Cooling Fan Options

[Axion]

Greetings All;



So, truck dropped P0480 & P0483, figured I'd check the fan and found the wire bundle severed. How it got severed is a mystery for another time.



The easy fix is to drop $400 or so and put the same thing back in. Are there any other options? I have heard of the flex-a-lite fans but want to make sure I will get enough airflow to keep things cool when towing.



I tow an 11K trailer around West Texas, New Mexico and Arizona in the summer.



Thoughts?

 

[JBallou]

Yea, fix it correctly with oem parts. You are in a hot area towing.

The fan assembly is $ no doubt, but if you go a different way you will be paying twice and doing it twice.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

see TDR 77, p. 85 for my recommendations.

 

[cerberusiam]

With a 11k trailer you don't really have an option except OE. You can buy them online for a little over $300 but shipping to the greta north area may cost you.

 

[Axion]

Well, looks like sticking with the factory fan setup is the way to go.

I think I might just remove the fan/clutch assembly and repair the wires that were severed. As near as I can tell everything was working prior to the harness being damaged. This would save some $$ on a new clutch and give me a chance to inspect the fan hub bearing as well. With the proper tools it doesn't look like removal and replacement of the fan assembly will be very difficult.

I appreciate the help!!

 

[Axion]

Hah, famous last words! Had the proper tools and removal was a pain in the *****!

I bought the fan removal tools from Geno's. The back-up tool fit well but could use a longer arm in my opinion. The actual fan wrench was a disappointment. It fit a little loose right off the bat and ended up deforming after a few attempts at removal. Normally a wrench will round off a nut, in this case the wrench rounded itself! I have yet to talk to the people at Geno's, but I'm sure they'll make it right.

It took a combination of WD-40, heat and two air hammers to get that thing off! But I guess after 8 years and almost 200K miles it liked where it was.

I decided to just put in a new Dodge fan clutch. There was a little damage to the nut on removal but I didn't want to chance any unseen damage to the wiring on the original. A little more money but there should be no cooling worries for a while.