Landtank Fan Clutch- 6 Year Update (1 Viewer)

[cary]

First, yes contrary to popular belief, I am still alive.

So I purchased a Landtank Modified Blue Hub Fan Clutch on 6/19/2012 from Overland Exchange and it worked great for 5 years. This year I noticed that temperatures were starting to move up on hot days, especially going up to the Sierras (Highway 80 from Auburn up to Truckee, so 100F with the truck floored going from second to third for miles at a time). Where I would normally expect to see temperatures of no more than 205f or so, I was seeing 215-218 (keeping in mind on the worst days, it can be 110f, so not at the worst of summer yet).

I am confident it is not the radiator as I replaced that before a long trip to Whistler last year and temperatures were good. (Sidebar, if you have not weatherstripped all the openings around the radiator, especially the big gap at the bottom, you have not enjoyed an 80 that you can actually turn the AC fan down from high to 3 when it is 100f because it has gotten too cold). My other clue was that the truck did not sound like a jet when climbing, where before you would hear the fan engage and disengage.

So, this morning I decide to pull the clutch off and check it. Upon opening it, I was treated to perfectly clear fluid that looked brand new. I then decided to throw it in a water bath and check to see where it was opening. Using a thermopop (nice accurate instant read thermometer), I started heating the water slowly at 90f. 95f, nothing. 100f, nothing. 105f, nothing. 110f, nothing. 116f, oh, there it is. Hmm, maybe that is the issue. So I re calibrated to 100f (I know, Landtank does 95f, but I do have to pay for gas) and put it back together leaving the same fluid in it.

I will see how it does this weekend, but it is only supposed to be mid 90s on the way up. I anticipate this should bring the temps back down where they should be. So, if you have a Landtank fan clutch and it isn't working as well as it used to, it is probably worth an hour of your time to pull it check if the calibration has changed over time.

 

[vapilotda]

Thank you for this. Mine is not 5 years and maybe 20k miles on it and my temps come up on the highway. Please post the results and I'll pull mine off and check as well.

 

[MoJ]

@cary Do you have a swag as to how many miles you had on the clutch?

 

[OGBeno]

First, yes contrary to popular belief, I am still alive.

So I purchased a Landtank Modified Blue Hub Fan Clutch on 6/19/2012 from Overland Exchange and it worked great for 5 years. This year I noticed that temperatures were starting to move up on hot days, especially going up to the Sierras (Highway 80 from Auburn up to Truckee, so 100F with the truck floored going from second to third for miles at a time). Where I would normally expect to see temperatures of no more than 205f or so, I was seeing 215-218 (keeping in mind on the worst days, it can be 110f, so not at the worst of summer yet).

I am confident it is not the radiator as I replaced that before a long trip to Whistler last year and temperatures were good. (Sidebar, if you have not weatherstripped all the openings around the radiator, especially the big gap at the bottom, you have not enjoyed an 80 that you can actually turn the AC fan down from high to 3 when it is 100f because it has gotten too cold). My other clue was that the truck did not sound like a jet when climbing, where before you would hear the fan engage and disengage.

So, this morning I decide to pull the clutch off and check it. Upon opening it, I was treated to perfectly clear fluid that looked brand new. I then decided to throw it in a water bath and check to see where it was opening. Using a thermopop (nice accurate instant read thermometer), I started heating the water slowly at 90f. 95f, nothing. 100f, nothing. 105f, nothing. 110f, nothing. 116f, oh, there it is. Hmm, maybe that is the issue. So I re calibrated to 100f (I know, Landtank does 95f, but I do have to pay for gas) and put it back together leaving the same fluid in it.

I will see how it does this weekend, but it is only supposed to be mid 90s on the way up. I anticipate this should bring the temps back down where they should be. So, if you have a Landtank fan clutch and it isn't working as well as it used to, it is probably worth an hour of your time to pull it check if the calibration has changed over time.

Wow. You are indeed alive.

 

[cary]

Mileage when installed was 217,412. Current mileage is 262,600, so about 45,000 miles.

It is 95f out now and I took it for a run. There is a hill near my house that has a windy road, climbing 700 feet in a mile. It is first gear about 15mph, so little natural airflow. At the bottom, I was at 190. As I climbed the temp went to 195F with the clutch coming in hard around 192-193f. AC stayed at 48f output temp on high in recirc mode. Looks like it is working again like it should. I will confirm after the weekend.

Photo is of the kid following driving straight through from Whistler through Eastern Oregon to the Bay Area last July. Long story, but 23 hours and 1100 miles.

