Lock up fan clutch?

[CyFi6]

I was wondering if anyone has actually deliberately locked up their stock fan clutch? I am going to be moving to a very hot climate and i think it would be fine if the clutch was engaged 100% of the time. It would be cool if i could make something that i could put on or remove any time rather than totally dismantling it and permanently locking it. Any thoughts?

 

[jetjock]

Dumb idea. Not to mention completely unnecessary...

 

[suprabad]

Dumb idea...

Mr. Diplomacy has spoken...

 

[IJ.]

While it "could" have been more diplomatic there's nothing wrong with the statement

 

[jetjock]

I was being diplomatic. I actually think it's outright stupid...

 

[super.secret.supra.club]

where in world are you moving to and what is the average temperature there?

ed.d.

 

[CyFi6]

I'm going to Az, where temperatures are around 105-110. I don't have confidence in my fan clutch and don't want to put down $145 for a brand new one. My current clutch doesn't have any signs of leakage or anything, but i have had it out of the car, and when i heated the thermostatic coil and spun the hub, it didn't feel like it was anywhere close to locked. Also, after shutting down the car from being fully hot, i can go to spin the fan and it has less resistance than it does when it has sat overnight. Are turbo fan's compatible with N/A fan clutch's?

JJ, though i respect your opinion, and did ask for any thoughts, it really does not take a whole lot of effort to kindly state it.

 

[Rennat]

do people ever fucking look at what the vendors on here sell!??!?!?!?! save half that money and buy from ck.

http://a2motorsports.net/7m-fan-clutch865-to-92786592.html

 

[super.secret.supra.club]

dont do it. if it aint broke, dont fix it. youll be fine in AZ...

ed.d.

 

[jetjock]

Sorry, but it's a dumb idea and for more than technical reasons. I don't want to be harsh because you seem like a thoughtful and intelligent guy who wants to learn but I detect in this thread the same approach I saw in your AC one: You want stuff to work right yet seem unwilling (or too poor) to do what it takes to make that happen. You appear to be a dreaded "previous owner" in the making. Mickey mousing has no place on a car and frankly if you can't afford to maintain one properly you should consider getting rid of it. Not to mention there are places in Arizona where if the car dies you could too.

About the fan clutch: If by "lock" you mean get driven 1:1 with the water pump that isn't going to happen. They don't do that because there is no way they can. It's a fluid coupling that at best will run 70-80% of pump speed. They can be had way cheaper than $145 from any auto store. Not only that but the one you have can be rebuilt in an hour's time and $5 worth of silicone oil bought from your local hobby shop. I've done many that way including my own, which remains the same one that was on the car when I rolled it off the dealer's lot 21 years ago. Search the forum for this procedure, along with the proper way to test one. Nuff said.

Lastly, the stock cooling system will run all day long in AZ heat with the AC on full and not blink an eye. I've driven my car for hours on end in the desert and never had a problem. In fact in 21 years my system has never overheated, never blown a hose, never puked coolant out the expansion tank, on and on. It's never done a single bad thing. There is absolutely no reason you can't have the same confidence in yours as long as it's kept it in good working order.

 

[CyFi6]

Ok, thanks for the post. I will look up rebuilding it and testing it properly. I just want to be more safe than sorry when first entering, as i don't want to be stuck with a car that wants to heat up a lot. I have seen in my current temperature of about 75 degrees that my cooling system creeps up to over 200 degrees idling with ac off, so i just have no idea what to expect. The radiator on the car seems like a cheap replacement as the connectors and fittings are flimsy and thin, but it isn't clogged. It sounds like i dont have anything to worry about.

And those fan clutch's from the parts stores, i have read a lot of bad things about those and how lots of them are just DOA, and some of them just really dont work well at all, so thats why i said $150 for oem.

Is it a good idea to switch to a 10 blade fan or is the NA 7 blade just fine? How much more air does the 10 blade pull compared to the 7?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Poodles]

If you're N/A, the parts store fan clutch is probably fine.

If you switch to the turbo fan, you'll need the turbo fan clutch as well, but the parts stores only carry one for both while toyota has two different clutches.

Do you have a fan shroud? If you're unsure about the radiator, you can read the temps across the core and see if it's clogged as well...

 

[CyFi6]

OK, thanks. Reading the temperature at top and bottom really only does me any good if i have adequate airflow anyways though. And yes i do have a fan shroud and the engine skid plate. Im pretty sure the radiator isn't clogged and i have flushed it out good, but what i am not sure of is the quality. It seems cheap and the inlet and outlet fittings are so delicate that they can be bent pretty easily if you're not careful. Im just wondering, are there cheap radiators out there that don't work as well as others, or are all stock replacements pretty much the same?

 

[CassMori]

My fan clutch "locked up" on it's own a few years ago, and sometime shortly after (I hadn't noticed it yet), while accelerating onto an Interstate - it ripped the shroud off of the radiator. I replaced it with a replacement from auto parts store, haven't had any issues with it to date (well, up to the date the head gasket let go...).

BTW, I use an N/A 7-blade fan, have not had any issues in any weather conditions for the last 50k miles or so.

 

[Poodles]

If you get one of those nifty handheld infared temp guns you can look for spots in the radiator that aren't working (will appear cold).

If in doubt, radiators are cheap....

 

[jetjock]

^ What he said. One of the first things I do on any used car I buy is replace the radiator. A while back I posted pix of one that I'd cut open after a car was brought to me that only occasionally and mildly got hot and then only under certain conditions. It looked pristine under the cap was plugged in the center. It was only a few years old and had been flushed. Honestly, if you don't know the rad's history you should replace it. It's the single best thing you can do to prevent problems. Any decent one will do. I like the Koyo stock equivalent.

Scan the radiator just after engine shutdown. Temps should uniform across the top at close to the thermostat rating, slightly higher on the sides, and trending downwards from top to bottom in the center. There should be at least a 50 F delta between upper and lower hoses. Temps will climb in the minutes following shutdown but the profile should remain the same.

Be sure the exterior of the condenser is clean, shroud in place, and fan clutch working. As for the fan itself the N/A one will be fine. Reminds me: I have to laugh at all the "my fans pull X number of CFM" comments. Too much airflow is bad, as is too large a radiator for a given heat load. Since you're N/A stick with stock.