1993 LJ78 2LTE Fan Clutch (1 Viewer)

[tm123]

Hi all, first post but been lurking a while. Trying to deal with some overheating issues on my Prado and have identified that the fan clutch is slipping at high RPMs. It’s an Aisin blue hub. I replaced the silicone oil with 10,000cst fluid but made no mechanical modification to it. It helped it to engage at lower RPMs but still fails on higher, so I suspect the coil on the front is worn out. I’m going to pull it out and do the mechanical adjustment to try to make it permanently locked (can’t go up a small mountain without overheating and dumping coolant). Seems like a less than ideal solution, though, so I’m curious about trying to find a replacement.

The original Toyota part number is 16210-54200. The correct Aisin replacement part number is FCT-029 but I can’t find it anywhere.

Amayama lists a replacement under 16210-54190, but I’m not sure what the actual mfg part number is… and it’s $315 which seems insane.

Amazon has an FCT-004 that has a blue hub for like $90 that has the blue hub but I’m not sure if it will fit the LJ78… anyone tried it?

Welcome any advice anyone may have. Thanks!

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

Hi all, first post but been lurking a while. Trying to deal with some overheating issues on my Prado and have identified that the fan clutch is slipping at high RPMs. It’s an Aisin blue hub. I replaced the silicone oil with 10,000cst fluid but made no mechanical modification to it. It helped it to engage at lower RPMs but still fails on higher, so I suspect the coil on the front is worn out. I’m going to pull it out and do the mechanical adjustment to try to make it permanently locked (can’t go up a small mountain without overheating and dumping coolant). Seems like a less than ideal solution, though, so I’m curious about trying to find a replacement.

The original Toyota part number is 16210-54200. The correct Aisin replacement part number is FCT-029 but I can’t find it anywhere.

Amayama lists a replacement under 16210-54190, but I’m not sure what the actual mfg part number is… and it’s $315 which seems insane.

Amazon has an FCT-004 that has a blue hub for like $90 that has the blue hub but I’m not sure if it will fit the LJ78… anyone tried it?

Welcome any advice anyone may have. Thanks!

Is there any record of the cylinder head being replaced? You probably know, but all the original ones crack within about 150,000km. Newer part numbers are improved and last longer.

I get my LJ78 super hot on occasion, but it never dumps coolant. Pushing coolant is usually a sign it's being pressurized by a cracked cylinder head.

Could be your fan hub is actually working fine.

The only real difference on the fan hubs between cruisers is the flange depth. Just make sure it's close to original so the fan stays in right spot. If I remember correct, the 80 series and 60 series ones work fine. But I may not be remembering right...

You can test your hub just using a heat gun or hair dryer to make sure the internal valve mechanism is working. If it's not leaking and the spring isn't broken, it's probably fine.

 

[coldtaco]

If you are dumping coolant I would suspect a cracked head

 

[tm123]

Is there any record of the cylinder head being replaced? You probably know, but all the original ones crack within about 150,000km. Newer part numbers are improved and last longer.

I get my LJ78 super hot on occasion, but it never dumps coolant. Pushing coolant is usually a sign it's being pressurized by a cracked cylinder head.

Could be your fan hub is actually working fine.

The only real difference on the fan hubs between cruisers is the flange depth. Just make sure it's close to original so the fan stays in right spot. If I remember correct, the 80 series and 60 series ones work fine. But I may not be remembering right...

You can test your hub just using a heat gun or hair dryer to make sure the internal valve mechanism is working. If it's not leaking and the spring isn't broken, it's probably fine.

Thanks for the reply. I have no documented info on the head/gasket. I seem to remember reading something about being able to tell from the color of the head gasket (it’s black, which I think means OEM, I forget). I’ve been fearing a head gasket issue for a while based on reading here, but my mechanic seems to think it’s just the fan clutch (he tested it manually by revving it by hand directly from the engine and trying to stop the blade with his hand— it locked correctly at first then spun freely after he revved it for a while). I think if it’s a head gasket issue it may be somewhat minor because compression tests are fine, but there are some other issues (rough start up, white smoke, etc). If fixing the fan clutch doesn’t take care of it, checking for combustion gases is probably the next step. I’m at about 238km and have had it since Feb 2021, when it had 224km or so. I’ve had the same issues with a rough start since I’ve had it but didn’t start having the overheating issues until this summer.

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

Thanks for the reply. I have no documented info on the head/gasket. I seem to remember reading something about being able to tell from the color of the head gasket (it’s black, which I think means OEM, I forget). I’ve been fearing a head gasket issue for a while based on reading here, but my mechanic seems to think it’s just the fan clutch (he tested it manually by revving it by hand directly from the engine and trying to stop the blade with his hand— it locked correctly at first then spun freely after he revved it for a while). I think if it’s a head gasket issue it may be somewhat minor because compression tests are fine, but there are some other issues (rough start up, white smoke, etc). If fixing the fan clutch doesn’t take care of it, checking for combustion gases is probably the next step. I’m at about 238km and have had it since Feb 2021, when it had 224km or so. I’ve had the same issues with a rough start since I’ve had it but didn’t start having the overheating issues until this summer.