 

[landtank]

My original blue clutch that started me on modding them crapped out 3 years after I modded it. Similar thing as you saw only I couldn't adjust it enough to bring it back to life. Another one was sent me that wouldn't shut off. It wasn't one of my modded ones but still a blue hub. Sure enough the valve was always open and the oil was cooked.

So it would seem the bi-metal springs can shift over time in either direction.

thanks for the feed back!

 

[HAAANK]

Mileage when installed was 217,412. Current mileage is 262,600, so about 45,000 miles.

It is 95f out now and I took it for a run. There is a hill near my house that has a windy road, climbing 700 feet in a mile. It is first gear about 15mph, so little natural airflow. At the bottom, I was at 190. As I climbed the temp went to 195F with the clutch coming in hard around 192-193f. AC stayed at 48f output temp on high in recirc mode. Looks like it is working again like it should. I will confirm after the weekend.

Photo is of the kid following driving straight through from Whistler through Eastern Oregon to the Bay Area last July. Long story, but 23 hours and 1100 miles.

View attachment 1746630

Sees candies! I miss the peanut butter suckers from back in the day mmmm.

 

[cary]

My original blue clutch that started me on modding them crapped out 3 years after I modded it. Similar thing as you saw only I couldn't adjust it enough to bring it back to life. Another one was sent me that wouldn't shut off. It wasn't one of my modded ones but still a blue hub. Sure enough the valve was always open and the oil was cooked.

So it would seem the bi-metal springs can shift over time in either direction.

thanks for the feed back!

This one is about at the limit of adjustment. But this should get another few years out of it.

 

[80t0ylc]

Mileage when installed was 217,412. Current mileage is 262,600, so about 45,000 miles...............

............So it would seem the bi-metal springs can shift over time in either direction.

thanks for the feed back!

Actually, I'm hoping that this is an exception. 45k is not that good of a yield, for an OEM Toyota component - especially one that is so critical to our FZ engines. No reflection on your work, Rick. Just disappointed in Toyota quality if this turns out to be common.

 

[-Spike-]

Actually, I'm hoping that this is an exception. 45k is not that good of a yield, for an OEM Toyota component - especially one that is so critical to our FZ engines. No reflection on your work, Rick. Just disappointed in Toyota quality if this turns out to be common.

A friend of mine fried the fluid in a modded clutch so bad it quit working at all. It was blamed on a combination of high viscosity and low temp engagement, which caused the fan to run continuously, and a long, high RPM uphill run. Fluid was replaced, opening temp adjusted, and clutch lives on a year later.

I'd guess that high heat might alter the bi-metal mechanism, but I wouldn't blame Toyota for not engineering the part to withstand conditions it was never meant to see.

 

[Funner]

A friend of mine fried the fluid in a modded clutch so bad it quit working at all. It was blamed on a combination of high viscosity and low temp engagement, which caused the fan to run continuously, and a long, high RPM uphill run. Fluid was replaced, opening temp adjusted, and clutch lives on a year later.

I'd guess that high heat might alter the bi-metal mechanism, but I wouldn't blame Toyota for not engineering the part to withstand conditions it was never meant to see.

What do you mean by “conditions it was never meant to see”?

 

[-Spike-]

What do you mean by “conditions it was never meant to see”?

Engaged non-stop with high-viscosity fluid that causes it to spin faster, creating more heat. 'Modded'.

On top of that, isn't the clutch considered a maintenance item as much as any other component, like a brake master cylinder? I know Toyota sells (or used to sell) at least the silicone fluid if not rebuild kits, in different viscosities for differing climates. Although I don't think it went above 6k CST.

As with almost anything, an improvement in performance often dictates a compromise in longevity. I wouldn't be surprised if 20k cst fluid needed to be changed out in 50k miles. Nor would I be surprised if the higher heat takes a toll on other components.

 

[Funner]

Engaged non-stop with high-viscosity fluid that causes it to spin faster, creating more heat. 'Modded'.

On top of that, isn't the clutch considered a maintenance item as much as any other component, like a brake master cylinder? I know Toyota sells (or used to sell) at least the silicone fluid if not rebuild kits, in different viscosities for differing climates. Although I don't think it went above 6k CST.

As with almost anything, an improvement in performance often dictates a compromise in longevity. I wouldn't be surprised if 20k cst fluid needed to be changed out in 50k miles. Nor would I be surprised if the higher heat takes a toll on other components.

