overheating issues

[Johnboy]

Well I've been putting alot of time under the hood of my van. All new radiator, thermostat, and temp sensor(I think thats what you call it). also on my third alternator in 2 months. arghh

I drove to portland from seattle(3 hours or so) and the needle on the temp guage was dead center the whole way down. Ran great. On the way back it started running hot and when I lowered my speed it got even hotter. This makes me think that the fan clutch went out but I just replaced that thing less than 20 thousand miles ago or so. Are there any good ways to test the fan clutch or the water pump without removing them? The water pump is the only thing in this van I haven't replaced. I'm keeping my fingers crossed cause I don't feel like undoing and redoing everything else to get at it. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. (All my friends have already told me to ditch the van for a truck.ha ha)

 

[franklin2]

Read this thread about the new fan clutches.
http://www.oilburners.net/forums/showthread.php?t=40045
I debated about buying a new clutch, or putting in electric fans(about the same cost) and I decided on the electric fans. I don't know if the electric fans are going to cool well enough yet(no long hard pull yet) but it looks like I would have definitely wasted my money on the fan clutch.

I put two 16 inch aftermarket fans on my radiator, and I hope they work. I have seen an improvement so far, but like I said I haven't done the torture test yet.

 

[gatorman21218]

Well let the truck warm up then idle it in the driveway and after 5-10 mins the temp gauge should be at the M or A in NORMAL and that fan should be a whirlin. If it aint then thats the problem. What thermostat did you put in? If you used an aftermarket one (ie not a ford one) then they have been reported to not let the full amount of coolant flow by, therefor causing the engine to run hot. As for the water pump, Theres no way to really tell if theyve gone bad unless the weep hole on it is "weeping" (usually coating the entire engine compartment in coolant) and thats about the only thing that can go bad with them (leaking or possibly bearing failure).

 

[Brianedwardss]

I've had terrible luck with fan clutches on these IDI motors. Even with a spotless radiator, they never seem to 'lock on' in any fashion. So on my current rig, I drilled a 3/8 hole in the clutch, then filled it with weld, locking it on. The heater still works great, and other than mpg, I've had no ill effects in the 9 months it's been locked on.

 

[franklin2]

I've had terrible luck with fan clutches on these IDI motors. Even with a spotless radiator, they never seem to 'lock on' in any fashion. So on my current rig, I drilled a 3/8 hole in the clutch, then filled it with weld, locking it on. The heater still works great, and other than mpg, I've had no ill effects in the 9 months it's been locked on.

The only thing I would be worried about is the fan coming unscrewed when the engine stops. You must have yours on tight enough where it's not a problem, but some people even hear the belts squeal a little bit when they turn the engine off with a locked fan.

I was thinking if I locked my fan I would turn out a spacer on the lathe that bolted to the pulley bolts, and get rid of the left hand thread deal.

 

[Brianedwardss]

The only thing I would be worried about is the fan coming unscrewed when the engine stops. You must have yours on tight enough where it's not a problem, but some people even hear the belts squeal a little bit when they turn the engine off with a locked fan.

I thought only Cummins squealed the belt when being shut off

In all seriousness, Yes the first time I put the locked clutch back on the truck and idled it, it came unscrewed and fell off after shut down. So when I put it back on the water pump, I used a 36" cheater bar on my wrench and held the pulley with giant flat blade screwdriver.. Hasn't came off again, and no belt squeal of any kind.

 

[icanfixall]

Two big drops of loctite blue on the clutch threads and it stays in place. The proper torque is also very important...

 

[gatorman21218]

Two big drops of loctite blue on the clutch threads and it stays in place. The proper torque is also very important...

x2

When I did my water pump this is how i put it back on. some loctite and a breaker bar on the fan clutch wrench and KNOCK ON WOOD there have been no problems so far

 

[Johnboy]

Thanks for the quick replies. Well I think I'm gonna lock mine up and see what happens.

[HTML][PHP]The heater still works great, and other than mpg, I've had no ill effects in the 9 months it's been locked on.[/PHP][/HTML]

Just wondering why or how this would effect the milage?

 

[Brianedwardss]

Just wondering why or how this would effect the milage?

Its a very small effect. But having no overdrive, while on the highway I'm turning 2500 rpms pretty regularly.. Having that fan locked on seems to be using some energy, but not enough to be afraid of. Somewhere on here a member did the math on how much energy a locked fan uses at high rpm's.. I remember it being 20+ hp.

 

[Johnboy]

Its a very small effect. But having no overdrive, while on the highway I'm turning 2500 rpms pretty regularly.. Having that fan locked on seems to be using some energy, but not enough to be afraid of. Somewhere on here a member did the math on how much energy a locked fan uses at high rpm's.. I remember it being 20+ hp.
_____________

Ok that makes sense. Well I also don't have an overdrive yet. I don't know if I can afford the horsepower as I don't have a turbo either. When I get going up a mountain I need to hold on to as many horsies as I can. I would hate to get passed by a VW bus or something.