Viscous Fan/ Water pump? Noise.
 

Hey All,

Been off the board for a few months, rover's been running pretty well. Though got a new noise that's getting worse. Sounded like a few rocks shaking in a tin can, very hollow sounding, and hard to pin down where it was coming from. Thought at first maybe a bad Cat, but now my wife brought the truck back in garage, and the sound was bad enough to isolate.

Looking at the accessory belt looks like the viscous fan wheel is vibrating back and forth as the belt moves. Makes a kind of a clanking sound.

I know that nut is a PAIN in @@@ to get off the fan, as I worked my way around it when I replaced the belt a few months ago. Any tricks without Land Rover Tool ###. Also, think it's wise to replace water pump also while in there. Although I think that was done by land rover before I bought the truck in Jan.

Not leaking any coolant out of the pump, but makes an awful racket, I'm assuming that's the fan bearings and not the pump, but no way to really tell while the engine is running.

Any advice, as always appreciated......thx all

Year, model, mileage?

Good to have that stuff in your signature for future posts.

Sorry...2000 Disco II non ACE 78k

I have a Disco I, but my fan clutch seized up and turned into a grenade at that mileage. If it was me I'd replace the fan clutch if your confident that's where the noise is coming from. But be aware that pulleys can make some funny sounds when the bearings in them begin to go bad as well (belt tensioner for example). So be sure you isolate the sound. Don't want her seizing up on you, will cause a lot of damage.

There are NO bearings in the fan or fan clutch, the whole things spins on the shaft of the water pump, if it is moving around while the engine in running then your water pump bearings are shot and the pump will fall off and fly through your radiator.
Get it taken care of TODAY!

There were posts about the fan nut a few pages ago. What has worked for me is get a strap wrench ($8 craftsman - lifetime warranty and I have broken these before). Remove serpentine belt, put strap wrench around pulley. I think the nut is a 36 mm, use the longest wrench you can find. either hold the strap wrench wtih your mighty oak tree arms or brace it against the alternator (what I did) and whack the @#$% out of the wrench with a BFG. You will be turning the 36mm wrench to the left as you stand in front of the vehicle. It is a normally threaded nut.

Sometimes you can get lucky and just hit the wrench without removing the belt, but I never have.


edit:lol not a big friendly giant, a big __ hammer.

Not sure if anyone is on here anymore (im new to the forum and to rovers). Im having a similar issue on my 1996 disco 1. Squeaky belt and a noise very similar to whats described here from what seems to be coming from the pulley on the water pump. Could really use some help!

The first step (cheapest and easiest) Take the belt off and spin each pulley by hand, spin them and see if you can reproduce your noise. Worst case you end up ruling them out and go after the waterpump/fan clutch.