I see, I thought Toyota offered multiple viscosities of the silicone fluid for this purpose, but I could be mistaken. I know I didn’t buy the fluid I used from Toyota so no first hand experience.
Un-modified, the blue hub clutches have proven to be inadequate for hotter climates, modded they may fail or not have much service life, that seems like a quality issue.
Maybe your point is that if modded too much or improperly?
I was running a little hotter than I would like a couple weeks ago, but I was going slow and it was damn hot, hopefully this is more circumstantial than an indicator of the clutch on my rig going out. I also replaced the radiator last year and haven driven my truck much since, my old metrics may just be off now.

 

[landtank]

Engaged non-stop with high-viscosity fluid that causes it to spin faster, creating more heat. 'Modded'.

On top of that, isn't the clutch considered a maintenance item as much as any other component, like a brake master cylinder? I know Toyota sells (or used to sell) at least the silicone fluid if not rebuild kits, in different viscosities for differing climates. Although I don't think it went above 6k CST.

As with almost anything, an improvement in performance often dictates a compromise in longevity. I wouldn't be surprised if 20k cst fluid needed to be changed out in 50k miles. Nor would I be surprised if the higher heat takes a toll on other components.

Not the case if its a blue clutch and modded to my specs. The oil in both Cary's and my clutch was fine.

 

[-Spike-]

Not the case if its a blue clutch and modded to my specs. The oil in both Cary's and my clutch was fine.

You can say this unequivocally? Your mod doesn't affect the longevity of the part? That's a bold claim. If you're just referring to the oil, do you have some way of testing the shear resistance? Clarity is not a valid test IMO.
The fan clutches are covered with cooling fins for a reason. If you increase the heat load, you likely increase the stress on the components, including the bearings, gasket, thermostat, and silicone. That's pure speculation on my part, but common sense and plenty of evidence in other applications backs that up.
FWIW the fan clutch that I referred to that failed was modded beyond your specs for sure, and was an extreme case.

 

[landtank]

I spec 15k oil which is used by toyota in some markets and sold through toyota as replacement oil. In extreme conditions any clutch will flood the shearing area for maximum drive. So my confidence comes from the fact my clutches wont exceed a factory clutch in those extreme cases.

Now start dumping in heavier weights and youll exceed what toyota does.

 

[-Spike-]

I spec 15k oil which is used by toyota in some markets and sold through toyota as replacement oil.

Interesting. I can't find any reference to Toyota oil over 10K, must be an exotic market. And you do change the temperature setting, outside of Toyota spec. In any case, any silicone oil is going to degrade eventually, it's not reasonable to expect it to last forever, and the harder the use the more likely it is to fail sooner. For that reason I consider the clutch as a maintenance item that needs to be checked occasionally. In my case the 'check' is paying attention to the roar at startup and under heat load.

Edit to add- Toyota has several different clutches with differing internals, that spec different oils. Just because Toyota sells 20w50 engine oil doesn't mean it's good to go in all their engines.

I'm not suggesting that your mod, or mods in general, shouldn't be done. I'm just pointing out that they all come with added risk of premature wear or failure, and that Toyota isn't to blame for not designing their products to perform up to the same standards when modified.

 

[Adatemp1980]

I just received confirmation that my Landtank modified fan clutch should be here soon! (Thanks again Joey!) I'm very anxious to see how it compares to the oem original with 236K on my 97 lx. My temp gauge is stock/unmodified so I never see needle movement past half way (even climbing hills with 315's and stock gears in southeast 90+ degree weather) but I have absolutely no fan noise at start up and little to no AC at idle or stop and go so I know this mod is way past due and money well spent.

 

[jonheld]

I just received confirmation that my Landtank modified fan clutch should be here soon! (Thanks again Joey!) I'm very anxious to see how it compares to the oem original with 236K on my 97 lx. My temp gauge is stock/unmodified so I never see needle movement past half way (even climbing hills with 315's and stock gears in southeast 90+ degree weather) but I have absolutely no fan noise at start up and little to no AC at idle or stop and go so I know this mod is way past due and money well spent.

You likely won't see any change in the position of the dash gauge as it is designed that way. Go get yourself an OBD2 monitor (bluetooth, Ultragauge, Scangage, etc.) to get a real number.

 

[BCR4619]

Interesting. I can't find any reference to Toyota oil over 10K, must be an exotic market.

ATEB here in Canada had tubes of what I think was Toyota 15k oil that I believe came from Malaysia or that area around there, I took a photo of the toyota part number but even searching it I came up with nothing....