when did fans become such a pain to replace? any good tips on removing this bloomin' thing?

 

yeah buy or rent the correct set of wrenches.i got mine thru snap-on but im sure there are cheaper sets out there.mine fits all the ford fan clutchs.the threads are left hand also.

 

thank you ranch will do... and thanks for the lefthand thread tip too!

 

You are not alone, that thing is on tight!!! I had the same problem. You can stop eating so much spinach and wheaties, you are not weak, the fan clutch nut is too tight.

 

On mine I just took out 2of the bolts on the pulley so I could get a bar in to hold it using the other 2 for leverage.
A big wrench and a bar .

 

I used a 12" cresent wrench, had to touch up some burrs on the jaws with a file. Also used a a big chain wrench on the pulleys to hold it. I always use anti-seize on any nuts and bolts I replace with me that's a definate necessity, because I will have to tear it down again.

 

I was so fed up with mine that I replaced it with electric fans rather than deal with the pain in the butt fan a second time. Why in God's name did they do away with using the four pulley bolts like everyone else? Oh, yeah, I forgot... it's a conspiracy between Snap-On, the parts manufacturers, and the vehicle manufacturers to make more money.

 

You can borrow the fan clutch tool from most auto parts stores by leaving a large deposit. Some clutch fans have right hand threads. There should be a sticker or warning on the shroud. I put anti-seize on the fan clutch threads, it hasn't fallen off yet but then I haven't had to remove it either...