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Rebuilt my fan clutch (running too cool now?)

Old Feb 13, 2012 | 06:19 PM
  #1  
v8sport4runner's Avatar
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Rebuilt my fan clutch (running too cool now?)

I was having an overheating problem in my 1986 22r, it would be running good temps on the freeway but then if I was doing stop and go with traffic and signals it would get hot. Or if I just let it idle in the garage it would also overheat.

I rebuilt my fan clutch with some 5000 weight silicone oil from the hobby shop ($10). I am thinking I may have just gone with too heavy an oil.

Now that I rebuilt it, it barely registers on the guage. Is this going to cause me any issues running cool? It is running pretty good now but doesnt quite feel like it has the power it did. Is it because of the fan spinning harder? Or due to cool temp?

Here is where it would run on the freeway(pre-rebuild):
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Here is where it would climb to if I just let it idle:
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Then
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It would cool down ok when I got driving again.

Post rebuild here is where it runs now. Even after running down the freeway for 20 miles, it barely gets above this.
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Tomorrow I am driving up the mountains with a load in the back and I am going to see how it does. Any input?
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Old Feb 13, 2012 | 06:24 PM
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listen to the fan, does it sound like its running all the time? if it does, your assumption the oil is too heavy may be correct.. but what do i know? ive never rebuilt one myself..
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Old Feb 13, 2012 | 07:25 PM
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Searching around it seems 3,000-5,000 Cst are popular weights to use. You did not overfill it by chance? Overfilling may possibly force the clutch to run full-time and somehow overcool the system...guessing here.

It only takes 1 to 2 ounces (depending on how much you drained out) to refill the clutch.

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/Docs/FanClutch.pdf
http://forum.ih8mud.com/79-95-toyota...h-service.html

I used 7000 Cst for my 5vz-fe fan clutch and it's worked great ever since.

Last edited by rworegon; Feb 13, 2012 at 07:41 PM.
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Old Feb 13, 2012 | 07:31 PM
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I'd check the thermostat too. Sounds like it might be sticking or something.
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Old Feb 13, 2012 | 07:31 PM
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That thermostat temp. range are you running? It is the t-stat that controls the normal operating temperature. Could be the fan is cooling the rad. off enough that it is getting closer to the t-stat rating and was running too hot before.
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Old Feb 13, 2012 | 07:36 PM
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honstly never knew you had to oil the fan clutch, thus why i love this site!
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Old Feb 13, 2012 | 08:23 PM
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yea. . . . ummm you need to look into a thermostat. from toyota. the fan should not have that big of an influence on your temp readings.

edit: and in my experience, the one associated with my vin# worked great. if you live in a very cold climate (i rarely see below 30deg) the dual stage is reported to work even better.

also, if, as i suspect, you are not running a thermostat, you need to look into a major flushing of your cooling system. over-heating period without a t-stat is not an easy thing to accomplish

Last edited by 92dlxman; Feb 13, 2012 at 08:31 PM.
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Old Feb 13, 2012 | 08:29 PM
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I checked the T-stat yesterday too. When I bought the truck it had a t-stat in the glove box, so I thought it might not even have one in it. But it did have one, and it looks like it is a dual stage having 2 different size springs. However I didnt throw it in a pot and heat it. Maybe I will just buy a new one anyhow since they are cheap. And I am pretty sure I didnt overfill the oil in the clutch fan.

If I were to take a reading with a temp guage, where should I measure from?

Here is a pic of the t-stat that was in it and the one that was in the glove box.
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Old Feb 14, 2012 | 06:39 AM
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Originally Posted by westjohns yota
honstly never knew you had to oil the fan clutch, thus why i love this site!
You don't oil the fan clutch, we talking about the silicone fluid inside the clutch that makes it spin when hot and "idle" when cold. Everyone is saying "oil", due to lack of a better term. I, myself don't mess with changing out the silicone fulid. To messy and it takes a few days to drain. I just get a new one and call it good.
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Old Feb 14, 2012 | 07:00 AM
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oh i gotcha, thats what i did on the 87, there cheap enough to where you could just buy a new one....
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Old Feb 14, 2012 | 07:02 AM
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I'd get a meat thermoter that has a probe and put it in the guns of the Rad where the upper hose connects. Duct tape display to hood and see what your actual temps are and not what a 27 year old gauge reads.
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Old Feb 14, 2012 | 08:39 AM
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left side looks like the right thermostat. right side is definitley the wrong one...

if ya wana test them... fill a pot and put something in the bottom of it that wont melt. )i use an apple coring thing thats slices up apples. put the thermostats in on top of that so they aren't touching the bottom/ hold the thrmometer probe in the middle of the pot of water between the thermostats. slowly raise the temp with a temp probe in the water. yopu should watch them do their magic and it will tell where each one is working if it is... I would just put it the good one and leave the junker out... but it is always fun and useful to test them.

Last edited by 4x4climber; Feb 14, 2012 at 08:46 AM.
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Old Feb 14, 2012 | 12:50 PM
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Irrespective of which thermostat is the right or wrong one, that the engine is running cold is most likely due to the thermostat. If you have one of the Stant or others that have a "fail safe" feature, when they get too hot, they lock open so that coolant flows all the time.
If it takes a long time to warm up, more than 2-5 miles, it's likely the thermostat is locked or stuck open.

If it's locked open, coolant flows (I think I just said that ) through the radiator and gets cooled off.

