Replacing fan clutch

atalarico said:
It's like these nuts are made of brass (and not in a good way
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Haha I never realized that about that phrase. Why is brass the metal used to describe big cojones? Brass is a soft metal.

And as Betty White said, "Why do people say 'grow some balls'? Balls are weak and sensitive. If you wanna be tough, grow a vagina. Those things can take a pounding."

Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk
 
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Whats a flare wrench, can you post a pick of the tool you are using to break it free?

You need a quality 6point box end wrench. Not a flare wrench for brake lines.
 
If you are doubting which you should turn here is a simple rule, use your right hand, put your thump in the direct you want the screw to go, then your fingers will give you the direction you should turn.

Try PB blaster, over night, see if you can get a 6 point socket, closed end of a wrench on their with a pipe to send. (Be careful when you put your body weight if you slip you can hurt yourself)

might be worth it to get those 90 degree impacts. maybe something with a swivel?

edit you might be able to also try a crow foot wrench
 
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Loosen the drive belts first. It takes the tension off the pulleys and the studs themselves.

Go to Sears and get yourself a 12mm/13mm box end wrench to remove them.

If that fails, pull out the Dremel or find someone who owns one.
 
frodiesel said:
Whats a flare wrench, can you post a pick of the tool you are using to break it free?

You need a quality 6point box end wrench. Not a flare wrench for brake lines.
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It's one of these

2


Sounds like I should ante up for a real box wrench though. I'm going to stop by Sears or something tomorrow and pick up a set.

LittleCaesar said:
Loosen the drive belts first. It takes the tension off the pulleys and the studs themselves.

Go to Sears and get yourself a 12mm/13mm box end wrench to remove them.

If that fails, pull out the Dremel or find someone who owns one.
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Yeah, part of the reason I paid for the shop to do the timing belt and company was because I really don't know much about belts and such. How do I loosen the drive belts?

Also, yep, going to get a box end wrench or two tomorrow.
 
atalarico said:
It's one of these

2


Sounds like I should ante up for a real box wrench though. I'm going to stop by Sears or something tomorrow and pick up a set.



Yeah, part of the reason I paid for the shop to do the timing belt and company was because I really don't know much about belts and such. How do I loosen the drive belts?

Also, yep, going to get a box end wrench or two tomorrow.
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No way for that wrench to apply equal pressure. It will for sure mess it up and strip. Use the right tool for the job instead of wasting your time to screw up your rig.
Get quality not harbor freight.
 
frodiesel said:
No way for that wrench to apply equal pressure. It will for sure mess it up and strip. Use the right tool for the job instead of wasting your time to screw up your rig.
Get quality not harbor freight.
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JFYI, it was the open-ended side of a Craftsman that stripped it at first. I started with the open-ended side because I read that 12-point box wrenches were a bad idea for these nuts. Yes, it was a mistake. I switched to the Duralast flare nut wrench because it was the closest thing I had to a 6-point box wrench handy, and has done the job in similar situations.

I know Craftsman is barely a step up from Harbor Freight these days, and I'm sure Duralast is in that realm too. I've actually been saving for a decent set (MAC or Craftsman Pro) of either ratcheting or regular box end wrenches and trying to avoid buying them individually since it's more expensive that way, but I might have to go that route given the current need. I definitely understand that when 20 year veteran mechanics say things like "I've never stripped a fastener or nut with these wrenches...ever" it speaks to the quality.

LittleCaesar said:
How to: Change Drive Belts 3.4 L 5VZ-FE - YotaTech Forums
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Thanks for the link. I checked that out and saw that removing the four fan clutch nuts is the fourth step in. Can I just skip that bit and loosen the other nuts to get the belts off? I get nervous with belts because I thought I remember seeing all sorts of cryptic writing about how you have to line pulley's back up and mark everything just right or else your engine will go boom. I'm obviously exaggerating but I really thought there was something that made it more than just loosening pulleys and slipping the belt off/on.

redneckj said:
A flare wrench is the wrong wrench for that job IMHO. I just replaced my fan clutch on Sunday morning. I used 2 normal 12MM craftsman boxes in wrench. The perfect wrench to use would be a long 12mm ratchet end wrench.

https://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-WRN77...4420&sr=8-1&keywords=long+12mm+ratchet+wrench

Front the pics that were posted showing the damaged nuts holding on the fan clutch, I think you will need to cut those off. Good luck.
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Thanks for the link. I'm hoping that since I haven't completely rounded off all of the edges on the worst stripped nut, I might still be able to get it off without cutting or chiseling. Hopefully more PB Blaster soaking, removing the belt, and a nice box wrench will help. If not, I'll be looking for some tips on how to correctly cut that off without a Dremel (I hear chiseling works, but...)
 
