraulic fan horror
 

damn, that's steep!!

for that money i would say screw it and install dual electric fans and eliminate the hydraulic setup completely... hell, you could even install a second battery and still be less than the cost of the parts kit.

another point to ponder is this...

so you go buy a used one for what?... maybe $500? $700?? then what if it goes south in the next 2 years and starts leaking too? buy another used one and roll the dice again? maybe you only get a year out of the 2nd replacement, and then your maybe $1400 into it, still have the problem, and still looking at $2700 to solve it.

a dual elec. fan setup w/secondary battery would solve your problem permanently. probably cost a lot less than $2700!!

Re: hydraulic fan horror
 

I don't know anyone with a 4.7 in a wj that I could take a look at. That's a stupid price for a stupid design. I do know someone with a 4.7 in something else so I will try to take a look at it over the weekend, might give me some ideas. Some of the older Toyota's used the same stupid fan thing and many of them removed it and used electric fans in place of.

Re: hydraulic fan horror
 

Yah, I agree that an electrical fan solution could be jerry rigged for sure.

However I really doubt you'll get by the PCM at startup and will be forever reminded of your handiwork by the 'check engine' light and warning chimes. That's ok if the vehicle is just used around the cottage or only for trail use. Detuning yourself to the warning light, some people cover it up with a piece of black electrical tape :D, and chimes, puts you at risk for another catastrophic failure.

$2700 only covers you for 1 year as well. My '94 XJ 5.2 had chronic A/C $ issues after 5 years.

The real issue is that these vehicles are worth little more than that. Even if you 'love your car' your $2.7K is better served being put into a vehicle of newer vintage.

The used unit is $350; probably 3 times what it would be normally worth as no doubt the salvage guys/wreckers are on this fiasco.

I checked eBay yesterday and there's 2 active listings now, and you can also see about a dozen completed listings that went for between $150 & $500 depending on condition; search for 'jeep hydraulic fan'. There weren't any on Kijiji Ontario.

I'll chance the used route and will setup a search on eBay for a very good backup. In the dozenish completed ones I reviewed, something like this should do very nicely:
Hydraulic Cooling Fan Assembly for 4 7L Jeep Grand Cherokee 2001 2002 2003 2004 | eBay
> I doubt the one I'm getting is in the shape that one is.

Lastly, perhaps the WJ numbers with this unit will coax the aftermarket folks into offering a solution. The mopar alternative at 2700 bones will provide them with more than enough latitude for a healthy margin. Serenity now.

Re: hydraulic fan horror
 

The wk and xk have a mechanical fan mounted on the water pump. You might be able to go that route if you have enough clearance under the hood. I don't see how the pcm would know if the hydraulic fan was removed.

Re: hydraulic fan horror
 

If you check the fan in the eBay listing above you'll see a gold solenoid in the fan housing hooked up to a wiring harness. During startup the PCM will detect the missing solenoid and throw out a P1499 fault code resulting in the CEL.

It's doubtful that you could just tuck the solenoid away in dummy mode while going with an electrical or mechanical solution. I am not sure but I suspect it will sense the lack of power steering fluid and still throw the code. Btw, the XJ's also used the tried & true mechanical fan design.

Outside of getting a tan, the problem with the CEL is passing the e-test. Good times.

Re: hydraulic fan horror
 

... also I don't think the vehicle could be certified (for sale).

And the hits just keep on coming.

Re: hydraulic fan horror
 

Is it a solenoid or a pressure switch?

Re: hydraulic fan horror
 

Just a solenoid:
http://www.justanswer.com/jeep/5coeb...1499-does.html

So maybe it could be setup in dummy mode.

Re: hydraulic fan horror
 

that depends on a number of factors like mileage, condition, etc...

you may find this link interesting. gives all the specs and info for your vehicle...

looks like the blue book value for your particular GC is somewhere between $4639 - $7413.

depending on what you paid for the vehicle, it may be worthwhile to invest the money, and still be in the middle-value range. but if your price was in the upper range, you would be right to maybe look for another ride...

for example, i bought mine for $2000, cert&etested and over the last year and a bit have put about $1600 more into it for a 4" lift, motor mounts, TBS, front pads & rotors, rear passenger caliper, K&N filter, and tomorrow i will throw another $65 into it for a new transmission mount. so i now have roughly $3700 (+/-) invested, but blue book value for mine is $2688 - $4808.

in my mind, i can still invest another $1000 without going over the book value. that means i can get a new HD crossmember (IRO $200), front prop shaft conversion kit (IRO $400), Addco HD rear sway bar (IRO $150), a WARN front receiver (Kijijii $150), and a new driver's fr. wheel bearing (my cost $100).

at that point the money invested will have increased the value to the top end of the book price, and pretty much everything is replaced or upgraded... vehicle should last me another 5 years no problem. if i were to put another $1000 beyond that, i could get the body/paint done, and freshen up the engine a bit, increasing the longevity of the jeep considerably...

Re: hydraulic fan horror
 

Thanks for the info Trigger. That's higher than I thought. It's fully loaded with every option available at the time except for 'side curtain airbags'. However I have put 230 K on it. I ordered it new just as I did my '94 ZJ (not XJ).

I'm currently looking for its replacement. As our other car is an Accord I'm considering the Pilot or Ridgeline. Although I really like the design and suspension enhancements of the new WK2.

Anyway, I'm kinda committed to the used route as the fan arrives tomorrow. This was a real exhaustive search too - about 10 wreckers. Again, hopefully this unit becomes available aftermarket in the future.

Btw, I like your kewl rebuild; very nice!

Re: hydraulic fan horror
 

thanks, it's been kind of a nightmare waiting on parts, delivery screw-ups and chasing noises, but i think i'm in the home stretch with it now...

Re: hydraulic fan horror
 

Just to close this thread ... I've put in about 200 K in a used unit and there are no issues so far. Not the ideal solution, but the cheapest option for sure. Hopefully these parts become available aftermarket.