Blue hub fan clutch worth it?

[b56tc]

Going to address the front end leaks via the front main and oil pump gasket and it makes sense to change out the 250k fan clutch at the same time

I have a new OEM ordered but am seeking opinions on whether the blue hub is worth the change

And if so, where do you purchase one?

Live in the Midwest, plenty of heat stress during the summer months, light towing (motorcycle trailer)

Thanks

 

[Dissent]

Definitely worth it, I bought mine from Toyota. I ended up modding mine with ~27K Losi shock fluid (mixed 10K and 15K due to availability). You MUST make sure to warm it in the oven and index it properly following @landtank's process. I believe 95F is the target temp but I don't have his write-up handy (search for it here on Mud). I didn't index it the first go around and it's not very effective, once it was indexed, my truck ran nice and cool in Phoenix AZ. I would only notice heat rising on hot trails at low speeds or at drive thrus. Fixed these issues by running trails in 1st gear and bumping up my idle to 2000 RPM (hand throttle) which kept everything nice and cool (including the AC with my parallel flow condenser). My fan sounds like a jet engine but it draws a massive amount of air.

 

[White Sheep]

I know a lot of people run them, and I've had one previously. Once installed there was a big difference in airflow. I've never had a problem with overheating, so I don't have the answer in that department. When I just did a quick Google search, I found this:

Modified 95 Degrees Fan Clutch, 80 Series Heavy Duty - 1FZ-FE Blue Hub Fan Clutch Mod

Modified Fan Clutch for the 80-Series 1FZ-FE. This Fan Clutch will engage at 95 degrees, earlier than factory specifics. (Optional) V-Belt Set; Fan & Alternator

redlinelandcruisers.com

 

[Dissent]

Here's a nice summary of the various hub types and how the silicone fluid shearing is affected by each (NOTE: This is a 100-series based thread). hundy fan clutch - should I re-oil for idle temps? - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/hundy-fan-clutch-should-i-re-oil-for-idle-temps.1223607/post-13371194

 

[Squeegee]

I would just take the one you have apart and fill it with new fluid. I’ve done it on 2 different 80s, both had eaton fan clutches. 20k cst fluid works nicely for my supercharged 80.

 

[b56tc]

Here's a nice summary of the various hub types and how the silicone fluid shearing is affected by each (NOTE: This is a 100-series based thread). hundy fan clutch - should I re-oil for idle temps? - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/hundy-fan-clutch-should-i-re-oil-for-idle-temps.1223607/post-13371194

Ok that is an awesome explanation, thanks for the link

To be clear - I’m a doctor, not a maintenance expert (in my best Bones voice) - any “blue hub” one would purchase is one of the oem/Eaton that has been modified for 95 degrees?
In other words, I don’t need to purchase a “blue hub”, I just need to do the mod to make it one?

Or do you purchase the blue hub from Toyota w an apparently different shear setting or construct, then do the mod to take it down to 95 degrees?

Sorry for the dumb questions. Available for any medical questions you may have in return, I’m here all week, tip your waitress -

 

[Atomic City]

Do you currently have overheating issues?

 

[b56tc]

Do you currently have overheating issues?

I just purchased the truck about a month ago and am sorting out typical stuff and beginning the baseline process
Original temp gauge, runs at about the 2/3rds mark. Has not have an overheat moment but it operates on the warm side of normal. Have yet to do a chemical flush to see where it settles out.
Air conditioner slowly warms at idle and clutch is weak
Just all part of the obsession

 

[Cruiser96fzj80]

Bought Blue fan clutch at absolute-wits-end.com. Worked fine keeping engine cool. The only problem is during winter, having a hard time getting hot air to defrost front windshield.

 

[bhsdriller]

I just modified the stock with a higher weight fluid. Works well here and it gets hot

 

[bicycleagent003]

I only wish I had installed one sooner. I put in a new rad, flushed cooling system, changed the oil in my OEM Eaton fan clutch, and still I was getting over 215* at times on climbs. Over 215* is where I start to get real concerned, my engine is on the original head gasket at 255K, as far as I know. I put in a blue hub fan clutch and my temps went down by 10-15*, I'd say. It made an immediate difference, I don't know why I waited so long.

 

[effjay80]

You can buy the Aisin FCT-004 blue hub on Amazon for $80 and get some 15000 CST silicone oil and fill 'er up. I replaced my stock clutch on my 94 rather than refurb and for under $100 noticed a big difference this summer.
Amazon product ASIN B00829HAV8

 

[Dissent]

Ok that is an awesome explanation, thanks for the link

To be clear - I’m a doctor, not a maintenance expert (in my best Bones voice) - any “blue hub” one would purchase is one of the oem/Eaton that has been modified for 95 degrees?
In other words, I don’t need to purchase a “blue hub”, I just need to do the mod to make it one?

Or do you purchase the blue hub from Toyota w an apparently different shear setting or construct, then do the mod to take it down to 95 degrees?

