How do you determin if the fan clutch is defective?? 'Mo

 

they howl, they put drag on engine, they vibrate.

 

Sometimes will have play in them.......can move it back and forth some. I saw no symptoms other than my A/C cycling on and off and after checking it out and making sure it was full.....we checked the temp. It would go high and cycle. New fan clutch and no more problems.
Best to check everything else out if you are having any problems....."ie" flush radiator, water pump for leaks, thermostat. If problems persist....replace the clutch.

Good Luck

 

They also can leak the viscous fluid out of the hub - shows up like grease on your belt, pullies, etc.

 

ive got all this greasy crap all over my engine comp and am considering replacing fan clutch asap...first i thought i had an engine oil leak but the stuff is way to sticky and the stuff is definitely being sucked by the fan and being flung around everywhere

 

Do you have a tranny cooler? You may want to check it for leeaks..The only anitfreeze that I know of that gets "sticky" is DEXCOOL for GM vehicles...That stuff is nasty...

 

i never said it was antifreeze...i think it could either be the grease from the fan clutch or an engine oil leak being sucked up by the fan and getting all over and i dont think it is tranny fluid

 

hornet, when your engine is cold, you should be able to get a couple turns on the fan with a push from your hand. When hot, you should get maybe half from the same push. Most often they either freewheel all the time, causing overheating, or they lock up, causing unncessary strain on the engine.

Why are you interested if the fan clutch is defective?

 

Appreciate all the comments. Determined the clutch was O.K. after getting a Haynes manual and checking it out! Was chasing a temp indicating problem. Turned out to be the coolant temperature sending unit. Was a trip to change as it was down by the dizzy base and could only get one finger on the thing ('93 5L). Couldn't figure out how to screw the new unit in as it was so far down between the rocker cover and dizzy base. The threads on the unit were the same size as my gun cleaning rod, so I used the cleaning rod to lower the unit into place and get it started! Worked like a charm!!! 'Mo

 

Puck isnt it the other way around. Cold hard to turn, hot easier to turn. I know my old dakota took awhile to warm up & free wheel. Until then it would just howl like a huge fan.

 

toddo, No. Sounds like the fan clutch in your dakota was bad.

The fan clutch engages the fan to help pull more air through the radiator. This is helpful in stop and go driving (not necssary on the highway because air is being pushed thorught the radiator by your speed). Just like the thermostat being closed while your car is warming up, the fan doesn't need to run either. WHen hot, you need it while sitting at a stop light. Freewheeling when hot is bad because you need to use the crank of the engine to turn the fan.

 

it just dont add up to me. If it engages while warm & doesnt slip it will sound like a 747 under that hood. Thats why the more rpms the more slip. Other wise it will drag the engine down. Thats my thought.

 

Oh yeah. The fan clutch was bad in the dakota. It was a common problem. They were known to not disengage. You couldnt hardly drive it until it disengaged. It took 3 to 5 min to do so. I was to cheap to change it. LOL.