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00cc39
Dodge Dakota
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2/20/2003
21:16:12

Subject: clutch fan always on
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the subject pretty much sums it up. though out the rpm range the fan stays on. When the engine is off the fan will not turn without the pully turning as well, slipping in the belt and all. is there any way to unstick the fan or should i just take it off and run with the electric. if i can take it off, how do i? Thanks for the help



C P
Dodge Dakota
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2/20/2003
23:20:07

RE: clutch fan always on
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Loosen the fan belt that drives the fan. Use two box end wrenches. There are 4 bolts that fasten the clutch to the water pump. Use the leverage of one wrench on a bolt to loosen another. Loosen three, then use a loosened bolt as leverage to break the last one loose. You do have to work around the shroud. And if you have an electric fan (I don't have a stock electric fan, sorry if I am incorrect) you may gain some working room if you remove it. Disconnect the battery (Not a choice) before removeing the Elec fan or you may ground short your truck. Thats all. RE-tension the belt(s) and be sure to get the 180 deg T-stat. Buy a new viscous clutch and keep the fan. If you pull loads you may need to replace the viscous fan for better cooling.



00cc39
Dodge Dakota
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2/20/2003
23:31:00

RE: clutch fan always on
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please forgive the ignorance but i havent done this before. if i take the 4 bolts out of the fan it is still sitting on a large nut (acting as a shaft). Do i need to turn this clockwise or counter clockwise to get it off. or does the silver deal in front come off some how that i'm not seeing. It looks like it is held in with some kind of spring in the front.



Andy
Dodge Dakota
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2/21/2003
03:34:41

RE: clutch fan always on
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Mine was counterclockwise ('97). Take a hammer and use it on the end of the wrench to loosen the nut. I had to try several times on mine but it eventually came off. I didn't have to bother with those other scews...



C P
Dodge Dakota
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2/21/2003
12:33:58

RE: clutch fan always on
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00cc39,

Yeah, it's got regular threads. Loosen in the counterclockwise direction. You are also right about that ribbon spring. Leave it alone. But look behind the clutch for the four bolts I described. Loosen the fan belt first. Find the water pump right behind the fan. There is a shaft coming out of the casting. The shaft has an X shaped mount with four threaded holes where the bolts I described fasten the clutch and fan to the water pump. You remove the fan and the clutch together as one piece. The clutch has four more bolts that attach it to the fan. remove these bolts to separate the clutch and fan if needed.

Use two wrenches. There is not much room to swing a hammer, and you don't require more than 45 ft-lbs to loosen it. One wrench to hold one bolt and another to loosen the other three. A blow could bust a bolt or booger threads cut in soft steel. Some impeller shafts are aluminum. If you damage a pulley with a glancing blow, guess what? It's Fuc@ed.

Andy may be right about a single central bolt. There are two designs out there. Just look at it. You wont hurt anything dissembling the fan from the clutch or pulling it out as one piece. The clutch is a separate part bolted to the fan if your truck even has a viscous fan clutch, some don't.

Ya know, I was thinking about this before I fell asleep last night. You said something that confused me. You mentioned that the fan rotates the waterpump pulley when you turn it by hand? That just requires you to tension the belt. But you also said that the fan always turns? It is supposed to but the rotational velocity increases as the engine temp rises. It turns slow when cold and speeds up when hot or at high RPMs. If you have a viscous clutch and it doesn't act like this, it failed, replace it. You can usually see a mess like grease and grime on the clutch when you remove it. It is a pretty good sign it took a dump.

If you did have a clutch, you could turn the fan by hand and it freely turns with fluidic resistance from the viscous clutch AND the pulley should not turn. This saves engine torque that can be used to turn the wheels.

Now get out there!



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