stupid fan clutch

[79rustyk10]

Damn thing locked up this weekend and it sounds like a helicoptor when I get after it. Anyone else ever have this happen?

another thing to fix gets added to the list now, cant ever get ahead just a little.

 

[K85 Octane]

at least they're only like 40-60 bucks
if it was old, it's a good thing to replace and be happy for years to come

 

[diesel4me]

You can save money by going to a salvage yard and picking up a used one--they dont go bad very often,look for one with the spring in its center,which is an OEM one or a correct aftermarket one--cheap ones without a spring in the center only limit the top speed of the fan,and never fully "unlock",and can rob HP and lower your gas mileage..

I also found you can take the spring out of its holder and rotate it 180 degrees and lock it back in to keep the clutch in the "lock" position--I had to do that on my plow truck,otherwise it'll overheat if I go more than 10 miles with the plow on it at higher speeds..

 

[Fordum]

I've had both happen, and trust me, its better when it locks up.
Its when the oil leaks out and it quits working is when its a pain.

I went through 3 in one year due to deep water. When it goes under water, it seems to build up too much pressure in the oil trying to force the fan to blow the water and takes out the seal.

As long as I can drive at highway speeds, its ok, but when I start driving slow, it overheats fast.

So naturally, I managed to get stuck one Sunday with a bad clutch.
I tried to winch out running the engine a few minutes and waiting for it to cool.
That got old fast.
Finally I pulled the coil wire, tied a small rope around a fan blade, wrapped a couple of coils around the fan shaft and bumped the starter to wind up a length of the rope around the shaft.

Then I tied the other end to the fan and put the coil wire back on.
The wraps around the shaft acted like a capstan and kept the fan spinning at low speed so I could winch myself out.

 

[diesel4me]

I forgot to add ,when looking for a good used one,to check if it has any side to side play by moving the fan blade,a tiny bit is OK but if the blades can be moved more than a 1/16" or so,look for a tighter one!...also its best to get one off a vehicle like yours or you may get one that has a different bolt pattern (I have cut them into slots to use a "wrong" one before with no issues!)--also some had different fan blade diameters or bolt patterns,and there are several different fans,the number of blades vary....so its easiest to stick with one from a identical vehicle & engine if possible...

 

[4xcrazy]

Damn thing locked up this weekend and it sounds like a helicoptor when I get after it. Anyone else ever have this happen?

another thing to fix gets added to the list now, cant ever get ahead just a little.

yes, driving down the freeyway at 65-75 mph, car shuttered real quick, then this loud wind noise, got out checked everything out, fan clutch locked up. Car ran alot cooler from then on out

Personally, just go to the auto parts store and buy a new one, one with a warranty, be done with it, knowing it will last several more years, or should. Thermal cooling are the ones i always buy, usually heavy duty cooling. They run about $50-60 or so.