How do I know if my fan clutch needs to be replaced?
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.
How long does it take to change fan clutch?
The fan clutch on most vehicles take less than an hours labor to replace. You would need to supply the vehicle year, make and model with engine size to get a more accurate labor for this job.
Should you replace fan clutch with water pump?
A worn out fan clutch can damage a new water pump, and a worn out water pump can damage a new fan clutch. These two connected, vital cooling components must be be replaced at the same time. The water pump moves the water and the fan clutch moves the air.
Should a fan clutch spin freely when cold?
Engine cold and off. If you can spin the fan freely, it is bad. If good there will be considerable resistance. 6/25/12 7:11 p.m.
Should a fan clutch spin freely?
The fan should move freely by hand when the vehicle is off. Any strong resistance means its locking up. Thats when they get noisy.
Can I drive with a bad fan clutch?
If your fan clutch is frozen on full lock (and i would guess it is, since it roars all the time and has bad mileage and no balls), i would say it’s fine for you to drive it for the time being. If the clutch wasn’t locking up anymore, now that would be different (the fan wouldn’t cool properly).
Will a fan clutch tighten itself?
it will tighten itself down just fine.
Should a fan clutch wobble?
If the fan clutch is gone, the fan wobbles, but not the pulley. The clutch is a large round unit between the fan and pulley. The bottom pulley has a harmonic balancer on it that can go bad too from vibrations. It shouldn’t be wobbling.
At what temperature does a fan clutch engage?
about 170°F
At what temperatures do fan clutches engage? Answer: Most fan clutches engage at about 170°F air temperature (about 180-190°F engine temperature). They reduce the temperature about 20°F before disengaging.
How should a fan clutch work?
Most fan clutches are filled with a silicone-based oil. The oil is held in an internal reservoir when the fan is disengaged. To engage the fan, internal valves open and allow the fluid to fill the working area of the clutch. This creates friction between the drive plate and the housing, causing the fan to spin.
What should I do if my fan clutch is going bad?
Silicone fluid leaking from the fan clutch would cause this problem. When the engine is off, there are a few things you can do to check the fan clutch: Spin the fan. Electronic types might freewheel, but most fan clutches should spin with a little effort.
How does a thermal fan clutch work on a car?
When the fan clutch engages, it spins up greatly, increasing air flow through the radiator and over the engine. A thermal fan clutch reacts to temperature of the air rushing over it from the radiator. As the radiator heats up, the air passing through it also heats up.
How does a torque limiting fan clutch work?
A torque-limiting fan clutch reacts to engine speed. A centrifugal valve opens to allow the flow of heavy silicone fluid, locking the fan blades to the pulley. At idle and low engine speeds, this fan clutch is fully engaged, gradually disengaging as engine speed increases.
How can you tell when a fan clutch is engaged?
You should be able to audibly detect when the fan clutch engages, with an accompanying rush of air. At idle, as engine temperature increases, a thermal fan clutch will engage at a certain temperature. Torque-limiting fan clutches will disengage at a certain engine speed. Alternatively, an optical tachometer can be used to measure fan speed.