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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.Dec 8, 2014
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.
What Temperature Does a Fan Clutch Engage? The majority of them engages when the air temperature goes around 170°F, which means that engine temperature is around 180-190°F. Usually, they can reduce it by about 20°F before disengaging.
The fan should move freely by hand when the vehicle is off. Any strong resistance means its locking up. Thats when they get noisy.
A stuck fan clutch will cause excessive, unnecessary drag on the engine, which can cause a drop in power, acceleration, and fuel efficiency, sometimes to a quite noticeable degree. As the fan clutch is one of the main cooling system components, it is very important to the proper operation of the engine.
A failing fan clutch can actually cause the engine fan to become loose and wobble. Sometimes this wobble can be heard while driving, especially at freeway speeds. You can turn on your car’s engine while the vehicle is in park or neutral, pop the hood, and see for yourself that the fan is wobbling as it spins.
A thermal fan clutch is engaged on a cold startup because the fluid drains into the working area when the engine is shut off. The fan clutch will slow down shortly after startup as result of a pumping action produced by a difference in speed between the shaft and the body of a clutch.
There should be a nice, consistent, deliberate rotating force such that when you let the fan go, it should start spinning back up at a rather rapid rate of rotation. If right after you release the fan to spin, and the fan spins ever so slowly, then your fan clutch isn’t working right.
Turn the fan by hand.
On the other hand, too much resistance means the clutch is binding and can’t turn freely. In either case, it will need to be replaced. Ideally, the fan shouldn’t spin more than 1-1½ times. For your own safety, you should never attempt to manually test your fan clutch while the vehicle is running.
Yes, a bad fan clutch will cause A/C issues. The condenser needs air flow to cool hot refrigerant.
This coupler is called the Fan Clutch. Flex Fans do not need a clutch. At high rpm, the blades “flatten out.” This achieves the same function as disengaging the fan.
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.
While there are times you can repair the fan clutch, in most instances it’s best to replace it. … Your engine may have a hard time cooling down (overheating) or heating up since the fan clutch isn’t working.
Fan Clutch
The bearings that support the drive shaft for this clutch regularly experience high temperatures. … Krytox™ lubricants have low volatility and high viscosity, providing long life and excellent lubrication to the fan clutch bearing under these high temperature conditions.
Sometimes the fan clutch in your car will start making squeaking and squealing noises. … A noisy fan clutch can also be the culprit when your car is overheating.
A locked-in fan clutch will cause the radiator fan to be fully engaged. This results in extra strain on the engine and, therefore, your vehicle will consume more power and fuel.
If there is any wobble in the fan, there is a bad bearing in the fan clutch, or a worn bearing on the water pump shaft. A bad water pump bearing will usually cause the water pump to leak and/or make noise, but not always. … If it feels tight (no play or wobble), replace the fan clutch.
How often should radiator fan come on? Most fans should come on when the coolant reaches about 200 to 230 degrees. … A mechanical fan WILL spin as long as the engine is running, but it will only ‘lock up’ when needed.
How do you know if its working properly? When your motor is hot, you should be able to hear the fan kick in. If you can’t, pop the bonnet, and turn the vehicle off while watching the fan. If it comes to a fairly abrupt stop, the fan hub is working properly.
Raise the hood, with the engine off and cold. Reach in and spin the fan blade by hand. If it continues to spin freely for more than five turns with no signs of drag, you have a bad fan clutch.
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