2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992) 1986-1992 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections.

fan problems need help ASAP

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Old Sep 20, 2007 | 05:47 AM
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fan problems need help ASAP

so heres the problem, my fan shakes really wild that it started hitting my fan shroud and breaking the blades. so i took out the shroud thinking it would solve the problem but it didnt, now its hitting my hood! I dont know why it started doing this but if anyone knows how to fix it please let me know thanks!
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Old Sep 20, 2007 | 06:20 AM
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Either the plastic fan blades/hub, the fan clutch or the waterpump are damaged.
Check and replace as necessary.
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Old Sep 20, 2007 | 06:33 AM
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After fixing the problem, put the shroud back on, otherwise your cooling efficiency will be drastically reduced.
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Old Sep 20, 2007 | 08:24 AM
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Sounds like a broken engine mount.
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Old Sep 20, 2007 | 08:50 AM
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Originally Posted by Aaron Cake
Sounds like a broken engine mount.
YUP, if it's actuallly hitting the hood the engine be moving
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Old Sep 20, 2007 | 09:36 AM
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Originally Posted by Aaron Cake
Sounds like a broken engine mount.
+1
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Old Sep 21, 2007 | 03:26 PM
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thats what i thought too, but I took off the fan and ran my car last night and the engine wasnt shaking at all as when the fan was still on there?
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Old Sep 21, 2007 | 04:32 PM
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the engine may only move when under load while your driving not while you're parked revving on it
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Old Sep 21, 2007 | 07:12 PM
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ok so do you guys suggest after market engine mounts or just go with the stock ones? and where can i get those? thanks guys
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Old Sep 21, 2007 | 07:16 PM
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Originally Posted by bboyclo
thats what i thought too, but I took off the fan and ran my car last night and the engine wasnt shaking at all as when the fan was still on there?
I still think it's possible that something about the fan/clutch/water pump is wrong.

Both of my front motor mounts were bad (fell out in pieces when replaced) and the fan never exhibited behaviour such as you describe.
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Old Sep 22, 2007 | 01:20 AM
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well it must be my waterpump then, because the fan that i put on there was new and so was the clutch....
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Old Sep 22, 2007 | 06:10 AM
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Is there play in the waterpump shaft?

You'll have to remove the belt (or at least the belt's tension) to check.

It's weird though...you'd think if there was enough slop to affect the fan you'd at least show a bit of seepage from the weep hole as well.
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Old Sep 22, 2007 | 09:33 AM
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The water pump would need a huge amount of play to allow the fan to contact the shroud. And in that case, the problem would not be chipping the fan on the shroud but the gallons of water puking out of the front of the engine.

Broken engine mounts are easy to prove. Just try to pry up on them with a breaker bar. Or visually inspect them. Nearly every high mileage FC has at least one broken mount.

The shroud could also be on crooked because there is a good amount of play in the mounting holes.
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Old Sep 22, 2007 | 10:31 AM
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Ya my engine had a broken mount on the passenger side when I first go it. I was able to just grab the DC and pull the engine up and toward the drivers side by hand

Not ot mention the awful bounce I would get when accelerating. Although, my clutch fan never hit the shroud....
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Old Sep 22, 2007 | 05:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Aaron Cake
The water pump would need a huge amount of play to allow the fan to contact the shroud. And in that case, the problem would not be chipping the fan on the shroud but the gallons of water puking out of the front of the engine.
Ah, a wee bit of Canukistanian humor, eh, Mr. Cake?

As unlikely a culprit as the waterpump may be, how much more likely is it that the motor is lifting the 3" necessary for the fan to hit the underside of the hood?
And, if the engine is torquing up and down that far, wouldn't the shift lever be ah, unusually active?

This thread perfectly illustrates the pitfalls of trying to diagnose a problem over the interwebs.
Something has to be drastically wrong for the described symptoms to occur and a quick personal inspection by a knowledgeable eye would probably spot it in a second- I would defer to Aaron's eye, naturally- but this problem has eluded conclusion here for two days already.

C'est la vie...
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Old Sep 23, 2007 | 10:08 AM
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With a set of broken mounts and hard launches (or potholes) the engine will bounce quite a lot. The clearance with the shroud is only an inch or so.

Keep in mind that the shifter is located at the end of the transmission tailshaft housing. A few inches of movement at the engine will only be a 1/4" or so of movement at the shifter. Considering how worn most FC rear transmission mounts are and how sloppy the shifter is, it's probably not noticeable compared to normal operation.
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Old Sep 23, 2007 | 11:05 PM
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I had the same thing happen with fresh motor mounts. I dunno about hitting the hood though, my car barely kept itself cool with the shroud in place so it never occurred to me to remove it. I just bought an efan and new alternator instead of replacing the clutch fan; problem solved or safely ignored . Could a bad tranny mount cause this? I ask because I have no idea what condition mine is in.
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Old Sep 26, 2007 | 12:13 AM
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Originally Posted by Aaron Cake
With a set of broken mounts and hard launches (or potholes) the engine will bounce quite a lot. The clearance with the shroud is only an inch or so.

Keep in mind that the shifter is located at the end of the transmission tailshaft housing. A few inches of movement at the engine will only be a 1/4" or so of movement at the shifter. Considering how worn most FC rear transmission mounts are and how sloppy the shifter is, it's probably not noticeable compared to normal operation.
Well in that case...I was driving pretty hard when most of my fan blades broke off and my car dying out on me...and I didnt have the fan hitting the shroud problem either when i first put on my waterpump it was actually okay for several months...and not having the shroud didnt affect my cooling at all because i drove my car from seattle, washington to LA no problem at all
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Old Sep 26, 2007 | 06:31 AM
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Shroud is there to direct the airflow through the rad while the fan is in use during low speeds. I would say under 35-40mph.
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