new clutch fan, now loud whine

[green]

hey whats up. i have a 85 mustang gt, and my original fan clutch was going bad so i replaced it with a 88 gt fan clutch. it seems to fit good but now it has a real loud whine. anybody have ideas on what this could be? thanks

 

[hllon4whls]

Clutch may be a little tight and need to break in. With engine off and cold, can you spin it by hand? It should have some resistance, but it should turn free and smooth.

My 250 will whine until the clutch gets a little heat in it. Couple of blocks and the fan sounds normal.

 

[HISSIN50]

agreed. noise means it is moving air. give it a couple hundred miles or so and it should quiet down. when i tossed my new HD unit it, the viscous coupling was tight! i like that personally.

good luck.

 

[myfast5oh]

speaking of clutches

I picked one up from FORD expensive ! and I never got around to installing it. After I herd that an electric fan was better. So if anyone wants it cheap drop me a line. I believe I paid $89. I'll take 1/2 its in the box.

Thanx.

 

[LX302]

You sure it's a OEM thermal fan clutch vs a non thermal?
Non thermal will make more noise, generally.
If it is a thermal one, I'll agree on the posts above.

 

[SamSnyder]

The usual test for a fan clutch is to observe the amount of revs it continues to make on shutdown cold versus hot. Cold, the fan should freewheel quite a few revs when you shut it down. Hot, it should come to a halt within a few revs. If you are hearing a whine or screeching, the clutch bearing is likely seizing. More common is the clutch locking up, giving you a noticeable fan roar at all revs, from the locked up fan pulling maximum air through the shroud. A bad one may also freewheel when hot, meaning it is not locking up to move the air when it's needed. My experience has been that it's worth it to spend the extra dough on a factory Ford fan clutch -- the Haydens, no-names and other brands I have seen are almost universally too tight compared to a Ford, costing you HP that you can really feel in the seat of your pants. I guess they figure it's better too tight than not enough, since people shopping for a new fan clutch usually get there because overheating makes them notice it in the first place. Getting rid of a locked up fan clutch can really make you feel like you let go of the anchor chain when you nail the gas.

 

[green]

thanks guys i,ll check that out. how do u tell if u have a thermal or a non thermal fan clutch?

 

[vristang]

I'll ask the stupid question.
Are you sure the fan was not reinstalled backwards? Is this even possible with the stock fan? The blades will be designed to be quiet in one direction only.
Good Luck

 

[SamSnyder]

There are no stupid questions, but, I think you can't get it backwards, because the mounting surface of the fan is offset, so that it would take extreme measures to get it together backwards, and would probably cause the fan blades to hit the radiator. As to the thermal question, I believe that all Mustang fan clutches were thermal, but the way to tell on yours is to look for the bimetallic coil on the front of the clutch, which is the side opposite the part that bolts to the pulley (i.e., closest to the radiator). It is a spiral-shaped piece of metal that expands and contracts based on temperature (although the movement might not be visible to the naked eye) and that slight movement controls the fluid inside the clutch and therefore, the amount and timing of fan lockup. In short, as the air hitting it gets hotter, it causes the metallic coil to move enough to change the fluid flow inside the clutch, and that causes it to lock up more, moving more air. Just look for a spiral shaped piece of metal on the front.

 

[HISSIN50]

Just look for a spiral shaped piece of metal on the front.

another way to check if it is thermal is to find the leaking silicone. (J/K - kinda').

Sam, nice description of the bi-metallic spring over the orifice.