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  #11771  
Old 02-13-2020, 04:06 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by guntherrex View Post
well I think something either got loose of got trapped in the fan behind the radiator, since it self destructed a few hundred meters after driving away from work yesterday. Complete fanshroud and all the fafblades are missing and are in little bits in the engine bay. The debris punctured the radiator in two spots as far as i can see.There was even a piece of plastic stuck in the hood lining.

Has anyone ever experienced this? The mechanic that took a look thought it might have been a sensor that got caught in the blades, seems like a design flaw? it's unlikely anything can fly in there from the road, road was clear when it happened. (sounded like I hit a big branch)
They can fly to pieces all by themselves - I've seen others mention it here. This can occur if the viscous clutch fails and seizes, causing the fan to run at full rpm all the time, over-stressing the fan blades over time.

And like your event, it can cause carnage....

I recently replace my viscous clutch, when the bearing got noisy and it sounded very noisy.
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  #11772  
Old 02-13-2020, 04:12 AM
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hmmm ok, why is it in there to begin with? just to drive the fan?
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  #11773  
Old 02-13-2020, 04:21 AM
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Originally Posted by guntherrex View Post
hmmm ok, why is it in there to begin with? just to drive the fan?
Why is what there - the viscous clutch? Yeah, it controls the fan speed,, based on heat coming from the radiator. The hotter the air coming from the radiator, the faster the fan spins. This fluid-based, heat controlled clutch in the centre of the fan blades is known to give problems as they age but they are pretty easy to replace and aren't stupid expensive.

Some folk remove the viscous clutch and fan assembly and run an electric fan instead. I was tempted to do this but wanted a really well-sorted solution with a fully variable speed fan (not just a simple one or two speed arrangement) and the costs get silly really quickly when you go down this path. In the end I got a new OEM viscous clutch for around NZ$200 and so went with this.

I guess in your case, there's a LOT more to replace...
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  #11774  
Old 02-13-2020, 04:26 AM
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ahhh ok, thanks for the info, makes sense now. Maybe the fan self destructed from high RPM, though that seems strange. I gues a new radiator and shroud make this repair a bit costlier.... hope nothing else got shredded in the process!
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  #11775  
Old 02-13-2020, 07:38 AM
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When the viscous clutch goes bad and locks up as wpoll points out, and the fan will run at full speed and make a jet engine sound at higher RPMs. Did you hear any strange rotational noises at higher RPMs coming from the engine bay?

I really should replace mine, I'm sure it's original.

Last edited by Overboost; 02-13-2020 at 09:47 AM.
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  #11776  
Old 02-13-2020, 10:23 AM
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well, when cold there was a bit of a wooshy noise from the engine for about a minute max before it went away, I figured it was a fan on high during startup but didn't know about the viscous clutch or it's explosive properties

The mechanic is ordering parts right now... lets see if I can eat a hot meal this month hahaha
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  #11777  
Old 02-13-2020, 10:42 AM
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Originally Posted by guntherrex View Post
well, when cold there was a bit of a wooshy noise from the engine for about a minute max before it went away, I figured it was a fan on high during startup but didn't know about the viscous clutch or it's explosive properties

The mechanic is ordering parts right now... lets see if I can eat a hot meal this month hahaha
That cold start noise sounds more like the secondary air pump, they do get loud when the wear. It usually runs for up to 90 seconds when started fully cooled overnight. The fan running at full speed would be loud all the time when running.
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  #11778  
Old 02-13-2020, 11:04 AM
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do secondary airpump explode too? Because i might have that changed then hahaha
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  #11779  
Old 02-13-2020, 11:19 AM
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Originally Posted by guntherrex View Post
do secondary airpump explode too? Because i might have that changed then hahaha
Haha, no, you are safe there. They just end up failing and you will get a code for the SAP.
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  #11780  
Old 02-13-2020, 03:07 PM
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Many times clutch fan performance will degrade over time, not just fail all at once. When it loses significant cooling capability the electric pusher fan will run more. It is intended to be supplement cooling, like when the AC is on, not as a primary cooling source.

A decent electric fan can be set to start up based on radiator temp. They have a dial to change the setting where you choose. I have it set to come on just before the front electric pusher fan engages. Have been running the electric fan in place of the clutch fan for several years, very reliable. Cost is reasonable. I did have to replace the controller once but it was not expensive at all.

Replacing the clutch fan with an electric fan extends the life of the fan in front of the radiator and reduces heat sink as you can wire it to run after the key is removed, until the radiator reaches your setting where it turns off. Frees up a little HP/TQ but stating how much will start an argument. I have been using electric fans for decades on modded cars. Simple install, simple tools any DIYer will have. Doesn't cause any error codes. Not pitching electric fans, just informational. Clutch fans have been around over 50 years. They work fine and last a long time.
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