Hi Guys,

I'm pretty much positive that my engine cooling fan clutch is stuck on. It never freewheels, runs at cold idle, warm idle, and after I stop after short and long trips. When the engine is hot and off, turning the fan by hand has a decent amount of resistance. I beleive I can hear it running
(constant low volume wwwhhhaaa sound) while I am driving as well.

My coolant temp needle never makes it past the very bottom of the water and thermometer schematic on the factory gauge. I wish Ford would have let us know the exact temps so we could make some sence of the readings- no aftermarket gauge yet. I drive 40miles to work and in temps from -26 F to +40 F, the needle stays in the same spot. Heater seems to have a little bit of a hard time keeping up on those -20 or less mornings. I added a winterfront, it warms up a bit quicker,but did not change the operating temp. Other than the 203 T-stat, the truck is bone stock.

I just flushed and filled the cooling system and installed new hoses, T-stat housing, and a 203 T-stat. The higher temp T-stat made no difference on the gauge reading. Fuel efficiancy is also poor, down 20%, all the usual culprits are accounted for and I am not running blended fuel.

I'm about 95% sure that my fan is stuck on and causing the engine to run cooler and hurting efficiancy. I just want to get a second, third, or twenty-third opinion on it.

Thanks Again!

 

Good question about the fan clutch, as mine is the same way. Also I think my mileage is suffering too.

 

I would absolutely fix the fan clutch -- it will definitely eat up MPGs. You won't see any difference in the temp gauge with the new 'stat -- it's an "idiot gauge". Kind of like an idiot light, only fancier. It will always go to the same spot as long as the PCM thinks the temp is normal. If you see it go to "H", it's pretty much too late. The stock tranny temp gauge (if you have one) is exactly the same way. That's why an after market trans temp gauge is needed even if you have one in your stock cluster. Worthless.

If the gauge isn't working like it used to after you get the fan fixed, it's probably the sender. Mine was bad when I bought it (made the dealer fix it).

EDIT: And you will definitely hear the fan if the clutch is engaged (or partially engaged). Should be a fairly loud "roar" when the RPMs get up there.

 

Natewoz you definately need a clutch for the fan. It should go silent at this time of year.

 

Thanks for the responses. Identifying the sound is hard for me, I think this has been happening for a few months now so I am pretty accustomed to how it sounds right now. I'm planning on getting my new clutch at AutoValue. I get wholesale pricing on parts there. Are there better/ worse aftermarket ones, or a preferred type in the 7.3 world? They have a standard one for $190 that I bet I can get for less than $170, 1 yr warranty. They also have a HD verson for $260 list- any value to going this one? I don't tow the truck hard and my hand seems a little itchy for the bs flag.

 

I'm a big fan of overkill. Then you know that you are not pushing the limits.

 

i went over kill. i got tired of hearing it in the la heat. so i took it off and put on a few electric fan's and that was the end of that. but i don't know if that is somthing you were looking to do.

 

I took my fan off, temporarily for the winter months, and its amazing how warm the truck gets now compared to before. Just the air moving across the radiator is more than enough to keep it cool. AE shows the EOT reaching 215 and then leveling off.

 

I swapped the fan clutch today. The factory temp gauge registered slightly higher afterwards, but by only a 32nd of an inch or so. Fan seems to be a little easier to turn when the engine is at operating temp and off. The fan still seems to spin just as fast at all the conditions I mentioned in the origional post.

I'm also not sure about the noise. I didn't notice much if any difference in the sound coming from the engine compartment. How loud do you guys consider a "roar" from a fan clutch that is engaged? When i flip on my cooling fan in the KW T800 I drive at work, that is a roar. I have never heard anything near or even similar to that from my Ford. I'm just curious of what people consider a loud roar since it is a relative term.

I am a bit nervous that I may have miss diagnosed the problem. It will be a few days until I can verify fuel consumption. Other than the slightly higher gauge reading and a slightly easier to turn fan at warm but off engine, everything seems the same.

Thanks guys

 

what t-stat do you have in the housing?

 

Diesel Site 203*

 

well there goes what i was going to say. but i would check to see if that is stuck open(if not new)

 

I know Kris was talking about a electric clutch fan a few weeks ago,maybe he will chime in.

 

I can give you a comparison to listen to.
Click on my signature where it says "5"exhaust". It will take you to a web page that I made a while back of some sound bytes from my truck. The one that says: "Wicked Wheel pulling a hill 24k gross weight ". About halfway through the recording you can hear the fan clutch kick in and make a noise. Under those conditions is the only time that I can hear the fan on my truck, is when it is working hard like that or it's very hot outside and the AC is on.

 

Kwik, Awsome sound resource you have there! 7 years, 2 trucks, and 800 posts this place always impresses me. For the benifit of everyone, this is the result of my clutch swap.

My problem was the fan was coming on too fast most of the time. It wouldn't come all the way on and make the audible roar, but it was still coming on too much. The new and old fan clutches turned pretty much the same with the engine off when cold and when hot.

I was seeing poor fuel economy (all the other usual culprits were checked) and I was getting poor heat from my heater on real cold mornings. Right away when I switched I was worried I miss-diagnosed the problem. Now after a week of commuting, I can tell the heater runs much better, and fuel efficiancy is up from an average of 14.4 mpg 80/20 hwy/cty over 3000 miles to one tank at 16 mpg, and this next one looking like 17+ calculating off of known and continuously verified fuel gauge readings.

I got my clutch at AutoValue/Bumper to Bumper that I have a good relationship with and get wholesale pricing. I paid $190 for a HD Hayden/Four Seasons clutch with a 5Yr./50k warr. PN 2837.