fan clutch question (1 Viewer)

[tock13]

I have replaced all my hoses, t-stat, temp guage sending unit and taken the rad to a good shop for a flow test/flush. they said it was in really good shape with good flow. The temp guage reads just over the first hash mark and creeps up to center on guage around town, actually it moves slowly up and down while driving. The only thing I havent messed with is the fan clutch. How exactly do you tell if they are going bad or not working? When my '94 toyota pickup engages I can hear it whine...I have never heard that on my cruiser. I searched and it sounds like aftermarket clutches are no good. Anyone know what an OEM one costs? Oh and the reason I think it is running hot is before I replaced all this stuff it never got above the first line much at all except the hottest days.

 

[Degnol]

Did you reinstall the fan shroud? I have a spare fan clutch, but don't know much about them as I run the 6 blade fan.
And you installed both gaskets when you replaced the thermostat?



GL
Ed

 

[mattg]

When does the temp climb? At idle or at speed? And when does it drop back to the first hash?

You can get OEM fan clutch silicone to rebuild the clutch. The aftermarket ones aren't worth it.

Get your motor nice and warmed up, then shut it off. Grab hold of the fan and give it a spin. It may have some movement but if it free wheels you've got a problem.

Matt

 

[tock13]

Yep I have both gaskets in the t-stat, and the fan shroud. I put the old sending unit back in to see if the new one was bad..same reading. When I am driving around town...between 25 and 45...it climps to the first hash mark then will just rise above for no a settle back down for no reason. if I jump on it a bit and hit 45 or 50 for short bursts 3 or 4 minutes the needle rises about straight up. If I park it and leave it sit a while then start it is is fine...I have a new cap too. I havent kept up high speeds to see if it goes higher or not. I have no idea the range it should run. the users manual shows it is within range but it never hardly got past the first line before I replaced everything. So either I got a bad thermostat or the fan clutch is goin out. I guess I dont understand what makes the clutch work....when does it lock solid and act like a fixed fan? I can hold the clutch and spin the fan and it dont do even a 1/8 of a turn. If I try to give it a quick hard twist I can feel some pressure but nothing solid. In my searches here I see guys that never have the needle rise past the 1st mark...so that sounds like the normal spot. I threw the new t-stat in a pot and it looked like it opened right...but maybe it is faulty. I might try the old t-stat and if that doesnt work I guess it is fan clutch time.

 

[Desertdave]

If you could also hook up an aftermarket guage to tell you the actual temperatures, you might find that you aren't really running too hot.

It seems to me that the factory guage has a 'sensitive zone' (between the hash marks) and below that it moves very little for a corresponding change in temperature.

My aftermarket guage shows something like 165 -175° when the factory guage is at the lower hash mark, and something like 200° when it is at the upper hash mark, maybe as high as 210°. So realistically, on my vehicle at least, if it is between the two hash marks it is OK.