Radiator Fan and Clutch

First note description of a bad fan clutch from Normam Angerhofer and David Shield's reply.

How can I tell if the fan clutch is engaging properly? My fan spins freely when cold. My car tends to overheat just a bit when I am stuck in traffic. I cannot discern any change in the fan speed when I rev the engine, but my sight is not as good as it used to be :-).

David Shield replied, "When you spin the fan, it should stop within one revolution. If it spins around and around, it's shot. See the Parts Interchange guide for aftermarket fan clutches.

Mark wrote:

The Haynes manual says you can remove the fan and clutch (old one with short shaft) together without removing the fan cowl --- there must be magic secrets I don't know written in invisible ink in Haynes manual.

If you ever need to do this again, I think you'll find that separating the fan and clutch allows you to easily get them in and out without removing or modifying the shroud. The clutch and fan are not hard to assemble in place - total time from first wrench turn to turning the top off of an "adult beverage" was about 30 minutes on my 82' XJ6-III.

Since my original fan had several cracks at the bases of the blades, I replaced it with a seven blade fan of the same diameter (not a flex fan). It is a much more aggressive fan (pitch and thickness). There is slightly more fan noise, sounding a little like a turbine above 3000 rpm, but not objectionable. I believe the clutch was an early 80's Buick part. It is listed in the parts interchange guide on the Jag-Lovers web page. The cat now scoffs at city traffic heat.

My only recurring problem is those damned A/C drains keep plugging up. The high humidity here in Florida generates a lot of condensation, and I get wet feet every three months or so if I forget to rod out the drains.

Theo Bremner asks

I have gotten the replacement hayden 2705 fan clutch upon using this list to determine that my clutch is gone or on its way out. Now my question is how do I remove the fan and clutch. I could just start taking bolts out til it comes out but I like to have nad idea as to which ones to take out. The Haynes manual mentions "if you have the series 2 car do this." that usually means this procedure is some what unreliable in my mind. So if anyone could spend two miutes and tell me the easiest and quickest way to get it out without damaging the radiator I would appreciate it.

I replaced the fan clutch in my 84 xj6. With great difficulty, liquid wrench and scraped knuckles I was able to remove the 4 bolts between the fan and clutch and the 4 nuts between water pump and clutch. There is not enough room to extract the fan with out removing the cowling. I had a heck of a time working the clutch off the pump, there is a centering sleeve that was welded in place by rust. But you can replace the clutch while leaving the fan in between the radiator and water pump. Its a little tricky, but if you can take a little pain you can do it.

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