Fan clutch removal

[Tony H]

Why did they go with this idea. The old 'four nuts' to hold both the pulley and Fan mad more sense for maintenance work.

I found that smacking the Handle of Wrench with a block of wood worked better the an impact driver.

I'm trying to get the damned Fan off my daughters '99 Blazer to replace her lower Shroud. I'm sure it has never been off so it's not coming off easily. I think I may have to remove the Belt and go with a Strap Wrench to Hold the Pulley.

 

[Cobraguy]

...daughters '99 Blazer...

You can't raise your kids any better than that???

 

[bigredbossman]

Having trouble removing the fan clutch from my 1991 explorer 4.0 . Looking for answers !

 

[Dannyboy]

Having trouble removing the fan clutch from my 1991 explorer 4.0 . Looking for answers !

very likely it's LH thread, get this style tool

and you may need to spin the fan a bit to get a good shot at the best 2 nuts on front of the pulley and the best way to grip the fan clutch. My last one took probably 6-7 attempts at getting mad at it then coming back with more courage.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! I have two product reviews that you might want to take a look at:

http://www.explorerforum.com/reviewpost/showproduct.php/product/376/cat/all
http://www.explorerforum.com/reviewpost/showproduct.php/product/372/cat/all

You might be able to get a similar set from Autozone's tool loaner program.

 

[dkchrist]

just removed one on my sohc and it was right handed threads. The pitch of the blades will determine the direction the fan spins.

 

[petetheengineer]

i struggled with this a few days ago in the end i unbolted the water pump and then removed the fan. I had the correct spanner but the thing was so tight it would not budge until i put it into the vice.
its a pain to get off but you can remove the pump without removing the fan then you can clamp the water pump in a vice.

 

[nonhog]

From what I have seen the 5.0 has a similar set up ? Big hex on the shaft and no budging that sucker. I am a complete Ford newb and now I'm learning Fords as I am messing around with this 1999 5.0.
Excited to get it running as its a wrecking yard engine going in a 1980 Volvo.

I am wondering since I will lose the fan blade maybe I should just buy a new water pump and pulley and forget about taking them apart?
I tried the search feature and thats how I found this thread.
Any help or direction will be much appreciated.

 

[jlsparky7]

PB blaster and heat!

Soak it with PB blaster 2-3 times then let it sit overnight. Then blast it with a propane torch for 30-45 secs and give it a shot. Should come off then.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Make sure that there is no PB Blaster on it before you fry it with a torch. That stuff is flammable just like WD-40, and brake cleaner!

 

[nonhog]

Worth a shot. I've found the BG In Force works pretty good and its flammable
It doesn't flare up too bad after its sat awhile before the torch.

My problem is where do I spray ? I cant see crap due to the tight space.
I pulled the water pump, probably the worst thing to do, partly due to not having a serp belt to work with. Anyway I am days maybe weeks away from getting it in and running. So I am not in a big rush.

Does the shaft thread into the w/p shaft ? the belt pulley hids any view of whats what. Thanks !

 

[ozmedia]

Get a big wrench and a hammer.

very likely it's LH thread, get this style tool

and you may need to spin the fan a bit to get a good shot at the best 2 nuts on front of the pulley and the best way to grip the fan clutch. My last one took probably 6-7 attempts at getting mad at it then coming back with more courage.

I've been pulling these off for many years without a special tool, even though there is one or two of them somewhere in the shop still

I just have a giant crescent wrech (weighs 25lbs easily, spans 4"), I have a lot of "way to big to work on cars" tools. A big enough combination wrench should do it too, but may take a little more work.

I just put it on the nut nice and snug then give the handle a couple of quick raps with a hammer, crescent wrench has a 36" handle that reaches well above the rad. The direction to turn is stamped right on top of the fan shroud too.

The shock of hitting it works just like an impact gun and has it loose with a couple of raps every time. Don't try and hammer the handle like driving a nail, just use a few real quick smacks will do it. I don't even bother holding the pulley, just leave the belt on and that's usually more than enough resistance for a few quick, sharp hits on the wrench handle. I've tried the fan tools, when I was in school many years ago,(obviously we weren't allowed to take short cuts) but haven't needed or used one since 1993.