Drive home from McGrew Trail Run

[lovetoski]

Hi,

Did the McGrew Trail run this weekend w/my son. Really fun - great trail, great organization, and a great time.

I have a question about my fan clutch though...

The event is about 460 miles from Seattle, and this was the longest road trip I've taken in my fj60. A/C was recently fixed, and the cooling system recently repaired (fan clutch, water pump, thermostate, rad flush, etc.) Outside temps driving home were 95 - 100F. Truck was loaded, with a "space case" on top. With my 33's I was driving at about 70mph (per gps) or 2700 rpm. I had the A/C on the entire trip. The temp guage ran steady at 1/3 the whole time.

My fan clutch was engaged for nearly the entire time while driving in the above conditions - is this normal?. It disengaged only well into the evening once the A/C was off and the air temp dropped. I know that many of you drive in hot conditions on a regular basis, so I'd like to get some sense as to what's normal.

Man that thing is loud...

Thanks in advance for any comments.

Best Regards,

 

[DieselROCKS]

Well if it were me I'd probably leave it...the quicker it kicks in, the quicker the air going through the rad, the more air going through the rad.

If the noise is that bad....put in a diesel, you'll quickly find that the fan noise is pretty quiet

Geoff

 

[60wag]

My 60s fan clutch definitely cycles even in hot weather with the AC running. I can hear the fan spin up and down. The fan shouldn't be really loud. Have you examined the fan for damage? A chipped blade might throw it out of balance and make it noisy. As for the clutch - its obviously engaging well enough to to keep the engine cool but on the highway a good part of the flow over the rad is forced induction rather than the fan pulling the air. If everything else on your truck is working, I'd put a new OE fan/clutch assembly in it.

 

[hj60]

The clutch lockup works like a home thermostat, IIRC. So if it gets hot enough behind the fan,
the clutch locks up. I can see how this would be possible with the A/C on in 100°F ambient
temp, even on the highway.

Mine cycles alot on the freeway as well. And it's almost constantly on under 50 MPH here in
Hell's Waiting Room(tm).

And mine fan's louder than a Toyota diesel. But it's got some battle scars, so this is to be
expected. B)