Fan clutch test
Thread Starter
|
More Turbo
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 690
Likes: 0
From: Sweden
Fan clutch test
I have been seeing rather high temps on my '87 E150 van for some time now. The fan clutch was replaced several years ago. Since the problem has come up, I replaced the thermostat, water temp sender, and water pump, but I still see rather high and unstable temps for a van which has always run fairly cool when I took it through the friggin desert.
Now I know the fan clutch has viscous clutch that engages when it gets hot. This is a purely thermo-mechanical system and has no electrical switch. At least I think it has a mechanical thermal element in it. Even when it's hot though, it's still got a viscous connection, not a solid one, right? With the engine stopped (obviously) but quite hot, the fan still can be turned even though the pulley it's attached to is stopped. But it doesn't exactly spin freely either. My question is, how can I tell if this has gone bad or it's the way it's supposed to be?
Now I know the fan clutch has viscous clutch that engages when it gets hot. This is a purely thermo-mechanical system and has no electrical switch. At least I think it has a mechanical thermal element in it. Even when it's hot though, it's still got a viscous connection, not a solid one, right? With the engine stopped (obviously) but quite hot, the fan still can be turned even though the pulley it's attached to is stopped. But it doesn't exactly spin freely either. My question is, how can I tell if this has gone bad or it's the way it's supposed to be?
Last edited by Dannym; Jun 25, 2005 at 02:26 PM.
