Check Your Fan Blade!!!!! | Page 4 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Check Your Fan Blade!!!!!

I just got a new plastic fan off of ebay, said to fit the 5.0L v8 Mounty that I have. Got it in, fan is same size, but the bolt holes for the clutch are spaced further apart than the new blade allows for.

Did I get a bad part? Or is there a diff between 4.0 fans and 5.0 fans?

They are different from what I have seen in the junk yard.

They have s metal one on rock auto, you need to look at the 97 model 5.0 but they fit the 2000
 



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I lost my serpentine belt a couple of days ago and while installing the new one I noticed a clear through crack between the blades and between others I can see white line cracks that haven't separated yet. I was thinking of installing one from the part store for a 96-98 that is metal.

But after reading this I wonder is it even necessary if the plastic ones are all this way?

And if the answer is yes and I do need to install one of these:

Motorcraft - Cooling Fan Blade - Part # YA203

or

Dorman OE Solutions - Cooling Fan Blade - Part # 620-152

do I need to buy anything else or is it just unbolt the old and bolt this new metal one on right in its place with the same bolts etc?
 






I just replaced the one on my 2000 5.0L. mine had 1.5" cracks between each fan blade. the best price I found was on RockAuto. the only hard part about replacing it was getting the fan clutch nut loose. don't bother with the cheap loaner tools (even a brand new one didn't work). I found O'Reillys loaner tool to be much stronger and eventually got the job done. I don't care for Dorman stuff. Motorcraft - Cooling Fan Blade - Part # YA228 around $58 w/shipping. fit perfectly. I don't know where you got the YA203 part# from. is that the metal fan?

I figure the plastic fan lasted 14 years and it's not likely the truck will last another 14 years, so plastic is good enough and I don't have to worry about destroying my new radiator anytime soon..
 






I just replaced the one on my 2000 5.0L. mine had 1.5" cracks between each fan blade. the best price I found was on RockAuto. the only hard part about replacing it was getting the fan clutch nut loose. don't bother with the cheap loaner tools (even a brand new one didn't work). I found O'Reillys loaner tool to be much stronger and eventually got the job done. I don't care for Dorman stuff. Motorcraft - Cooling Fan Blade - Part # YA228 around $58 w/shipping. fit perfectly. I don't know where you got the YA203 part# from. is that the metal fan?

I figure the plastic fan lasted 14 years and it's not likely the truck will last another 14 years, so plastic is good enough and I don't have to worry about destroying my new radiato anytime soon..

Yes that's the metal fan part #, it was recommended to replace the plastic one with the metal one since the plastic ones crack so easily.
 






Yes that's the metal fan part #, it was recommended to replace the plastic one with the metal one since the plastic ones crack so easily.

is the metal fan a direct replacement for the plastic one? the metal one is slightly more money on RA (about $9) and I don't believe its Motorcraft.
 






I figure the plastic fan lasted 14 years and it's not likely the truck will last another 14 years, so plastic is good enough and I don't have to worry about destroying my new radiator anytime soon..
That's exactly my thought...
Plus metal is heavier, more rotating inertia means more wear on bearings, less fuel economy.
 






That's exactly my thought...
Plus metal is heavier, more rotating inertia means more wear on bearings, less fuel economy.

You make a very good point there, I have to say that comment right there just swayed me to stay with the plastic one.

But one question still remains, does one all the way through crack mean I should replace the fan blade?
 






if only once crack and if it's not all the way to both edges I think you can probably just keep an eye on it for now.
 






so what? they crack. I have not heard one instance of a plastic fan blowing up and shucking the radiator or serpentine belt. so why the fuss and work. do these things fail or is this just a red herring to change parts? i have a friend with 4.0 SOHC 1997 ranger. it looks ok cracked. whats it going to do? i want to hear something different about this.
 






so what? they crack. I have not heard one instance of a plastic fan blowing up and shucking the radiator or serpentine belt. so why the fuss and work. do these things fail or is this just a red herring to change parts? i have a friend with 4.0 SOHC 1997 ranger. it looks ok cracked. whats it going to do? i want to hear something different about this.

Some people like to be proactive, rather than wait for the inevitable to happen.
 






Some people like to be proactive, rather than wait for the inevitable to happen.

It depends on how badly it's cracked. All of mine have some cracks, but the one on my '00 XLT 5.0 was cracked to the point that it was a scary. After just having replaced the radiator ($130), 2 gallons of antifreeze ($30), the serpentine belt ($32) and the upper/lower rad hoses ($55) it seemed stupid not to replace a $58 fan rather than risking destroying all the new parts I was installing (plus who knows what else might get ruined if it came apart) and getting stranded and having to pay for a tow.

What's the old saying, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".
 






Some people like to be proactive, rather than wait for the inevitable to happen.

So, in your experience (Two vehicles with the subject fan), have you seen these blow up? I'm looking for experiences. If they are rare, it may be quite an unnecessary expense. Thoughts?
 






So, in your experience (Two vehicles with the subject fan), have you seen these blow up? I'm looking for experiences. If they are rare, it may be quite an unnecessary expense. Thoughts?

The water pump pulley is smaller than the crank pulley, therefore the fan spins faster than the engine.

A cracked plastic thing spinning 7 k rpm's does not rest easy with me. It might not ever fail, but if it does you can bet it will be on a cold rainy day in heavy traffic miles from home. These days flat tires are rare, yet we all carry spares.

Sorry if you think this thread is a waste of time. I don't.
 






So, in your experience (Two vehicles with the subject fan), have you seen these blow up? I'm looking for experiences. If they are rare, it may be quite an unnecessary expense. Thoughts?

FWIW I actually did have one come apart and take out the radiator right at the connector for the upper radiator hose. That said, every one I've ever seen has had some rather ugly cracks in it so it just isn't realistic to always replace cracked ones.
 






I Replace the plastic one on my 93 ranger with a metal 1 off of a 89 ranger it fit the clutch Perfectly and they seems to weigh about the same only Cost about 8 bucks at a junkyard
 






You are looking for stress fractures between the blades
even new ones out of the box appear to have white stress marks.
I recommend a metal fan blade if you can find it. The vitamin D has one, and although the blades come close to the accessories, it did clear fine.
I installed a metal one, but am having second thoughts about it. The all-metal fan is significantly heavier than the plastic, and I suspect that this may contribute to the notorious problem of leaking timing cover gasket - especially if the blades are not perfectly balanced and cause shaking. What do you think?
 






I installed a metal one, but am having second thoughts about it. The all-metal fan is significantly heavier than the plastic, and I suspect that this may contribute to the notorious problem of leaking timing cover gasket - especially if the blades are not perfectly balanced and cause shaking. What do you think?

Some had metal fans as configured from the factory. Our first 1998 did.

I'm pretty sure the metal fans are balanced as well as the plastic ones. I would also think a plastic one would be more likely to loose material to become imbalanced.
 






Both my 98s have metal fans.
 






I installed a metal one, but am having second thoughts about it. The all-metal fan is significantly heavier than the plastic, and I suspect that this may contribute to the notorious problem of leaking timing cover gasket - especially if the blades are not perfectly balanced and cause shaking. What do you think?
I had to put old one back on the metal one was to close to the ac compressor
 



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Went with Electric Fan setup - By the time u buy Stock Fan & Clutch it was more cost effective.

BAD FAN.jpg
 






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