Fan Flies

[1993 f-250]

So today i replaced U joints on the rear drive shaft and took the truck for a spin. when i got back i noticed that for all the longer the trip i took the motor warmed up pretty quick. Popped the hood to start to tighten down my valve covers cause i knew they needed it and could smell antifreeze pretty good. i looked across the engin compartment to the passenger side bottom of the radiator and saw antifreeze dripping onto the ground. Went around and couldnt find a leak in any of the hoses and then I looked and the radiator itself towards the top and i saw where the fan came off and smacked the fins of the rad!! im supposed to be leaving for new york on thursday morning and i just sold my spare turck minus the motor last weekend. very irritated about this whole situation. it seems like lately ive been getting screwed with this truck. i just spent about 200 dollars for parts for the steering and now this?? what gives man?

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Did you fan actually fall off the water pump? That's what we get with this stupid design, I have my fan strapped to the water pump bolts so it turns at full speed all the type effectively bypassing the clutch, and even so when I was changing my water pump I noticed the darn thing managed to loosen up on the pump shaft, never fell off tho cause of them braces I got on it, but were it not for them I'd be in the same situation as you.

I'd say your radiator needs replaced at this point. The question is do you also have to replace the fan clutch - put the fan back on the pump but don't tighten it much, just finger tight, then try to wiggle the fan blades front-back - you're checking for clutch bearings wear, if the fan only tuns but does not wiggle you should be good to reuse the clutch, but if there is excessive play and the blades can wiggle and twist the it's time for a new clutch as well... And depending on how you reinstall the fan clutch on the pump shaft, you may or may not wanna use some kind of a thread locker - I personally have red loctite there, but many others here are using no thread locker at all and they have no issues, I guess all depends on how tight you can get the thing back on, and how overkill you like things to be.

 

[1993 f-250]

well seemingly how i cant reall throw around $350 for a new radiator at the moment im kinda s.o.l. unless anyone in northwest ohio has one for sale. I already checked craigslist with only one within about 50 some odd miles from me. and its out of a van. would it still fit or no?

 

[rjjp]

It can be fixed, it's just hard to find someone to do it. Look around locally for a mom and pa radiator shop and ask them if they can do it, I got mine repaired like this when the pump died and the fan kissed the rad.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

The van radiator will work, that's what I have in my truck. You'll have to redrill the plastic fan shroud from your truck to match the van brackets (or you could just use the van shroud, that may work better), and you'll have to drill two new holes in the van brackets to match the truck firewall (IIRC top holes line up, but the bottom ones are 1" or so off). All pretty easy really.