Fan clutch

[atalarico]

Long story slightly shorter, bought an Amazon warehouse open box asin fan clutch a while back. Had some trouble with the tightening the nuts properly, but comparatively speaking, the new fan clutch spun much more smoothly when I would just spin it by hand with the engine off.

About a month ago a mechanic said it went bad and was causing the AC issue I was having since it wasn't drawing air through the rad and condenser. I mentioned i just replaced it with an ASIN one a few weeks prior and so I'd probably just have to get a replacement from Amazon and do it again.

A day later he came back and said the system was overcharged and the fan clutch was fine. Now I'm wondering if he said that just because I said I'd do it myself.

I was just poking around in the engine bay and gave it a spin and it felt much stiffer than before and almost like my old one honestly. What gives?!

 

[stir_fry_boy]

Overcharging the AC can ruin the compressor, and you will get warmer air from the system into the cab. Does the fan kick on when you start the truck cold? Does it turn off after about 30 seconds?

 

[TheDurk]

I replaced my fan clutch in 2010. The dead one caused the truck to overheat a minute after I got off the highway and joined the traffic to the Lincoln Tunnel on a 100°F day. I replaced it with an AISIN from Amazon. There was ZERO difference between the two in terms of how they felt mounted on a cold, stopped engine. None whatsoever. I checked before and after the R&R.

But just as [MENTION=48234]stir_fry_boy[/MENTION] said, the good one made that airplane noise at startup and the dead one did not.

 

[atalarico]

Ah got it. Yeah so the truck quiets down a lot quicker after a cold start than with the old clutch.

I probably shaved some smoothness off when I over charged the AC but otherwise it's probably ok even if it's a bit stiffer on the spin than it used to be.

Thanks!