Should you be able to stop a fan clutch?
A surefire way to tell if it’s shot is to stick a screwdriver in the fan when it’s hot. If the fan stops, the clutch is bad. If the fan throws the screwdriver back at you, then the clutch is good.
Do clutch fans always spin?
Electronic types might freewheel, but most fan clutches should spin with a little effort. If the fan spins more than three times, you may have a bad fan clutch. If the fan doesn’t spin at all, the bearing may be seized.
Under what circumstances would an electric fan use a fan clutch?
A fan clutch is a thermostatic engine cooling fan that can freewheel at low temperatures when cooling is not needed, allowing the engine to warm up faster, relieving unnecessary load on the engine. As temperatures increase, the clutch engages so that the fan is driven by engine power and moves air to cool the engine.
How does an electric fan clutch work?
A thermal clutch fan operates using silicon fluid as a viscous coupling medium. As your engine heats up, the thermal spring on the front of the clutch expands, which opens a valve allowing the silicon fluid to drive your clutch at an increased RPM.
How do I know if my fan clutch is good?
To confirm the diagnosis, start with this simple test: Spin the fan as hard as you can on an engine that has not been started that day. If the fan rotates more than five times, you can bet the clutch is bad. You should feel some resistance and the fan may spin up to three times, depending on the ambient temperature.
Are electric fans better than clutch fans?
When compared to an electric fan, fan clutches are quite inefficient. The benefits of a Thermatic Fan lay in its ability to provide constant air flow, improved fuel economy, better air-conditioning performance, cooler engine running and increased engine power.
How do you know if a fan clutch is bad?
Is an electric fan better than a clutch fan?