Noob question

[LordInfamous]

Hey guys got a question here, I am just wondering if clutch fans & shrouds for sohc and dohc are cross useable? Thanks for your information.

[laxands13]

Welcome. Just so you know, the search on the main page will be your friend. Ten seconds found me this. post5653988.html?hilit=sohc%20dohc%20cl ... n#p5653988

[mechanicalmoron]

Regardless, just take them out.

Ehh maybe keep the shroud so you don't have to tie up your wires and hoses, I didn't think of that before breaking mine on the way out.

But you don't need the clutch fan at all. At least, not if everything else is stock. It's most important function is sounding like a 474 taking off when you slowly and anticlimactically accelerate through first gear, for a normally placed shift.

[Eddiemac]

Regardless, just take them out.

Ehh maybe keep the shroud so you don't have to tie up your wires and hoses, I didn't think of that before breaking mine on the way out.

But you don't need the clutch fan at all. At least, not if everything else is stock. It's most important function is sounding like a 474 taking off when you slowly and anticlimactically accelerate through first gear, for a normally placed shift.

This is seriously the most retarded thing I've heard this week. It's mis-information like this that breeds ricers and kills cars. The clutch fan is silent (until the clutch fails) and pulls far more air than "just taking it out" or the more popular E-fan downgrade. And if it weren't enough to give bad advice, you couldn't even put the numbers in correct order. I believe you meant 747, but a failing clutch fan sounds more like a small airplane than a jet.

[mechanicalmoron]

Ahh, you're totally right, I meant 747.

I do not believe you've driven with and without a clutch fan, if you think it's anywhere near silent. Maybe a semi tractor would be a better comparison, but that thing roars. If it was silent, that would mean the clutch is no good, and it's not spinning. Any time you idle for a few minutes it should be spinning full speed, and when you accelerate it keeps spinning that fast, until you've been at speed long enough to cool the clutch.

I've NEVER seen my temp gauge do anything alarming, except when I was having totally unrelated thermostat issues. I would not deny that the clutch fan moves a lot of air, that's made clear in nissan's prescription for overheating to be pull over and run the motor at 1500RPM. I don't drive in bumper-to-bumper traffic, but my car can idle all day, and not overheat. And once you're moving, the fan isn't doing ANYTHING worth mentioning, you have a great amount of air hitting the radiator at the same speed that you're moving forward.

My overall conclusion is that the clutch fan can do disasterous things if it explodes (as they have been known to do, mine was cracked and heading that direction), makes in nearly impossible to do basic work without a lenghtly shroud/fan removal and reinstallation process, and that the shroud is far more in the way, and a pain to remove, than it needs to be.

I don't see a problem with letting the temp gauge be the judge. If your motor starts running hotter after doing something, it's a no-brainer that you should reverse that change. However, in my personal experiene, the cooling system is overkill for the stock motor, and even hard driving or prolonged idling does not cause temperture issues. I'm not saying that it should be underkill, but on a stock motor, the fan and shroud probably will not help and will be a real pain if you want to do anything, from replacing your thermostat to tensioning or replacing a belt to changing your coolant to.... anything.

I do have a stock electric fan, it sometimes kicks in when sitting around in 100 degree weather, but the shroud never was designed to help it, at all. I'm not telling anyone that they don't need fans, just my personal opinion on the clutch fan. I was originally told this by someone here who I trust quite a bit, and was a bit disbelieving, but my temp gauge doesn't lie.. I have a fresh uncracked fan sitting around, if I ever have heat problems.

[Morph]

At least your name is right. OP dont take out the fan, like the other guy this is probally the dumbest thing i've heard all year. I took out my cluch fan for altima E-fans and had them for a few years and they were ok. I had a few issues with them and sure enough they died one day with out my knowledge and my temps started creeping up in traffic, I do check my gauges every so often, and warped the head. IF i would have had a clutch fan that would not have happened. TBH the clutch fan is quiter than my altima E-fans, and pulls more air. It does "get in the way" but the peace if mind and cooling that it offers is well worth dealing with the "annoyance".

