How do you diagnose a bad cooling fan clutch?
To confirm the diagnosis, start with this simple test: Spin the fan as hard as you can on an engine that has not been started that day. If the fan rotates more than five times, you can bet the clutch is bad. You should feel some resistance and the fan may spin up to three times, depending on the ambient temperature.
Do electric radiator fans have a clutch?
Today’s aerodynamic designs have reduced the size of the radiator grille, demanding even more airflow from electric radiator cooling fans. Many longitudinal engines have a fan attached to the water pump flange. These fans often have a fan clutch to control airflow.
What does it sound like when a fan clutch is bad?
Another common symptom of a faulty fan clutch is excessively loud cooling fans. This may result in an excessively loud engine from the fan blowing at full speed. The sound may be easily audible and present at all times when the engine is cold and hot.
What temperature does a fan clutch engage?
about 170°F
At what temperatures do fan clutches engage? Answer: Most fan clutches engage at about 170°F air temperature (about 180-190°F engine temperature). They reduce the temperature about 20°F before disengaging.
Should a fan clutch spin freely when cold?
Additionally, the oil may leak, and the clutch may come loose. In any of these cases, the clutch would not work as it should. There have been cases where fan clutches spin freely when cold, and when this happens, you have a problem in your hands.
Is an electric fan better than a clutch fan?
When compared to an electric fan, fan clutches are quite inefficient. The benefits of a Thermatic Fan lay in its ability to provide constant air flow, improved fuel economy, better air-conditioning performance, cooler engine running and increased engine power.
What happens when the fan clutch goes out?
Overheating engine is the most common symptom of a bad or failing fan clutch. It controls the operation of the cooling fans. These cooling fans will disable/not work at maximum efficiency as the bad clutch will not engage properly. This result in overheating which may lead to serious issues if not timely attended.
Should my fan clutch spin freely?
The fan should move freely by hand when the vehicle is off. Any strong resistance means its locking up. Thats when they get noisy.
Should my fan clutch always spin?
There are three types of fan clutch, depending on the vehicle’s design. A small amount of resistance always keeps the fan spinning, but it’s basically free-wheeling until the fan clutch engages. When the fan clutch engages, it spins up greatly, increasing air flow through the radiator and over the engine.
Will a bad fan clutch cause no heat?
Symptoms of a Bad Fan Clutch Engine overheating at low speed or when stopped is the most-common fan clutch failure symptom. Insufficient heat in winter is another common problem but caused by the opposite fan clutch failure. If the fan clutch seizes, it remains engaged all the time, cooling off the engine too much.