Sorry for the dumb questions. Available for any medical questions you may have in return, I’m here all week, tip your waitress -

Sure thing! Regarding various models; the Black hub is the best given the larger volume (very hard to find), Blue is what I have experience with (the actual hub is painted blue and it's current production from what I understand), I'm not familiar with the Eaton.

Outfits that advertise the modded blue hub should have already adjusted the oil fluid weight and calibrated it to the 95F setting (higher up-front cost). If you order direct from Toyota or Amazon (lower up-front cost), the fluid will be very light (OEM shear) and it will be calibrated to OEM temp specs thus requiring you to mod it yourself.

Without the 95F mod, mine didn't do as well as it does WITH the 95F mod. When I got into the fan mod, I saw a lot of posts about the 15K weight fluid but when I ended up modding the blue hub, I found greater detail about the higher weights (25K-30K). If you mod your own, it's quite simple but you do need to bake it for a while and really get all the OEM fluid out, it's like draining honey. Warming it in the oven a bit or sitting outside in the hot sun will do the trick. Once it's drained, you pour in the precise amount of Losi Silicone Shock Oil (any RC car source has this) and then calibrate it to 95F then reassemble (make sure the o-ring is intact, absolute-wits-end has replacements if yours is bad) and put it back on the truck.

Regarding the AC temps, I found no love in the Phoenix heat with or without the fan until I installed a parallel flow condenser in my 80. The PF condenser and modded blue hub delivered ice cold A/C all the time around town and on the freeway (using the above tricks sitting still for very long periods). Coupled with Remote Start to cool it down before climbing in, my truck was quite pleasant in the heat.

 

[Dissent]

I just purchased the truck about a month ago and am sorting out typical stuff and beginning the baseline process
Original temp gauge, runs at about the 2/3rds mark. Has not have an overheat moment but it operates on the warm side of normal. Have yet to do a chemical flush to see where it settles out.
Air conditioner slowly warms at idle and clutch is weak
Just all part of the obsession

Oh, regarding the OEM temp gauge...it only has 3 settings...cold/normal/overheated. There is a complex mod for the gauge itself to ensure it reports 6x levels but an easy fix is to buy a Scangauge II from Amazon (and an awesome mount from absolute-wits-end for your dash) to get an extremely accurate and granular temp report.

Additionally, do a full distilled water flush of the entire system (using the block drain and heater) then refill with proper dilution of Toyota Red Coolant (you can buy pre-mix or concentrate). I ran a 50/50 mixture in Phoenix.

 

[LC4LIFE]

Yes.

 

[SeaJay]

I replaced mine with the qikaz fan and hub kit, I had previously refilled the blue fan hub, which did drop my coolant temps for a cppl of yrs, but they slowly crept up especially when towing our big off road van, was running at 87c norm, to 123c under load. Now it runs 72c norm, to 95c under load

 

[landtank]

I know a lot of people run them, and I've had one previously. Once installed there was a big difference in airflow. I've never had a problem with overheating, so I don't have the answer in that department. When I just did a quick Google search, I found this:

Modified 95 Degrees Fan Clutch, 80 Series Heavy Duty - 1FZ-FE Blue Hub Fan Clutch Mod

Modified Fan Clutch for the 80-Series 1FZ-FE. This Fan Clutch will engage at 95 degrees, earlier than factory specifics. (Optional) V-Belt Set; Fan & Alternator

redlinelandcruisers.com

Or you could save a few bucks and get one from the guy who developed the mod.

 

[White Sheep]

Or you could save a few bucks and get one from the guy who developed the mod.

I looked on your site prior to the link I found. I don't see it on yours.

 

[subzali]

Ok that is an awesome explanation, thanks for the link

To be clear - I’m a doctor, not a maintenance expert (in my best Bones voice) - any “blue hub” one would purchase is one of the oem/Eaton that has been modified for 95 degrees?
In other words, I don’t need to purchase a “blue hub”, I just need to do the mod to make it one?

Or do you purchase the blue hub from Toyota w an apparently different shear setting or construct, then do the mod to take it down to 95 degrees?

Sorry for the dumb questions. Available for any medical questions you may have in return, I’m here all week, tip your waitress -

Here is my understanding:

Blue hub fan clutch is current production. Different hub colors were/are available for different applications/vehicles. Blue hub is considered one of the strongest clutches for the 80 series application.

But what is "more betterer" is to take a blue hub (used or new) and modify it with higher viscosity silicone oil, and/or adjust the temperature opening setpoints inside the clutch so it engages at a desired setpoint vs. what the mfg setpoint is (which can vary)

Black clutches were used on some 80s but are hard to find, but are good strong clutches so keep the one you have if you have one

Eaton clutches were a U.S.-made clutch (had to do with tariffs and using some percentage of U.S. parts on vehicles coming in from Japan) and can be found on some 80s, seem to be reasonably strong, and can also be modified to some extent (fluid change for sure, not sure about setpoint adjustment).

Many threads on this.

 

[landtank]

I looked on your site prior to the link I found. I don't see it on yours.

It’s there, under more products. I’m not the best with web stuff