Eaton fan clutch mod (1 Viewer)

[96FZJ80]

Thanks.

 

[surfpig]

I'm thinking these (not mine - stole a pic from another thread) are what holds the two halves together? Nuts would be easier - I'll find out when I get there for sure.
View attachment 1962027

Ah. Yes, you are correct.

 

[96FZJ80]

So when moving slow I've been shifting down to 2 or L to keep the rpm's near as I can to 2000 and that has helped keep the temps down in those situations. I'm not very well versed in this stuff so thanks for the tip @inkpot.

Idling/sitting still, however, the temps still rise so I decided to go ahead and replace the fluid in the fan clutch to see if that will help. Can't hurt right? It is an Eaton.

Pulled it out last night, took it apart and set the half with the valves in a shallow pan of very hot (recently boiling) water. The valves started opening immediately but only opened about half way. Should they have opened fully? Slid them the rest of the way open and propped them open with a screwdriver bit. Inverted both halves in a tub and the fluid came out rather quickly (maybe due to being warmed up by the water?). Let it sit like that overnight - about 12 hours.

Collected what came out this morning and it's about 1 oz.

I'm in the process of putting 2 oz. of 15k cst back into it via the valve hole and the three holes on the other half. Am I doing something the hard way or does this take the patience of a saint to put a blob on each hole and wait for it to go down, then repeat? I'm setting the bottle of new oil in some warm water between blobs thinking maybe being warm will help it flow better as I'm filling.

And some pics for those like me that don't necessarily like to read all the words.....

 

[96FZJ80]

So 30ml of amber colored fluid came out and I put about 40ml of 15k cst fluid back in. Been driving it a couple days and I find the effectiveness of this mod to be... hit or miss. Before doing the mod my coolant temp would go up to 208/212 before I would either start moving or shut it down. Now, I can idle for about 10 minutes and the temp will sit on 194, then move to a different location and idle a few minutes and the temps will start climbing up over 200 again. Next time idling it'll sit at 199 but if I move to a different site and idle again the temps will start climbing again. Almost like it "catches" sometimes and moves enough air to keep the temps down but other times it does not "catch". Not sure what's going on here. Might try pulling it again and squeezing another 10ml or so in there to see if the performance becomes more consistent.

 

[96FZJ80]

Pulled the clutch back out yesterday and held the flange in one hand while turning the fan with the other. It did not freewheel or turn easily at all (which I believe is good). However, it was not a smooth rotation either. I could definitely feel several "spots" throughout one rotation where the resistance was slightly more or less. Just enough to feel it. Not sure if that means anything. Opened it up and put some more oil in it. So I'm at about 48-50 ml in there now after originally getting about 30 ml out. We'll see if it makes any difference.

 

[Tools R Us]

What radiator and how old is it?

 

[96FZJ80]

What radiator and how old is it?

Radiator was put in 4.5 years / 50,000 miles ago and is a "1-800-radiator" brand (?) p/n 1-4804. I've tried to find some type of spec on that thing and haven't had any luck.

 

[Tools R Us]

Radiator was put in 4.5 years / 50,000 miles ago and is a "1-800-radiator" brand (?) p/n 1-4804. I've tried to find some type of spec on that thing and haven't had any luck.

Picture of it?

 

[96FZJ80]

Here are some. If I need to get a different angle let me know.

 

[Tools R Us]

Looks like a Sella or Spectra, wouldn't be my first choice, but should work. Kinda weird that it was installed with the old brackets. No foam, having it is helpful, but isn't likely to solve your problem?

From the cheap seats, your issue sounds like a radiator problem, but it's relatively fresh? How is the coolant, condition, level stable, etc, look into the cap hole, are there any deposits visible?

 

[96FZJ80]

Right now, engine cold and sitting on a slightly sloped driveway, I cannot see any fluid in the radiator (it is wet though) and the reservoir is at the full line. What I can see inside looks clean. I drop the truck at the dealership for oil change and 172 point inspection while I'm at work usually. Just did it last week and no issue mentioned with coolant but previous time they did note that they had to top it up with distilled water. What SHOULD the level be? If the reservoir is to the full line should I also be able to see a level in the rad?

 

[Tools R Us]

OK, that is a problem. The radiator should be full, zero air in it. The way it should work, when hot some coolant is pushed into the recovery tank, as it cools is sucked back into the radiator. So, in a couple of heat/cool cycles after the cap being off, there should be no air in the system. With air in the system, it wont work correctly.

It could be as simple as a bad cap seal, allowing it to suck air, or a small leak anywhere in the system. Air is much easier to suck in than coolant, so the whole system needs to be sealed. Small leaks are best found with a pressure tester.

 

[Tools R Us]

... I drop the truck at the dealership for oil change and 172 point inspection while I'm at work usually. Just did it last week and no issue mentioned with coolant but previous time they did note that they had to top it up with distilled water. ...

So 172 point inspection and didn't alert to this problem,,, idiots!

 

[96FZJ80]

Well that pisses me off just a skosh. I guess my fan's been doing a pretty damn good job all by itself.

The seal on my cap looks pretty ratty. I've been thinking about changing out the radiator for a TYC1918 anyway. Looks like it's time to execute on that plan. Maybe I'll even be able to run the a/c!

Thanks Kevin.

 

[Tools R Us]

...
The seal on my cap looks pretty ratty. ...

In this case, the important part is the outer seal, if old, looks suspicious, replace the cap and see what the result is. The cap on the recovery tank has the dip hose on it, right? The hose should be ~1/2" from the bottom of the tank. Solve this problem, make the radiator stay full, then decide what to do, having air in the system can make a significant difference.

 

[ppc]

The hose to the overflow tank needs to be completely sealed as well.

 

[96FZJ80]

I picked up a new cap and some distilled water. Put about 3/4 of a gallon of water in and turned on all the heat. Continued to top up the water about an ounce at a time. Temp would not go above 183. Turned off the heat and left it running. Temp would not go above 185. Dumped some out of the reservoir so the level was about half between low and full. Put the cap on and went for a drive. Now I'm sitting at a roadside park with a/c on the whole time I'm typing this on this tiny little phone. Here's hoping it holds water.