Are you gettting it yet?

Last edited by abecedarian; Feb 14, 2012 at 12:51 PM.
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Old Mar 8, 2014 | 02:38 PM
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86 pickup 22r motor

I've had the same problem. My truck has been running cold, barely registering on the temp gauge for a few weeks now. And it started leaking oil in the area around the fan. Oil has splattered everywhere. Now I can stop the fan from spinning when the motor is running. I assume the clutch is bad. Anyone know how much oil is in a fan clutch? I'm hoping all the oil is from the fan clutch and not something like the crank seal.
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Old Mar 8, 2014 | 04:02 PM
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You can buy a new fan clutch from rock auto, the aisin (which I believe is the same as oem toyota) is 43$
For this price I would just buy a new one.
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Old Mar 8, 2014 | 04:58 PM
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Originally Posted by superex87
the aisin (which I believe is the same as oem toyota)
Correct.
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Old Mar 8, 2014 | 07:21 PM
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Originally Posted by greggyb
I've had the same problem. My truck has been running cold, barely registering on the temp gauge for a few weeks now. And it started leaking oil in the area around the fan. Oil has splattered everywhere. Now I can stop the fan from spinning when the motor is running. I assume the clutch is bad. Anyone know how much oil is in a fan clutch? I'm hoping all the oil is from the fan clutch and not something like the crank seal.
50ml according to:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/Docs/FanClutch.pdf

That silicone oil will make a real mess and is next to impossible to fully remove. I had a Napa fan clutch blow oil all over my engine bay over 10 years ago and that oil film still collects dirt even after cleaning dozens of times.

But running too cool says the thermostat is likely stuck open (some brands have a fail safe option like that). In fact when my fan clutch blew out, it was on a really hot day in stop-n-go traffic. I didn't realize it went, but I did notice the temp gauge bumped up a little high that day. Later I Noticed the engine was running cooler than normal and that is when I popped the hood and saw the oil mess.

Changed the fan clutch (when they lose oil they spin really easy and don't lock up when hot) and then found the fail-safe t-stat I had in was locked fully open. Put in a new OEM fan clutch and t-stat and it has worked fine since then.
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Old Jul 14, 2014 | 06:21 PM
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Hi guys,

My truck has a newly-rebuilt engine, new water pump, new radiator, basically all-new cooling system, except for the fan clutch. Fan Clutch looks clean, no leaks, no mechanical issue.

On winding mountain road where I run slow in lower gears, temp indicator goes higher than the usual temp under normal conditions, but does not overheat. About halfway between "normal" and max heat (upper white line).

I wonder if that's normal for a 22RE, and I also need to also know whether my fan clutch is OK or not.

Thanks, Durk for the post ^^^. However, since "noise", faster", "slower" & mechanical resistance are good observations but a little difficult (to measure safely on a running engine), I think measuring time between engine shutting off and fan completely stopping would also be a good indication of fluid coupling condition. I hope those with 22REs could chime in on below...

Known Facts:
  • If fluid coupling (aka fan clutch) is good and when coolant is cold, fan speed will not follow water pump pulley speed as closely as when coolant is at normal operating temps.
  • If fluid coupling (aka fan clutch) is good and when coolant heats up, fan speed will follow water pump pulley speed more closely.

Theoretically, IF fan completely stops running as soon as engine shuts off, there is 100% coupling. I doubt if this were the actual case. What do you guys think?

If there were less than 100% coupling, there would be delay between the time when engine is shut off and the time fan completely stops. I believe this is more like the actual case. Your thoughts?

Right after driving where engine is at normal, warmed-up operation temp, I'd turn off the ignition and use stopwatch to count number of seconds until fan completely stops. I get approximately 8 seconds.

Have you guys with 22RE's tried this? How many seconds do you get between engine shutting off and fan completely stopping?

TIA,
RAD

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Last edited by RAD4Runner; Jul 14, 2014 at 06:24 PM.
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Old Jul 14, 2014 | 06:47 PM
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My advice -- get an aftermarket temp gauge so you can see what's really going on. I have an Equus one from Amazon and it works great.
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Old Jul 14, 2014 | 06:51 PM
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Some good testing tips below:
- http://www.barneymc.com/toy_root/techneek/fan_clch.htm

One thing I found on mine was that the little slotted rod that the coiled bi-metal spring fits into was stuck. I used a pair of pliers to twist it free and that got it working better. The way the clutch works is that coiled spring winds up and down in response to the air temperature coming through the radiator.

That rod is attached to the internal valving in the clutch. As the coil heats up and twists the rod, it moves the valving inside and that is what couples the fan to the water pump. When cold, the internal valve and you only have the fluid friction coupling the fan and water pump. It is sort of like the torque converter inside an automatic transmission.

So you can get more cooling all the time by running a thicker silicone fluid:
-http://4crawler.com/4x4/Docs/FanClutch.pdf
thicker fluid = more drag. But you still need the rod attached to the valve to turn as the bi-metal coil heats up. That is what locks up the clutch for maximum fan speed.

One thing I found on my 22RE w/ factory gauge is that if the gauge ever moves above it's normal operating point, the engine is starting to overheat. Even one needle width is too much. The factory gauge is built non-linear, such that you don't see the normal ups and downs as the t-stat opens and closes. But if the temperature moves high enough to see the needle move, that is a sign of a problem.

Last edited by 4Crawler; Jul 14, 2014 at 06:54 PM.
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