Have you checked your fan lately?

[Igor Smetaniuk]

I finally changed out my radiator fan blade on my '01 because I had a crack in my radiator. I noticed very small fractures on the large round shaft portion of the fan blade about 10 years ago and was picturing it coming apart and wiping everything out in front of the motor. I researched some forums and read that they were not a concern. I checked them every so often when I noticed they were a bit larger each time. As you'll see in the pics below, the cracks eventually went straight across and I panicked so I bought a new Motorcraft fan blade from Rock Auto for $40.00 that matched up EXACTLY the same.



I also decided to change the original fan clutch since I was taking the fan out. Now initially when I start off the vehicle while it's cold, about 60-70 deg. now, I get a slight fan/engine over-revving whine sound. It's only audible during acceleration and then smooths out when running down the road. The trans shifts are very good actually.



Did anyone ever experience this? I'm wondering if the clutch will eventually wear in and stop making the whine. I still have my OEM clutch which didn't feel like it was bad at all when I tried spinning fan by hand. Would hate to have to put it back on after how simple it was because of replacing the radiator.



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[Gary DiPietroSr]

Good catch. I think you saved the radiator from a run in with parts of the blade.

 

[Yardsale]

One more thing added to the maintenance list.



Thanks (I think

 

[Ed Fenwick]

toptobottom, I replaced the fan clutch on my wifes Jeep over a year ago and it is still quite loun on acceleration. I don't like it but not worth the price of an oem clutch.

Ed

 

[Igor Smetaniuk]

@Gary D.

If that fan let go I'm sure it would have taken a lot of stuff out with it and I would've been one pissed off grown man throwing a hellacious tantrum. I live in a rural area so it definitely would've happened miles away from anywhere - that's just the kind of luck I have. :angry:



@Yardsdale

Can't remember where I read it but I believe they said this is not uncommon. On most vehicles you just can't see that part of the fan unless you belly over the radiator support. Yup you better looky-looky since yours is out of the same mold. I'm just thinking if this is a snow belt occurrence because extreme expansion/contraction in cold weather here in the Northeast. We sure had a cold one this past winter. I lived out in Redondo Beach for 3 years and had to move back because I missed the seasonal change and the COLD. I'll just enjoy dealing with the cracks in the fan.



@Ed

Really appreciate the feedback! I was afraid of that. It sounds like a city bus (diesel) when accelerating. I could always put the OEM back on since mine didn't seem bad after comparing the two with a hand spin/drag test. I do however think it shifts and powers up better while attempting to pass someone. Could be my imagination too. Can't find my receipt because I bought the clutch a while ago so I don't remember what it cost me. I'll have to price it at the dealer so I can choke at the parts guy on the phone and say "thanks, I'll pass". :sad:

 

[John Erdmann]

I read many a reviews and blogs, I have a problem with my AC not working at idle or for long or low speeds. However it blows cold when I'm going above 20MPH.

What some blogs say is it could be the clutch and fan. so I'm replacing these and the water pump since I'm there anyways. Bought the water pump for $45 , and the clutch $38 on EBAY. I see fans there too for $35, but was wondering if there is an upgrade fan I could buy instead for extra cooling?

 

[John Erdmann]

I read many a reviews and blogs, I have a problem with my AC not working at idle or for long or low speeds. However it blows cold when I'm going above 20MPH.

What some blogs say is it could be the clutch and fan. so I'm replacing these and the water pump since I'm there anyways. Bought the water pump for $45 , and the clutch $38 on EBAY. I see fans there too for $35, but was wondering if there is an upgrade fan I could buy instead for extra cooling?

 

[Mike S 3]

I have had a few rangers and a gen 1 ST that had this. If you look closely at the fan, these cracks won't cause it to fail, because the blades are molded into a metal ring that is integrated into the plastic. Even though the cracks look bad, the fan is still strong. Metal ring acts kind of like rebar in concrete..



I replaced the fan on my '94 ranger because of this, but didn't bother with it on my ST with the same cracks. I say don't worry about it!

 

[Duane Foster]

The fan on my '94 Explorer completely came apart 3 months ago on start-up. Shucked all the blades completely off at the base. The round part was still intact. Somehow my wife didn't hear it, and drove off in it. She's usually pretty good at noticing odd noises, but maybe didn't notice since it happened right at start-up. Fortunately, all it took out was the shroud and the windshield washer reservoir. Didn't damage the radiator at all. It was cold enough she probably would have made it to where she was going, but the traffic was extra heavy and she got stopped on the freeway. It overheated and died. Her dad came and managed to get it started and drove it to a mechanic. Mechanic said $230 for a new fan and clutch, but the Ex had so many "little" issues I wasn't going to fix it. I was just keeping it until it needed a costly repair relative to its worth, so I drove it home and scrapped it a couple of weeks later. The mechanic said that was the right move as it smelled like it had been way too hot, and probably wouldn't last long. Besides, I had made the deal for the '01 ST the day before to replace the Explorer when the time came. I knew the day wasn't too far off, but didn't expect it THAT soon!

I meant to take pics, but forgot.