I have replaced the fan twice already because it keeps craking in between the blades. Its the plastic factory one. I think it keeps cracking because it barely rubbing the shroud at the bottom. No matter how i fix the shroud it seems to be just low enough to rub. My question is could i run it without the fan shroud and should i buy a metal fan this time?
it is advised not to do that. the shroud is there for a reason, to scavenge the air from the radiator and funnel it to the fan. resulting in a more optimum cooling effect. if it is the factory fan clutch setup, then when was the last time your motor mounts were changed?
+1 on the motor mounts. your fan shouldnt be hitting the shroud at the bottom. if it is, your mounts are probably shot and the engine will sit lower
I have horrible luck with plastic clutch fans too. Both my Capri and GT have cracked fans. The one on the Capri is only a few months old. I want to go electric on the Capri, at least.
Should be able to scrounge up a metal fan from the local junkyard. IIRC, some of the older Foxes ('79 to '84?) had metal fans, and the four-bolt pattern is pretty generic, so you could also probably salvage one from a totally different vehicle, just so long as the clutch will bolt in there and it's not larger than your stock fan (around 18", I think). I would suggest a fan off an 80's Crown Vic or Town Car, being that they're also a 302 and would have the same water pump hub bolt pattern/size, but I'm pretty sure those fans are too big around, as the radiator in those cars is significantly wider/taller. Hayden used to have an 18" metal fan, reverse (counter-clockwise) rotation for sale that would fit a stock fan clutch, but Autozone doesn't list it as being available, anymore, for some reason. It's probably still available online through some other places, though, I'm sure. The part numbers for all the different flex fans and standard fans are listed on the back of the box of any flex fan at the store - just specifically look for the reverse-rotation clutch fan.
I have a replacement fan from 5.0resto that is cracking pretty good after only 12 months. The cracks are between the blades and seem to be slowly growing. Based on my experiences with my 93 before: I personally would not get a flex fan. I had one and that thing was loud and dangerous. Those blades make putting your hand anywhere near the front of your car an amputation waiting to happen....engine running or not. I hated that fan. I have also experienced an electric fan, and with use in this Texas heat, it didn't cool nearly as well as the stock clutch fan setup. I think we just need a good OEM replacement fan. Not sure if anyone makes one that's better than the one I got form Resto? Hope so! Just tossing out my thoughts and experiences with fans. Ken
FWIW, the fan I was recommending above is NOT a flex fan. I hate those, as well. Just took one off of Frankenstang's Capri a few months back. That thing made it sound like a damned Hoover. The fan I'm referring to is a rigid metal fan, much like you'd find OEM on a lot of older Fords (before they got obsessed with making everything in plastic). Just a thought, would slobbering a bit of JB Weld on the cracks of the plastic fan you got possibly reinforce it enough to keep it from getting worse? Or would it throw things out of balance and not make a difference in stopping it from coming apart at high speed?
FAL metal replacement fan blade here. It does well-enough in 115*F heat (Desert SW). It's about 35 bucks from Summit IIRC. Note that if your fan clutch is tight [I run a HD clutch that's extremely tight, just like I want and need it to be] you will sound like a 747 and people will ask about the blower you might not have. Just random ramblings from me. Good luck.
