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Last winter I had a thread about cleaning/ re-painting my engine/ engine compartment. It turned out very nice, but since then I haven't driven the truck much (300 miles) because I didn't want to get my pretty engine all dirty.
Then I had a close call when my fan skimmed the paint off my new $500 rad. I had the fan spacer machined down, which left me with 1/2" clearance between the fan and rad. Should be LOTS, right........
Today I decided it was time to start driving the truck some more, I was tired of it just sitting there.
I'm about 10 miles from home pulling off a side road onto the highway. You gotta lean on the gas a little hard to get up to speed to not get run over by traffic.
As the tach is passing 4000RPm, I hear a "poooft" then immediately start smelling hot coolant. I whip it into the next parking lot and shut it down, which took less than 30 seconds. I open the hood.......I had a pretty engine. I got it brought back home on a flat bed truck.
$500 rad ruined
3-5 gallons of sticky coolant sprayed every where.
The offending fan is ruined too.
Someone suggested I may have a broken motor mount, that is letting the engine move when I step on it. That would explain an exhaust leak at the header too.
I'd consider the possibility that the rad fan blades deflected/wobbled at high RPM.
This is my first thought. The fan can't push air without pulling itself too. Especially at higher rpm. I wouldn't have thought 1/2" was enough, I'd have gone for an inch, or better yet get a shroud and space it back.
This is my first thought. The fan can't push air without pulling itself too. Especially at higher rpm. I wouldn't have thought 1/2" was enough, I'd have gone for an inch, or better yet get a shroud and space it back.
"Over-flexed" fan?
Could space it back but how much is dependent on the fan's pitch.. too deep and ya start interfering with the V-belts. .. I had that issue with my 68 Mustang.. a 200-1V with PS.. the OEM fan had a really shallow pitch so it didn't interfere with the belts. I got the engine out of a wrecked but low mileage 68 and but the fan was crunched. Pound it "close" worked but ate water pumps every five years to so. I was looking for an OEM replacement since 1993 and only about three years ago did a find a fan with a shallow pitch... out of an early 60s Dodge truck.
I was 1500 miles from home when I did the same thing. I took the spacer off, found a machine shop and had it cut down. Found a radiator shop to repair the radiator and finished the rest of my vacation. When you put it together next time hold your foot on the brake and give it some gas and look at the clearance.
Bummer on that one. I bet that coolant will wash off pretty quick if you just keep some water on it for a while. You'll have a clean engine compartment before you know. Maybe now you have an excuse to go run it around in the next rain storm too!
You're not alone brother, I did the same thing with my 66 Mustang. I had gone to a 3 row radiator (original was a 2 row) and I figured there was enough room because I could my fingers between the radiator and fan (finger's approx 1/2 inch or so I reckon). But at high speed it sucked itself right into the radiator and chewed the hell out of everything!
Could space it back but how much is dependent on the fan's pitch.. too deep and ya start interfering with the V-belts. .. I had that issue with my 68 Mustang.. a 200-1V with PS.. the OEM fan had a really shallow pitch so it didn't interfere with the belts. I got the engine out of a wrecked but low mileage 68 and but the fan was crunched. Pound it "close" worked but ate water pumps every five years to so. I was looking for an OEM replacement since 1993 and only about three years ago did a find a fan with a shallow pitch... out of an early 60s Dodge truck.
Yep, exactly.
If I cut the spacer down any more, the fan blades would be into the v-belt. I've had this set-up for 15+ years without any problems. Later today, I'll see if I can see the engine moving under load.
Check out your rear tranny mount. The rubber could have separated from the steel and would deflect under load causing your engine to pitch upward which is consistent with the greatest damage being at the bottom. Also, since the motor then has leeway in the horizontal plane (no third attachment point) it could rotate towards the driver's side thus the damage concentrated in the lower right quadrant.
That's pretty nasty, but it could have been a lot worse if the fan totally let go which is an issue with flex fans. One blade cracks off and now you have a new dent coming OUT of the hood. Glad you were not harmed.
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