cooling fan...please read

[1991q45]

okay. for the past few days my Q has been making a slight ringing sound.
also i noticed i smelled anti-freeze too.

so this morning i opened the hood. and started inspecting, come to find out the fan clutch kinda loose.
so not only my blades are cracked (and getting worse) the clutch is going too.
i checked to see how much the blade and clutch would cost at my job.

i stopped and thing i would be better off getting and electric fan.

yes i know nissan designed the blades for the q45.
but guys, and gals, i'm not easy on the car.
maintenance wise i'm on top of things.

so i noticed that in a few posts the condenser fan comes on sometimes too.
which i'm glad i replaced it.

and the one i got takes up over 1/2 the radiator and it does a great job pushing the air.
so i figured i could get another one. or either move the fan i do have and place it behind the radiator and just do it like that.

any suggestions?

[qship96]

None of the above explains why you would bwe smelling antifreeze......be sure the "loose" fan clutch is not in reality a worn water pump bearing{causing fan/clutch to feel "loose" and possibly even wobble a bit} causing a antifreeze leak!!!!!!!!!!!!

[evildky]

a cheap electric fan will nto flow enough air to keep your car cool, if you go electric spend the money and get a good one that moves 2k cfm or better and to have it work propperly it'll need to be shrouded, so yes you can run an electric fan but its a fair bit of work and expense to get ti right and a propperly operating mechanical fan will last a long time (how old is yours?) and isn't as much of a drag as many would have you believe I recomend you fix it propperly

[1991q45]

i think the reason i smell antifreeze because the fan isn't spinning fast like it used too.
and the looseness isn't due to the water pump either.
the fan i got pulls/pushes alot of air.
this 1 fan pushes out more than the two fans on my maxima.
kinda tempted to get a set for the max too.

ok now can i just connect it to the harness and just let the ecu turn it off and on?

[Infinitiguy19]

i think the reason i smell antifreeze because the fan isn't spinning fast like it used too.
and the looseness isn't due to the water pump either.

Swing and a miss. You got a leak somewhere most likely under the plenum.

[Q451990]

How is an ECU that's not designed to control an electric fan going to control an electric fan? If you're going to do this I would get a good controller (at least $200) that can read off of the ECU coolant temperature sensor. That said, the simplicity of the OEM setup is a big advantage...

Heath

[1991q45]

well because in previous post it's said that even if the a/c isn't on the temp gets a little high sometimes and the condenser fan comes on.

pall wall. no coolant leaks. i was under the hood for a good 20 minutes..one of my neighbors was looking at me all weird. lol.
i enjoyed listening to the engine.

even checked it with the engine off.

[Skibane]

I'd suggest taking a few weeks to think on it before you do anything - That'll give the leak in your water pump some time to get big enough for you to see it!

[Infinitiguy19]

What Skibane said or do a coolant pressure test to see where the leak is.

And 1991Q45 your better off keeping the OEM fan or replacing it with a OEM new or used one.

[1991q45]

i could rent one at my job.

i suspect a couple things though:
one of the two radiator caps could be leaking, but i see no residue
or either like i said before, it could be running it little hotter and some of the coolant could be making it's way into my overflow tank.

remember i did say the clutch has a little play to it than before?

also i pointed out that i don't think i drive like most q45 owner's do.
she get's floored at least once a day.

i do a lot of driving.

[Infinitiguy19]

Rent one and follow the test in the service manual. A leaking radiator cap will definitely show its self, I know first hand.

Does the fan turn more than 5 spins (I think) or more when the engine is cold (When you spin the fan by hand)...If so you need a know good used one or new one.

I used to beat on my car too by doing some Wide Open Throttle runs once a day at least. But now I am more worried about it so I do less of it. We do have a race engine though and a WOT run needs to be done at least once a week on the VH45DE (Q45 Engine), too keep it fresh.

[1991q45]

lol.
i'm not worried about her.
hell if my maxima can handle it. the q can.
i do keep on top of her. and now that i remember when i first got her when the engine was cold the fan was loud.
and that was with an exhaust leak

now you really don't hear it.

[Infinitiguy19]

Just make sure those chain guides are metal.

Plus you have to worry about the transmission, drive shaft and differential. Too much abuse and those will fail before the engine Q45Tech has replaced those many times over but I am not sure you can afford to do so.

[1991q45]

damn...yea the transmission cooler can only help so much. as for the differential i just assumed that it's healthy because the vlsd still works...and damn well i might add.

it's not like i burn out, neutral drop or anything. but i understand where your coming from.

[1991q45]

no leaks? today it was 85*F out too.
my main attention was on that hose under the plenum.
but nothing.
i did notice though the overflow tank would raise up pretty high. and my needle went up a bit too.

i did'nt take any chances. i installed that big fan in place of the condenser to help the cooling.

i was thinking though some of you say the alternator is weak. i though 110amp is pretty good.

i did see a controller at my my with like multiple fan speed control.
i figured i could have the fan run at a low speed, enough for it to draw air but not enough to be an extra load on the alternator.

once it reaches the temp to turn on the cooling fan the fan speeds up.

with it already running it's not asking for a bigger load from the alt. compared to it being completely off.

and the control box actually uses a screwed in sensor...not a switch either.
and the temp is adjustable too.

[Infinitiguy19]

I don't mean to scare you but the interior coolant temperature gauge is very slow to respond (Not to alarm the owner (Great idea Nissan)). So depending you may be in a little trouble because you saw the interior coolant temperature gauge go up even a little.

Did you try flushing the coolant with a cleaner (BG or other) and distilled water until its nice and clean, then fill with distilled water?

Did you use the OEM fan shroud with the aftermarket fan?

The Alternator is pretty weak for anything more than a few low wattage lights, So I read.

Make sure you set the fan to a setting that will maintain 176*F and stay on till that temperature is reached, Keep it on high if you have to.

[1991q45]

the car has overheated on me 2 times prior.

the radiator is 6 months old.
the t-stat is about 2 months old.
so the coolant is fresh and yea i did a total drain and refill. i did'nt use a flush agent. a couple of em required the car running...i did'nt feel too comfortable with that.

so it was fine until yesterday.

i'm gonna get the controller friday.
that fan did a good job today the needle was a little lower than normal.

i don't like how the needle responds.
i liked how the gm temp gauge responds.

i think thats one flaw in the q and maxima how the temp gauge needle responds.

[Q45tech]

Never trust the oem inside temperature gauge. Its primary purpose is to show when/that coolant has warmed up enough to begin driving vehicle in cool weather
It has little if any dynamic range between 170 and 212F........then just swings to H when that is exceed.

Quits working entirely when coolant Begins to BOIL giving a very false sense of safety!

[1991q45]

meaning? the gauge will stay in the same place?

[Q451990]

Meaning the gauge stays in the same place for a dead band between the lower and very upper ends of an acceptable operating temperature. Then skyrockets upwards when the temperature gets out of the normal range. If you ever want to freak out - sit in a drive thru lane for 15 minutes in an ambient temperature of about 95F with a laptop consult and watch the temperature climb!

Heath