Prior to a month ago I only heard the fan when I first started the car. After the motor warmed up for about 5 minutes the fan noise (loud whoosh) would stop. Now, it is coming on more frequently, especially when the outside temperator reaches 79-80 degrees or higher. And usually once it starts it won't stop, even if you go onto the freeway. It is loud and is hurting gas mileage of course. I took it to the dealer and he thought it was the thermostat because the upper hose was hot and the lower hose was luke warm. Not it seems like the problem is worse. He is willing now to try a fan clutch replacement, but a manual check of my fan clutch indicates it should be fine. And from what he said, it shouldn't go bad after only 47K miles. Any thoughts on this? I really want to get this issue fixed ASAP. It is actually embarrassing to drive with the fan making this loud and noticeable whooshing noise. Sounds like a school bus.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

Sounds like the fan clutch is shot.

I have that same problem with my 2002 QX4 with 50k miles on it. A few seconds after starting the engine the fan comes on and thats all I hear. The fan is noticeably loud and I dont know what it can be. The dealer says everything checks out ok. Nothing to worry about...It seems odd. Have you tried the fan clutch yet? I guess I may have to get the $150 part and see if it helps. PLease let us know if this is resolved.

CobraBob wrote:Prior to a month ago I only heard the fan when I first started the car. After the motor warmed up for about 5 minutes the fan noise (loud whoosh) would stop. Now, it is coming on more frequently, especially when the outside temperator reaches 79-80 degrees or higher. And usually once it starts it won't stop, even if you go onto the freeway. It is loud and is hurting gas mileage of course. I took it to the dealer and he thought it was the thermostat because the upper hose was hot and the lower hose was luke warm. Not it seems like the problem is worse. He is willing now to try a fan clutch replacement, but a manual check of my fan clutch indicates it should be fine. And from what he said, it shouldn't go bad after only 47K miles. Any thoughts on this? I really want to get this issue fixed ASAP. It is actually embarrassing to drive with the fan making this loud and noticeable whooshing noise. Sounds like a school bus.

It is normal for the fan to blow harder like a school bus when hot out... but it should let go on the freeway. There is no accurate "manual way" to test the fan clutch other than putting it to use. There is a ghetto way to test if the fan clutch is not grabbing, but that does not even apply to your case since the fan clutch sounds to be engaged all the time. All signs point to fan clutch.

mobileprojects wrote:I have that same problem with my 2002 QX4 with 50k miles on it. A few seconds after starting the engine the fan comes on and thats all I hear. The fan is noticeably loud and I dont know what it can be. The dealer says everything checks out ok. Nothing to worry about...It seems odd. Have you tried the fan clutch yet? I guess I may have to get the $150 part and see if it helps. PLease let us know if this is resolved.

This is perfectly normal. Because the Nissan fan clutch is thermoelectric, it blows really hard when the engine is cold, by default. It should loosen up within 20 or 30 seconds however. Once the engine is warm, it should only blow hard when the engine gets sufficiently hot, for example standstill traffic on a 80 degree afternoon. PS - Autozone sells a nice fan clutch for about $50+tax, thats what I have, it works great and has a lifetime warranty. My Nissan one was shot at 130k miles, it wasn't engaging at all! The temps would go up in bumper to bumper traffic..... the autozone one grabs more often and I like that

Hey Fueler,Thanks for the tips. I ordered one online for $110.00 but I'll definitely checkout the one from autozone. I'm at the point of selling the vehicle if this doesn't work. Just a bit frustrated with the noise level. It's kind of embarrassing.

Mobileprojects

P.S. Nice pic.

What does the noise sound like? It should sound like its blowing air really hard on a cold start. If you try to drive it right away, it should sound like a turbo school bus spooling up. If the noise lasts longer than a minute, then you might have a problem. PS don't be bummed about spending $110 on a OEM fan clutch. The OEM one fits slightly better - the flange where the clutch bolts to the water pump is much thicker on the autozone fan clutch - it fits just fine but perfectionists should opt for the OEM fan clutch

Fueler was right. It was the fan clutch. I replaced it and it's very quiet. You hear the fan at first but in less than a minute, it tones down where you can actually hear the motor. The "for sale sign" is off the vehicle, I called the dealership and rubbed it in their face.

Thanks Fueler for the tip and thanks guys for all the input.

Mobileprojects

Glad to hear it is fixed! But i'm afraid that 88pathoffroad had the answer first! And dealers are overpriced gorillas. They charge $80 - $100 an hour and put a 18 year old tech, fresh outta high school, to work on your car! Again, the only way to test if a fan clutch is not disengaging is to drive it, and to use deductive reasoning and use your brain. most mechanics are not capable of this, unfortunately. They barely have enough reasoning to sit around, scratching themselves and eating bananas. Dealer:

Props to 88pathoffroad as well. It proves that the dealers rely on way too on computers and not use their brains. I could almost be certain that they didn't even run diagnostic on the truck. This make me wonder if I should continue taking my truck there for anything. I mean most of their "scheduled maintenance" can be done outside the dealership anyways.

Thanks for the responses. Nice avatar.

Mobileprojects