Fan clutch replace.

Discussion in 'Wet behind the ears??' started by alleyyooper, May 9, 2018.

  1. alleyyooper

    alleyyooper Well-Known Member

    Off and on since August 2016 when we bought the LeSabre we have had cooling issues at really odd times. First time it was only 40F outside temp and I have been driving 45MPH for about 50 minutes. I say to my self OK it has been setting for a few years the thermostat is bad. I buy a new 180F stat and install it after I tested it. On the way home from a car show doing 70MPH on the freeway for about 30 miles and the engine hot light came on and I turned the heater on and fan got off the freeway and sat with open hood idleing till it cooled down. Limped it home on back roads at 55MPH with fear.

    I don't have a place to get rid of antifreeze waste so I took it to a well trusted shop for a total flush and radiator hose replacements. A week later after driving 5 miles at 70 on the freeway and 2 miles on a surface street with no warning light ON it boiled over there was antifreeze all over a shop drive way.
    the shop that had did the flush was a mile away so I run it there.

    They couldn't get to it till 3 days later a Monday so I left it. Told me they had to add 2 gallons of antifreeze so it lost that much. Ran the Air conditioning full on and drove 30 mile round trip on the freeway and no problem found. Asked me to allow them to do the drive again the next day 90F with 94% humidity Air on full and 70MPH on the free way and no problem again. that was mid August 2017.

    We never had a problem again till Monday night 72F 70 mph speed 8 miles on free way and 4 miles on a surface street and it got hot again. worked the heater and parked.

    Have did a bunch of research and it appears the stock clutch for the fan can go bad from setting years with out having been ran.

    I ordered a new clutch yesterday. Hopeing it isn't going to be a bear to change.
    Any advice is welcome.

    Also really thinking about plumbing in a temp gauge instead of the light system.

    :D Al
     
    Last edited: May 9, 2018
  2. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    If your overheating on the highway, that's an indication that your radiator either doesn't have enough cooling capacity or its restricted
     
  3. alleyyooper

    alleyyooper Well-Known Member

    Or not enough cooling air is flowing thru and the fan clutch is not working to pull more thru.

    :D Al
     
  4. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    At speed, the clutch is not working to cool the car
     
  5. alleyyooper

    alleyyooper Well-Known Member

    If the radiator was restricted and or not big enough it would over heat every time it was driven on a warm to hot humid day but it doesn't.

    Also as for capasity the radator worked fine when it was new and driven in Missouri in the summer for many summers.

    Since it is interminten I have did the steps. New thermostat, New hoses so they are not collapsing stoping flow, and the cooling system was flushed and all new coolant added.

    Only thing left is the fan clutch.

    :D Al
     
  6. N360LL

    N360LL milehi71Stage1

    What about water pump related issues; impeller blades or shaft problem? What about the fan shroud?
     
  7. alleyyooper

    alleyyooper Well-Known Member

    Fan shroud is intact fully surrounds as it should.
    I suppose it could be impeller problem but one step at a time.
    From every thing I was readdding it was screaming fan clutch.
    Problem is intermitten, doesn't only happen on a hot day, when driving fast on the freeway.
    When it is really hot with the hood open you don't get that blast of hot air coming thru the radiator.

    Car had sat from 2009 till 2016 with out having been started and ran. the liquid in fan clutches i have been told can take a set.

    Replacement clutch $21.99, had a $20.00 credit at the store so it cost me $1.99 plus tax and one hour of labor.

    :D Al
     
  8. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    That's what makes this all the more interesting. You can remove the fan and fan clutch completely and throw them both in the garbage and at highway speed the car will not know the difference. The fan and clutch only come into play at low speed
     
  9. 436'd Skylark

    436'd Skylark Sweet Fancy Moses!!!!!

    If this is an intermittent problem I'd look elsewhere. Maybe the weights in the distributor are sticking or the distributor is loose and walking around. I agree with Jason the fan clutch is not your issue.
     
  10. alleyyooper

    alleyyooper Well-Known Member

    Finally had a chance to start and run the car yesterday afternoon. Funny you can feel the air flowing now way back behind the air cleaner when you stick your hand in there, Never could before.

    So we will drive it this summer and see if the problem arises again. I don't think it will.

    :D Al
     
  11. alleyyooper

    alleyyooper Well-Known Member

    Any one who was in Michigan this weekend knows it was crazy hot almost 20F above normal.
    We drove to Clinton Township to a car show Sunday part Freeway part divided hyway and surface streets in town. Car stayed cool. Monday we drove to Climax Michigan and there when the show was over it was 93F. Car was cool as a cucumber all the way home. Think that is a sign I may have the over heating issue fixed.

    :D Al
     
  12. alleyyooper

    alleyyooper Well-Known Member

    Over 30 days going to about 20 shows in some really hot weather and nary a sign of over heating.

    :D Al
     
    Bill Nuttle likes this.
  13. BuickV8Mike

    BuickV8Mike SD Buick Fan

    I'm interested in which fan clutch you bought HD or regular? How far would you say it is from the face of the clutch to the face of the radiator? My cooling just is not the same with the clutch and seven blade vs. the no clutch and four blade. Thanks for sharing, Mike
     
    dan zepnick likes this.
  14. alleyyooper

    alleyyooper Well-Known Member

    I bought a regular Hyden fan is same distance from rad. as the stock one was.

    :D Al
     

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