If coolant is getting pressurized, it's never the headgasket that has failed: always the cylinder head.

There is some faint possibility your radiator cap is failed. Replace that just in case.

Regarding tough starts, it can be so many things. Compression issues, glow system issues, but most likely, air getting into the fuel system. It's common for the primer pump's (filter assembly) to leak air. There are knock off ones on Ebay that work great.

Just search/read/search/read on these forums. There are 100s of people who have had the same issues with 2LTE.

 

[tm123]

If coolant is getting pressurized, it's never the headgasket that has failed: always the cylinder head.

There is some faint possibility your radiator cap is failed. Replace that just in case.

Regarding tough starts, it can be so many things. Compression issues, glow system issues, but most likely, air getting into the fuel system. It's common for the primer pump's (filter assembly) to leak air. There are knock off ones on Ebay that work great.

Just search/read/search/read on these forums. There are 100s of people who have had the same issues with 2LTE.

Thanks! Just replaced the radiator cap and hoses a couple weeks ago when my radiator cracked during a long highway drive. Got it repaired only to find the fan clutch issue… going to try to fix that first and see if it solves things well enough for now, was just hoping someone had tried the FCT-004 on an LJ78. It’s on Amazon so I might just order it to check the fit and return it if it won’t work

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

Yeah, good call to try the cheap stuff first.

By the way, those fans hubs are meant to free-wheel if they're not hot. Sort of an automatic thing, so they're only drawing air when they need to. When the engine is off though, the silicone pools in the bottom. This is why at first start they draw lots of air. Eventually the silicone gets pumped back into the central resevoir, and if the hub is cool it freewheels.

 

[tm123]

Yeah, good call to try the cheap stuff first.

By the way, those fans hubs are meant to free-wheel if they're not hot. Sort of an automatic thing, so they're only drawing air when they need to. When the engine is off though, the silicone pools in the bottom. This is why at first start they draw lots of air. Eventually the silicone gets pumped back into the central resevoir, and if the hub is cool it freewheels.

Thanks! My mechanic suspects the coil is bad because I think originally it wasn’t locking correctly at all, then after refilling with 10,000cst it would work initially then freewheel at higher RPMs even as the engine started to overheat.

 

[mindy70]

Hi all, first post but been lurking a while. Trying to deal with some overheating issues on my Prado and have identified that the fan clutch is slipping at high RPMs. It’s an Aisin blue hub. I replaced the silicone oil with 10,000cst fluid but made no mechanical modification to it. It helped it to engage at lower RPMs but still fails on higher, so I suspect the coil on the front is worn out. I’m going to pull it out and do the mechanical adjustment to try to make it permanently locked (can’t go up a small mountain without overheating and dumping coolant). Seems like a less than ideal solution, though, so I’m curious about trying to find a replacement.

The original Toyota part number is 16210-54200. The correct Aisin replacement part number is FCT-029 but I can’t find it anywhere.

Amayama lists a replacement under 16210-54190, but I’m not sure what the actual mfg part number is… and it’s $315 which seems insane.

Amazon has an FCT-004 that has a blue hub for like $90 that has the blue hub but I’m not sure if it will fit the LJ78… anyone tried it?

Welcome any advice anyone may have. Thanks!

Hi
I replaced the viscous fan on my LJ70, i weas going to replace the oil but when i took it to pieces it wass full of a brown sludge that had worn it so badly there was loads of play in it so i just bought a new one and the difference was amazing.. You could hear so much more air being moved and also feel it.
I used Blue Print part no. ADT 391802

 

[mindy70]

Hi
I replaced the viscous fan on my LJ70, i weas going to replace the oil but when i took it to pieces it wass full of a brown sludge that had worn it so badly there was loads of play in it so i just bought a new one and the difference was amazing.. You could hear so much more air being moved and also feel it.
I used Blue Print part no. ADT 391802

this wass about £50

 

[tm123]

Update: I ordered AISIN FCT-004 Engine Cooling Fan... Amazon product ASIN B00829HAV8
And it seems to be the same size as what I had on there already (which I assumed was FCT-029). So if anyone is needing one for their LJ78, looks like this one will work!

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

Right on

 

[tm123]

View attachment 3438239
View attachment 3438240
Update: I ordered AISIN FCT-004 Engine Cooling Fan... Amazon product ASIN B00829HAV8
And it seems to be the same size as what I had on there already (which I assumed was FCT-029). So if anyone is needing one for their LJ78, looks like this one will work!

Update 2: added 10k cst fluid to the new hub with no manual adjustment to the temp setting, got it back on the truck. Tested it going up the mountain that was causing it to overheat/dump coolant before, and the temp gauge never moved, no coolant got dumped but it definitely sounded like there was some bubbling or boiling going on… but come to think of it I think it has done that as long as I’ve had it.