Gettin a bit hot... viscous fan?

[Ja1983]

just picked SWMBO up from work, and notced the temperature guage going up to the 3/4 mark, its been sitting a bit further over its normal position at half way for a few weeks now, the water level remains good (for last month, had a waterpump done prior to that) and the temp drops marginally when the blower is on full. as soon as i pulled up, i switched the engine off, and popped the bonnet. checked for the obvious head gasket signs, but none there.. then tried moving the fan, it moved very freely (no resistance at all) my understanding is that the coupling locks up with heat so the fan turns with the shaft, thus cooling the engine.....


is this the prime suspect? just changed the oil (for hi synthetic 10w40) but cant see that making a difference, fuel filter wasnt done long ago, air filter looks fairly clear, although will be replaced tomorrow..

ideas?

[ben_haynes]

get rid of it and fit electric fans on a thermostatic or manual switch

[Ja1983]

would do if:

a) i knew this was the problem
b) money wasnt an issue (wedding to pay for!)
c)i had the time to do it

also forgot to add, no signs of any airlocks since changed the waterpump...

[ben_haynes]

bleed the system just incase

have you checked the rad is not clogged with muck at all

[Ja1983]

i`m certain theres no airlock, the level is bang on, and has been for months, even after been stood over xmas.

rads clean, and in surprisingly good condition for a D1! - must have been replaced recently

all i really need to know is the normal functioning of the viscous fan, ie. when warm, should it lock up to the spindle?

cheers my fellow insomniac! :lol:

[ben_haynes]

yes when the engine gets warm it should lock

way to tell is get the engine warm and using a stick try stopping the fan if it stops then it is Knackered (just dont Use ur hand just incase it is not knackered :shock: :->)

[Ja1983]

well, it was warm when i stopped (tad too warm....) and it moved independantly of the engine.....


new viscous unit methinks :doh:

[Range Rover Blues]

Been there, done all that.  Even though I thought my rad was ok I ended up swapping it, and put a new vicous on.  The newone is even looser when cold, but locks up bvetter when hot.  That and the new rad mean I have no more heating problems.

Electric fans are over-rated.  You'll never save enough fuel to pay for them and they can't shift half as much air as the viscous.  kenlowe advised me not to fit electrics :shock:

[Ja1983]

if electric fans worked better, surely they would be standard fit... i recall reading that the viscous unit was favoured due to the likely workload and temperature extremes its likely to encounter..

got a nice clean intercooler to fit aswell, and its booked in tomorrow for a replacement viscous jobby!

fingers crossed... working through the to do list faster than its growing at the mo! :lol:

[Range Rover Blues]

I rang Kenlowe to buy a apir of fans for my LSE as it was overheating.  They admitted that a pair of their biggest HD fans could not move more than about 60% of the air that the viscous can so with the size of my caravn they would not guarantee their fans would be up to the job and suggested I replace the viscous hub instead.  Nice of them to be honest ;)

In the end I got a good deal on a new rad and viscous hub, £200 for both.  Job done, car happy :)

[BK]

Do what I did,have both viscous and electric,put the leccy on a separate switch (fan £10 from scrappy)and have the viscous on anyway,if the viscous packs up,youve got the leccy fan as back up and vice-versa

[Pete]

 I would be tempted to look at the fan last. I ran my TDi for nearly two years with no fan fitted at all, only got really warm once,on a long steep lane in low ratio in the middle of August.
 TDis naturally run quite cool, unless there is a cooling system fault. One cause could be half the rad clogged with mud, or an air lock.
 Pete.

[Range Rover Blues]

Do what I did,have both viscous and electric,put the leccy on a separate switch (fan £10 from scrappy)and have the viscous on anyway,if the viscous packs up,youve got the leccy fan as back up and vice-versa

No room in my case, LSE has the air conn electric fans, but for some reason (worth knowing) the 300 series/soft dash only had 10" fans on the air conn whereas earlier cars had 12" fans.  The 10" fans are useless on their own but can't be upgraded becasue the condenser was moved to the radiator, so there isn't room.

[Skibum346]

if electric fans worked better, surely they would be standard fit... i recall reading that the viscous unit was favoured due to the likely workload and temperature extremes its likely to encounter..

got a nice clean intercooler to fit aswell, and its booked in tomorrow for a replacement viscous jobby!

fingers crossed... working through the to do list faster than its growing at the mo! :lol:

Viscous is more efficient (according to RRB... my favourite guru!  :lol:) but the trouble is you have no control of it and if yor wading it can chuck tons of water over the engine causing problems. Fitting an electric fan offers the opportunity to switch it off when wading.

Besides which... everyone loves to tinker!  :doh: 8-[ :oops:

[hrox]

i recently removed my viscous from my 300 tdi Auto and replaced with a pug electric with a switch.   2000 miles on and never needed it to be switched on that includes a 1 hr traffic jam of going no where.   i dont tow a caravan but regulary had all 7 seats full and either a small halfords trailer and/or shortly a roof rack full of camping gear and i still think its the best thing i done to the disco so far.

[BK]

same :D here