Does your 3.5L fan run ALL the time??

[CanuckQx4]

Just curious. I noticed today that as soon as I start my car from cold the fan is already whoosing away air, heard it loud and clear when pulling away out from my driveway, almost like it was on overdrive.

Anyways, I just noticed my fan is ALWAYS spinning, cold starts, overnight startups, doesnt matter if its below zero the fan is pulling air. I thought I read that it has some built in clutch fluid that when it heats up the fan gets engaged... so I figured atleast sometimes especially when its cold it wouldnt be spinning

Mine seems to run constant all the time. Didnt know if something was wrong...

[CanuckQx4]

Id love to know if they are always supposed ot be running. But more than likely Im going to be switching to electric after winter anyways. I had a good visual inspection of my stock fan and it has some large cracks in the fins and probly wouldnt take any much abuse before it broke.

Can you simply remove the oem clutch/fun by only taking these 4 bolts off?? I would think I would be fine running all canadian winter with no fan

[K03sport]

It shouldn't run all the time as the fan is clutch operated, meaning the clutches engage when needed.

Code P0128 is Thermostat function.

From the Service manual Fail-safe Chart:
Code: P0117, P0118
Detected item: Engine coolant temperature sensor circuit
Condition in Fail Safe mode: Engine coolant temperature will be determined by ECM based on the time after turning ignition switch ON or START. CONSULT-II displays the engine coolant temperature decided by ECM. When the fail-safe system for engine coolant temperature sensor is activated, the cooling fan operates while engine is running.

This is all the FSM says about removing the fan:
Cooling Fan (Crankshaft driven) REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION
1. Do not release the drive belt tension by removing the fan pulley.
2. Fan coupling cannot be disassembled and should be replaced as a unit. If front mark 'F' is present, install fan so that side marked 'F' faces the front.
3. Install the drive belt only after the fan and fan coupling to fan pulley bracket flange bolts/nuts have been properly torqued.
-- The picture is not much help

From the sounds of it, do not remove the 4 screws. This will removed the pulley. If you do want to remove the pulley, I would remove the belt first.

It also appears that there are about 4-5 bolts holding the fan to the clutch (metal piece with fins).

Since I've never done this, this is all I can offer you.

[CanuckQx4]

My car isnt throwing any codes though so why would it run all the time??

I dont get why you couldnt just remove the 4 mounting bolts for the fan to remove it though, I dont believe that would unbolt the pulley or anything like that

Doesnt appear to from the small pic I see in the fsm anyways

[CanuckQx4]

Well I got bored and just went ahead and took the shroud and fan assembly off

He was right that you cant just take the fan off as the pulley loosens up and kinda goes wobbly, to solve this though you just have to put the 4 retaining bolts back on and it worked fine.

You can see form the pics my fan didnt have much life left!!

Its to dark out to take pics but MAN OH MAN what a big difference in engine bay room, I can change my oil filter from the top now! Seriously!!

[Pwnin O'Brien]

I'm not sure it's a great idea to remove the fan, even in the dead of winter. I would say there is a 70% chance that your car will overheat sitting in traffic. Your fan will run all the time, it's just how a fan clutch works, it's creating friction at all times, try turning the fan with the car off and cold, it won't turn for long. The fan will always be turning while the engine is running, it may not be under load, but it will always be turning.

[CanuckQx4]

Ill have 2 11" fans in there by tomorrow evening lol

Car wont move unit there installed.

Ill have it temp hooked up to a toggle switch though until I figure out / buy an auto switch for the fans

[CanuckQx4]

and theres no traffic in my life lol, car barely warms up to operating temp 9 out of 10 trips I bet. My work commute is about 5 miles.

[Chuck Tribolet]

The fan should always be spinning, but when the engine is only hot (or cooler) there's a LOT of slippage at the fan coupling.
When the engine gets more than hot, the fan coupling locks up and the fan blows more air.

The FSM for the '01 PF says the fan coupling has a bimetal, and shows no electrical connections. The fan coupling is NOT
electronically controlled.

Those four bolts ALSO hold the fan pulley on, and the FSM shows this in a picture. I think you need a new fan coupling. I'd
just reach in (engine off) and see how it feels when I turned the fan. I had a coupling go on my 240-Z, and it was real clear
that was the problem. Also: AVOID high-rev operation until you get it fixed. The other function of the coupling is to reduce
fan speed at high RPM so you don't through a blade through something critical.


Chuck

[CanuckQx4]

Yup, well shes probly gone forever now. Was a good fan

[fueler]

this thread is how can someone look of a pic of a mechanical fan clutch and say its electronically controlled because of what some online manual says!

Original poster, Let us know how the electronic fan works out!

[fleurys]

this thread is how can someone look of a pic of a mechanical fan clutch and say its electronically controlled because of what some online manual says!

Original poster, Let us know how the electronic fan works out!

no , no, it's possible to be electronic... it's actually bluetooth connection.. that's why there is no visible connection... or else maybe wifi.... I swear I read it somewhere....

[CanuckQx4]

my fan looked pretty scary to me to

If that woulda blown Im sure it may have destroyed my new radiator

Ive got the fans mounted, just waiting on my girl to come back from her errands, I aparently dont have any tooggle switches even though I bought a pack of 10 and only used 2 like a week ago

[K03sport]

this thread is how can someone look of a pic of a mechanical fan clutch and say its electronically controlled because of what some online manual says!

Original poster, Let us know how the electronic fan works out!

I've never taken a apart the fan clutch assembly. I was always under the impression that the clutches were electronic and were told when to operate when the temp sensor got too hot. I rarely have my head under the hood with the engine running. It is practice I try to avoid.

Good that the OP was able to removed the busted fan. With it missing those blades, it had to be way out of balance.

As nice as mechanical fans are, I've always wondered by cars didn't use electronic fans to minimize engine drag and to better control fan speed based on the temp of the engine.

[CanuckQx4]

Theres no missing fins, thats actually how it is. You kinda scared me when I read that and I looked at my pic and it does kinda look non balanced, so I ran downstairs to check the garbage and its definetely supposed to look like that.

hmmm

Ive got the new fans in, but after even a 30 min drive to toronto I didnt even have to use them in very slow moving traffic. Mind you its only a few degress above zero right now

[lovemypathy]

yes, mine runs all the time @ start up cold or warm. Im pretty sure it shuts off when on the highway. Engines get real hot real fast when idling so the fan needs to stay on.

[Chuck Tribolet]

It does NOT shut off on the highway. There's a clutch that detects when it's hot and locks up. The rest of the time it still turns the fan, but there's a lot of slippage at the clutch. This is a gas mileage thing -- no sense using engine power to turn the fan
when it's not necessary because the truck is moving through the air.

This is not new technology. My '72 240-Z had the same thing.


Chuck

[CanuckQx4]

I actually love that I did this mod, the electric fans onluy came on once so far ( but I have the turn on set to 150* )

When its idling, hot or cold, its so much quiter just sitting there. All I can hear is my exhaust bupbs, no more fan!!