This fan clutch failed on the way to work one Thursday morning recently. The failure occurred at the only light I normally stop at, and was discovered by a random glance down at the ScanGauge which revealed a 225 degree Fahrenheit coolant temperature. It confirmed a suspicion that the electric fan was also inoperative. (I had checked fuses and relays and whether or not the fan spun freely previously, but had not removed it and bench tested.)

The next day I drove to work with no fans on the truck what-so-ever, and preempted the stop at the light by running the heater full blast at max heat demand. Short stop at the light; temperature never exceeded 207.

I replaced the fan clutch Friday night, and the electric fan motor Saturday afternoon. I noticed on a drive Saturday morning that temperatures while stopped in traffic were higher than previous experience before the fan clutch failed.

Currently, temperatures at traffic stops reach 215 and remain rock steady at that level before driving. Both fans are engaged.

With the fan clutch out, I cleaned the plastic fan, because it was covered with road debris: fine grain black and brown dust. After cleaning and drying, I applied Armour-All to it. I figured that would make the plastic slippery so that the dust would not stick to it.

The stamp on the face of the clutch reads "Store This Face Down."

I installed a Hayden 2991. It "functions," per hearing the roar at start up and the newspaper test. Air flow in proper direction per cigar smoke test.

My questions:

Does anyone know the old clutch, per picture? Could it be that it merely engaged at a lower temperature and simply gave better results?

I've read many threads about the Hayden 2991 and max temps of 207. Did I get one that is within manufacturing tolerances, but simply not as "tight" or aggressive as it could be?

Did applying Armour-All to the fan make it so slippery that it simply does not grab as much air?

And finally, I dread the prospect of an Amazon return wherein the complaint is, "It works, but does not work well enough for me." Any suggestions or experience in this matter?

I try to rarely ask for help or advice. I apologize for the long post, and thank the esteemed members of The Forum in advance for their advice, experience, and wisdom.

 

The above post was already too long, but:

Water pump and coolant one month old. Changed because of gasket leak.

Never lost a drop of coolant. No "waterfall" sound from heater core.

Thanks again in advance

 

well you have eliminated the fans only leaves a few things a few could possibly be.
recovery cap not keeping the system pressurized will raise temps. blockage in the radiator, malfunctioning t-stat.

 

It's probably not the fan clutch at all. Mostly like the t-stat. Are you using the gray TD-5 OEM 180 t-stat? If you're running the mottorad one your temps will be higher.

I use the TD-5 and the Hayden 2991 and see max 205 climbing mountain passes in the summer at 10k ft elevation.