Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Clutch fan don`t kick out

[GreggNoble]

HI, i have been having low temp/heater issue with my 2001 24 valve and i suspected my clutch fan ,so my brother who drives a 2003 cummins ram and i drove the same distances and then we got out and checked our fans,i could easily put my hand on his with engine running and stop the fan no pain felt, but i tried to stop mine with leather gloves on but it would cut my hand off if i tried any harder. HIs engine was running at half temp and mine not even quarter.

Wondering if anyone else has had such fan issues, if its blowing all the time it must be using up horse power from my engine unnessesarily ,do i need a new clutch fan? thanks

 

[SRath]

Yup. Your's is locked up and robbing unbelievable amounts of engine power and fuel economy. No big deal to change, but it needs done.

Will your fan spin easily by hand when the engine is cold?

 

[GreggNoble]

no,can`t ever stop it with the engine running ,like most engine can

if i shut down the engine i can turn the fan but its stiff even when hot

are these know to be problematic? my truck has 270000 klms

 

[SRath]

If it is locked up all the time, even when the engine is cold and shut off, there is no question it's bad.

I don't recall reading a lot of posts where they went bad. They're like water pumps, alternators, etc. Some last forever it seems and some don't. Luck of the draw. Nothing you do will affect their lifespan except hitting a deer and physically damaging it or something.

I have no idea what these cost (mine is still good), but for my Chevy gas pickups and such, they can run $75 to $100 or a little more the last time I had to buy one. The non-thermal (non-temperature sensing) ones might be a little cheaper. If what you buy says "Mopar" on it, you will pay too much.

The next one might/could/should last you hundreds of thousands of miles. Or not. Mine has 160k on it.

Enjoy some peace and quiet and let it start paying for itself in fuel savings and change it asap.

You want to check for freespin when the engine is cold. They are designed to lock up and pull more air when the temperature rises and unlock when it drops.

The one in my semi is air-activated and will lock up whenever I turn the a/c on below a certain speed, too. It will pull the engine down so hard, the truck becomes difficult to shift (better be fast!). I think its a dumb design and should only come on when needed according to temperature. They can kill our fuel mileage by as much as 20% (guessing) when they go bad and lock up.

 

[GreggNoble]

yea, sure wish i had one that you could manually controll like some road tractors do ,could i buy one like that i wonder? when towing you could disenguage it in the hills to get the extra power!

 

[SRath]

Trouble is, that is when you are also likely to need maximum cooling. I have never had a tractor where I could control turning the fan clutch off. I can make this one come on at low speed by switching the a/c on, but that's it. It will come on anyway at a certain temp, so there isn't much point.

 

[GreggNoble]

thanks, is there a company making controllable fans for our trucks? thanks