Fan Clutch - is "heavy duty" all I can get?

[putnam]

I had a new fan clutch installed at a garage when I first got my 91EB. Apparently the old one wasn't working at all. They insisted on installing a "heavy duty" fan clutch, because "teenagers idle a lot." This thing is loud as bloody hell. My car sounds like a flying dirtbike.

I went to another garage recently for some other work, and they were laughing at how loud the fan was. They told me it was completely unneccessary and that it was made specifically for pulling large loads.

So today I returned to the old garage that gave me the fan. They swore that "heavy duty" is all that is available now for 91's and that a smaller one is made only for manual transmissions. They said that Ford was pushing the heavy duty fan clutches because, apparently, the smaller ones led to transmission failure.

This fan is very loud and I'm at a stalemate. I paid $160 for this POS and the guy says he'll replace it free of charge, but only for another heavy duty one unless I can find one that is smaller from his suppliers (NAPA, Autozone, etc.).

Help!

 

[Maniak]

When I looked, all the auto tranny applications showed "heavy duty"..

If you have an auto tranny, and a tranny cooler with a fan, then I would put on the regular fan clutch (still thermal). If you don't have the external cooler with a fan, then I would use the heavy duty fan clutch

The heavy duty will allow the fan to pull more air more often to help keep the motor AND the TRANSMISSION cool. You don't want that tranny fluid to get hot.

~Mark

 

[Carl D.]

If it's not a Ford Fan Clutch, it will make noise. I know, I 3 different after market ones on my X and they all sounded like a freight train.

Installed a Ford Fan Clutch and runs great and quiet.

I don't know why, but for some reason the only fan clutch that works on mine is the ford. My mechanic located something on the web about after market fan clutches which said to use only OEM. I think they after market makes one fan clutch to fit many application, cost cutting, and that they work on some vehicles and not others.

 

[putnam]

How about this?

http://www.parts.com/partlocator/index.cfm?action=getLocator&siteid=213787&chapter=DP2025&appSectionid=8&groupid=20035&subgroupid=60543&make=10&model=Explorer&year=1991&catalogid=1

Apparently its genuine Ford, $88. If I get it, the people at Brake Check will put it on free and I'll sell that heavy duty one on Ebay or here.

Does anyone know where else I should look online for this part? How's 88 sound?

 

[Carl D.]

That sound about right, they run a little bit more than after market ones. Also you won't need a heavy duty one just a regular Ford Fan Clutch.

 

[explorer_50]

have you already purchased the new fan clutch, because if not a friend of mine has one that he might sell for cheap...its off of an 1991 explorer XLT 4.0 V6

Let me know if you would like it or message Golli.