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What Does A Fan Clutch Do?

Fan Clutches are ‘fluid’ coupling devices that provide air flow through the radiator by using the water pump shaft to power the fan blade. When the pump is cool or at normal operating temperature, the fan clutch will partially disengage.Mar 4, 2017

What are the symptoms of a bad fan clutch?

Here’s a list of the most common fan clutch noises and what each one could mean:

Roaring. Sometimes a customer will complain about a roaring noise coming from the engine bay. …
Clunking. Sometimes a customer will hear a clunking noise when the engine is running. …
Whistling.

Can you drive with a bad fan clutch?

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.

Is a fan clutch necessary?

The fan clutch is one of the most essential components in the operation of cooling fans and greatly contributes to the overall operation of the engine. While many new vehicles use electric cooling fans, many older vehicles utilize a mechanical fan clutch to help control the fans.

Can you run a car without a fan clutch?

Yes, technically your engine does not need a cooling fan to operate. Logically, however, the cooling fan keeps the cooling system at the optimal temperature to prevent the hotter than normal engine temperatures, as mentioned above.

What happens when fan clutch goes out?

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.

What does a bad clutch fan sound like?

Another common symptom of a faulty fan clutch is excessively loud cooling fans. … This may result in an excessively loud engine from the fan blowing at full speed. The sound may be easily audible and present at all times when the engine is cold and hot.

How much does it cost to fix a fan clutch?

A fan clutch replacement cost will range anywhere from $75 to $200 for just the part, without the labor costs. When labor is accounted for in the overall fan clutch replacement cost, the total price can range between $285 to $500 to replace the fan clutch only.

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Will a bad fan clutch cause AC problems?

Registered. Yes, a bad fan clutch will cause A/C issues. The condenser needs air flow to cool hot refrigerant.

How long does it take to fix a 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.

When should a fan clutch 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.

Is a fan clutch supposed to 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.

Will a bad fan clutch squeal?

Sometimes the fan clutch in your car will start making squeaking and squealing noises. … If you start your car and turn on the air conditioner or heater and the noise is a scraping or squealing noise that goes away when you turn off the fan, it is probably the clutch.

What causes a cooling fan not to work?

Six things may prevent an electric cooling fan from coming on: … Engine thermostat is stuck OPEN (engine never gets hot enough to turn on the fan) Faulty fan relay. A wiring problem (blown fuse, loose or corroded connector, shorts, opens, etc.)

What happens if cooling fan stops working in car?

What happens if the cooling fan stops working? If your cooling fan stops working, your engine could overheat. This could cause damage to your engine parts. It’s a serious issue and needs to be looked at by a garage.

How can I tell if my radiator fan is working?

Determine whether your radiator fan is manual or electric. To check an electric radiator fan, start the car and let it get up to the temperature where the fan normally kicks on. Use the volt meter to test if there is power to the wires. Normal voltage for a radiator fan is around 12 volts.

How do you check a clutch on a car?

Press the clutch with the car off to see if it feels firm.

Sit in the driver’s seat with the car off and press the clutch. The clutch shouldn’t be too easy to press down. Pump it back and forth to test its resistance level. If it feels soft and spongy, then this is an early sign that the clutch is starting to wear out.

What causes a clutch fan to go bad?

If your fan clutch is not operating the way it should, it’s likely due to a fluid leak or a bad thermostatic spring or valve.

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How often do you replace a fan clutch?

How often does the fan clutch replacement need to occur? The average failure rate of the radiator clutch fan shows that the fan clutch failure that needs replacement is most typical around an average of 140,00 miles.

Should you replace fan clutch with water pump?

A bad water pump bearing will usually cause the water pump to leak and/or make noise, but not always. Remove the fan clutch and see if the play is in the water pump shaft. If it feels tight (no play or wobble), replace the fan clutch.

What happens when AC compressor clutch goes bad?

A bad AC compressor clutch could cause the belt that drives your AC compressor to wear down way quicker than it should. That could result in damage being done to your AC compressor and leave you with a more costly repair job on your hands.

What does a fan clutch have to do with AC?

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 do you fix a bad clutch fan?

Can a fan clutch be repaired?

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.

Is an electric fan better than a clutch fan?

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 get a fan clutch off without tools?

Should a fan clutch spin when cold?

A fan clutch is a thermostatic motor conditioning fan that may freewheel at low temp when cooling isn’t required, enabling the engine to heat up quicker and reducing engine load.

At what temperature should a fan clutch kick in?

Your radiator fan should kick in at about 200 degrees Fahrenheit. If you notice your vehicle is overheating or at the very least running hotter than it normally does, listen for the fan to see if you can hear it.

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Will a bad fan clutch cause no heat?

Symptoms of a Bad Fan Clutch

Engine overheating at low speed or when stopped is the most-common fan clutch failure symptom. … Insufficient heat in winter is another common problem but caused by the opposite fan clutch failure. If the fan clutch seizes, it remains engaged all the time, cooling off the engine too much.

How stiff should a fan clutch be?

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.

Can you lubricate a fan clutch?

A thermostatically controlled fan clutch typically drives the cooling fan. … Krytox™ lubricants have low volatility and high viscosity, providing long life and excellent lubrication to the fan clutch bearing under these high temperature conditions.

Can a clutch fan lock up?

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.

Why is my car making a loud fan noise?

Mechanical clutch driven fans are more likely to produce excessive fan noise, usually due to a worn clutch inside the fan assembly. … Worn bearings, bent or broken blades, and unbalanced rotating assemblies can cause a fan to screech, howl, or otherwise make noises it shouldn’t.

Why is my car overheating but has coolant?

Your coolant could be overheating because you have an airflow issue, but it could also be overheating if the coolant is old and need replacing. Additionally, coolant can overheat if it is not being effectively pushed through the cooling system.

What does it mean when radiator fan doesn’t turn on?

If the fan doesn’t come on, you need to look for a blown fuse or breaker. In older cars, you might have a fusible link – this is wire within an insulated block of rubber. Try to grab the end and stretch it. If the wire stretches, the wire link could be broken and you’ll need to replace it.