89 240 Coupe, SOHC, Clutch Fan question

[Brandon1605]

Ok, so today my clutch fan started basically roaring. The car is still cooling normally, but the noise is probably the clutch or the bearings in the fan. So, what is the worst case scenario here? Is it broke, will it take anything else out when it goes? What will happen?

[Rev_D21]

I didn't know clutches had fans.

[Brandon1605]

Thanks for the useful post. Its called a clutch fan to my knowledge. A mechanical fan may work as well. Either way, if you know the car/cars then you should know what Im talking about. You could always spam someone elses topic...

[kouki munster]

Best case scenario the clutch just gives up and the car starts to over heat, worst case the fan and clutch assembly come off and destroy everything in its path, and your car overheats.

Remember that it is a good bit warmer now, and it may be that the clutch just isn't slipping as much causing the fan to turn faster and make more noise.(This is a good thing)

But if you want to replace it just for piece of mind, search the classifieds, junkyards, and even auto parts stores to find a replacement and swap it out, it shouldn't take more than an hour at most if you are mechanically inclined.

[gigabit240]

Go electric

[Razi]

Your clutch fan might be seized and it's spinning when it shouldn't be (it should disengage in the high rpms).
See if you can spin it when the engine is off, if it tries to move the pulley with it, then your clutch fan is seized.
Replacing it isn't that hard.

[Minnesotan]

Same thing is going on with mine for about a year now and never got around to fixing it. don't wait as long as i did. Worst case scenario a belt wearing down. Just switch to an electric fan its better.

[Brandon1605]

Thanks for the advice. Another question. I think Im going to be swapping in a DOHC here in a few weeks. Is the fans the same on these two or should I wait? Im about to be driving a company truck, so its not an issue if it needs to sit for a bit. Swapping it will take me all of an hour, if that, so Im not sweating that. But, I do have to drive it for another two or three days and I really dont want it to tear a bunch of stuff up in the process.

[Rev_D21]

It's called a fan clutch and a noisy bearing is just that, noisy. It's simple enough to replace or you can take this chance to go with an electric fan. The reason I poked fun at you is because all the newb in my line of work call it a clutch fan because that's how it's listed in the computer system...clutch-fan. We school them that it's not a clutch fan but rather the fan clutch. Sorry you couldn't take the joke but please don't call it a clutch fan because clutches don't have fans.

[Gcustoms]

clutches don't have fans.

I'm a pretty big fan of my clutch

[Brent.S14]

xD Nice.

[Brandon1605]

Thanks for the replies. I went outside yesterday and turned the fan by hand, it would still rotate but it was extremely stiff. So, I will be swapping it out later today.

[Rev_D21]

clutches don't have fans.

I'm a pretty big fan of my clutch

I will be a fan of my clutch once I replace it with something better.

[OutToWinPAHC]

Electric fans are tricky, cant go cheap... clutch fan or good fans.... Perma-cool, flexalite

[ILoveMyRHS13]

Yeah, I never understood why people get rid of the STOCK fan on a STOCK motor. Sure, if you boost a KA or upgrade a turbo or something on an SR upgrading fans would be fine. Changing fans is just a headache; especially if you have a stock motor.