Also using the stock temp gauge to judge when your heating up is like using the oil light to judge when you need to add some oil. If that thing goes off you've already done damage.

I'm not telling anyone that they don't need fans, just my personal opinion on the clutch fan.

Oh Really???

Regardless, just take them out.
Ehh maybe keep the shroud so you don't have to tie up your wires and hoses, I didn't think of that before breaking mine on the way out.

But you don't need the clutch fan at all.

Sounds to me like you did tell him he didnt need them. Op Stick with the clutch fans, and please be careful who you listen to.

[blkvrtswp]

Huh? There is no way you can run NO fans and not overheat. Even at idle, my fans cycle on and off sitting in the driveway. No fan on a clip = overheats in 15 minutes.

[mechanicalmoron]

At least your name is right. OP dont take out the fan, like the other guy this is probally the dumbest thing i've heard all year. I took out my cluch fan for altima E-fans and had them for a few years and they were ok. I had a few issues with them and sure enough they died one day with out my knowledge and my temps started creeping up in traffic, I do check my gauges every so often, and warped the head. IF i would have had a clutch fan that would not have happened. TBH the clutch fan is quiter than my altima E-fans, and pulls more air. It does "get in the way" but the peace if mind and cooling that it offers is well worth dealing with the "annoyance".

Also using the stock temp gauge to judge when your heating up is like using the oil light to judge when you need to add some oil. If that thing goes off you've already done damage.


Sounds to me like you did tell him he didnt need them. Op Stick with the clutch fans, and please be careful who you listen to.

If your gauge doesn't work, you should fix it. It's in it's "normal operating temperture range" all the way up the gauge, and should generally always stop at the same place, about half way up. If you see it climbing, yeah, do something about it quickly.

If you warped your head, you seem to be an interesting character to lecture others about cooling. When the gauge is at the top and your head's warping and you're doing nothing, that's not the gauge being off, that's you being off. And further, you seem to be saying nasty things about me, based on something that you claim to have done yourself.

I totally agree, you need a fan. You just don't need the clutch fan.

[biggie]

True that the clutch fan is louder.

True that the stock e-fan will usually work well enough, without the clutch fan it will get warmer a little quicker, but the e-fan should kick on around 214 degs.

For really hot climates I wouldn't recommend removing the clutch fan. But I've neer had an issue up to 100 degs and high humidity.

[Morph]

Nasty thing? Making an obvious statment isn't nasty, maybe a tad under handed but so is suggesting no fan and your good to go.

My stock gauge works just fine its the fact that the E-fan goes out you have no real way of knowing unless:
A: You wire up a light and watch it constantly.
B: Watch your stock/Aftermarket gauge constantly.

I dont watch my gauges all of the time and I'm sure you dont either, well maybe you, and it overheated b/c my e-fans failed. Offering my experience about overheating does tend to make me more knowledgeable since I've been there before. Hey this is where I went wrong dont do the same thing. Removing the stock fan just for saving some space vs the peace of mind for a clutch fan is not worth it at all. Stock flows better, cools better, and the +/-5 HP (or what ever it is) your not going to notice the difference.

By the time I realized my car was over heating it was too late, it might have been 10 Min, so please dont think im sitting there with steam blowing out from the hood.

The stock gauge is not all that accurate, true it will show OFF, WARM and REBUILD but will not show you when your temps are starting to climb. There are mutiple instances of the gauge not moving when temps are past 210+. So please dont try saying the stock gauge is anything but an idiot light.

[pepesilvia]

i didnt read all of your posts in this thread but i'd like to mention that i removed my clutch fan and fan shroud awhile back because it all got busted up in my engine bay (long story).... but ive never had overheating issues.... i still have the OEM fan on the radiator though.

[biggie]

Your stock gauge its very useful. But the clutch fan can also break without you knowing it, so its not much better.

Can always get an aftermarket gauge or I run an MDM-100 on my mostly stock KA.