There isn't much to it, for you don't have to take the belts off, just loosen them. Like tension on a rubber band around the top of a jar. You remove the rubber band, the tension is gone. What one has to be careful with it is tightening the belts. Too much tension on the belts and bad things can happen. As the tutorial explains, there is an adjuster for each one to loosen and tighten the belts.

But if you don't have the tools for the job, and/or it takes you to Frustration Town, get the clutch changed out by a mechanic.
 
LittleCaesar said:
There isn't much to it, for you don't have to take the belts off, just loosen them. Like tension on a rubber band around the top of a jar. You remove the rubber band, the tension is gone. What one has to be careful with it is tightening the belts. Too much tension on the belts and bad things can happen. As the tutorial explains, there is an adjuster for each one to loosen and tighten the belts.

But if you don't have the tools for the job, and/or it takes you to Frustration Town, get the clutch changed out by a mechanic.
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Ah that makes more sense then, and the principle makes complete sense too.

I'm not one for paying way more to have someone else do something seemingly so simple. I'd rather spend the money I'd pay the mechanic on the tools so I can have those for the rest of my life. I've done 90% of all of the work on my truck at home with the tools I have, so this is within my wheelhouse, but this might just be one of those things that was done improperly in the past (over-torqued when the water pump was replaced). Now I've been handed the results, and the lack of box wrenches has gone on for too long...but no longer!

Cheers!
 
So, I'm not seeing any 6 point box wrenches Sears' website, so I'm guessing I'm limited to 12 point. Is this going to be ok? Going to go with the pro line craftsman at bare minimum. Probably just get the one I need for now. Not sure if I should get a ratcheting one or not. Opinions welcome.
 
I always just use 2 wrenches. But differently than I see mentioned here.

Put one on one of the nuts to loosen it and the other on the nut next to it to hold it. Holding the pulley in place with one wrench will be enough to loosen the other 3. Just crack them loose slightly and spray with penetrating oil if you want.

The last one that you used to hold it there will still be tight. So finger tighten one of your already loosened and lubed nuts and then use it to hold the pulley so you can finish the last one off.

Now the one you just used to hold it will be snug again from being tightened up to hold the pulley but since you've already had it loose and lubed up it will come off easy with a quick jerk of the wrench if the belts are still tight because it will come loose before the engine turns. It will be nowhere near as tight as it was before.

follow me?
 
giovannie23 said:
https://www.craftsman.com/products/craftsman-13mm-wrench-6-pt-combination

Just go to a sears they will have them
Also home depot has the huskies for cheaper
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Gah, you're totally right. It turns out Sears' website didn't recognize "6 point" as a search term but recognized "6pt." instead. Dumb.

So on that note, I'm just conflicted hearing that Craftsman Pro still might not be considered a "good tool". I see NAPA has one of these for $37

NWMDC


I've read good things about Carlyle tools, in that they might fill that space between Craftsman Pro and MAC or Snap-on. $37 is a lot for a wrench, but it'll be the last 13/12mm ratcheting box wrench I'll have to buy, right?

EatonKyleH said:
I always just use 2 wrenches. But differently than I see mentioned here.

Put one on one of the nuts to loosen it and the other on the nut next to it to hold it. Holding the pulley in place with one wrench will be enough to loosen the other 3. Just crack them loose slightly and spray with penetrating oil if you want.

The last one that you used to hold it there will still be tight. So finger tighten one of your already loosened and lubed nuts and then use it to hold the pulley so you can finish the last one off.

Now the one you just used to hold it will be snug again from being tightened up to hold the pulley but since you've already had it loose and lubed up it will come off easy with a quick jerk of the wrench if the belts are still tight because it will come loose before the engine turns. It will be nowhere near as tight as it was before.

follow me?
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I follow you completely! As soon as I get this wrench sorted out, I'm going to try this technique.

Cheers!
 
dd3eac87d1625aab23136cc557a61c23.jpg


Success! It only cost me two wrenches...and some jackass scratched the paint on my Golf in the sears lot.

bec514448be485ecf5bcbeb5fa6b4761.jpg


Now, I just need to find some m8x1.25 hex flange nuts. Any suggestions?
 
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