One of the most important maintenance inspections you have to perform on your vehicle is to check the condition of your cooling clutch. This is reserved for vehicle owners who have a belt driven car. Belt driven cars are equipped with a mechanical clutch system that is prone to wear and tear over time. Left unchecked, this could cause unnecessary damage and severely affect your vehicles operational capacity. So how do you perform a preventive maintenance check on your clutch system and replace worn or damaged parts. This is a brief guide on how to replace a cooling clutch efficiently in your own garage. |
Checking The Clutch System
First, you have to check the clutch system to assess its condition. Here are some things to look out for to properly assess the health of your clutch system. A good clutch offers a specific amount of resistance when you spin it by hand. If it spins with little to no resistance you have clutch slippage and you need to replace it immediately. At the same time, if the clutch does not spin at all, then you have a seized clutch and you need to replace it as well. A good clutch should spin at least one revolution for it to be assessed as a properly working clutch. Try to check for any wobbling when you jiggle fan blades. If there is any wobbling present, this means you have a worn or bad bearing.
Problems Connected To A Bad Clutch System
Clutch slippage is often the cause of an overheating issue. Older clutch systems experience fluid deterioration. This can cause a slippage causing the fan to operate badly and in turn causing some cooling problems. Make it a point to replace the fluid inside your clutch system annually or bi-annually to pre-empt any unnecessary wear and tear to the system’s components. Make it a point to check Meyers Auto Parts' cooling vehicle parts including fan clutches to get a full scope of their catalogue.
Repairing/Replacing Your Cooling Clutch System
To begin the repair/ replacement process, make sure you turn the engine off and unplug the battery terminals.Remove the screws that secure the upper part of the fan shroud and place them in a clean container. Gently pull the shroud up to remove it completely from the whole assembly. Loosen the nuts securing the fan clutch to the water pump. Try to do this with the belt still attached to keep the pulley from turning with your loosening motion. Remove the belt by loosening the tensioner. Now is also a good time to check the alternator and AC compressor fan belt to assess their condition. If you have an air pump, remove the belt and check its condition as well. Replace old or worn out belts as you go along with this replacement/ repair process. Once you’ve removed all of the belts, remove the nuts that secure the fan clutch assembly completely and place it on an elevated workspace. Remove the bolts securing the cooling fan to the clutch and mark them properly to ensure proper positioning when you put it back into your vehicle. Replace old or worn out bolts. Apply a layer of tread lock to keep these bolts in place. Replace other worn parts to ensure proper operation when you re install the entire assembly back into your vehicle.
Return the fan shroud to its original position and tighten according to the OEM standards. Replace the belts on the AC compressor, water pump and air pump. After reinstalling the entire assembly, replace the battery terminals and turn your engine on. Do a final sweep and tighten all bolts and points of attachment. Place coolant inside your radiator as a final touch and then turn the engine on and allow it to remain on idle for a few minutes. This will allow the fluids to settle correctly inside your reinstalled fan clutch assembly. Wait for the engine to reach its normal operating temperature and then step on the accelerator to raise the RPM. This should activate the new clutch fan.
Now you have a properly working clutch assembly and you did it all inside your own garage!
If you have any issues tracking down some of the essential items to replace your worn out equipment, you can try Meyers Auto Parts' to get those hard to find replacement parts!
First, you have to check the clutch system to assess its condition. Here are some things to look out for to properly assess the health of your clutch system. A good clutch offers a specific amount of resistance when you spin it by hand. If it spins with little to no resistance you have clutch slippage and you need to replace it immediately. At the same time, if the clutch does not spin at all, then you have a seized clutch and you need to replace it as well. A good clutch should spin at least one revolution for it to be assessed as a properly working clutch. Try to check for any wobbling when you jiggle fan blades. If there is any wobbling present, this means you have a worn or bad bearing.
Problems Connected To A Bad Clutch System
Clutch slippage is often the cause of an overheating issue. Older clutch systems experience fluid deterioration. This can cause a slippage causing the fan to operate badly and in turn causing some cooling problems. Make it a point to replace the fluid inside your clutch system annually or bi-annually to pre-empt any unnecessary wear and tear to the system’s components. Make it a point to check Meyers Auto Parts' cooling vehicle parts including fan clutches to get a full scope of their catalogue.
Repairing/Replacing Your Cooling Clutch System
To begin the repair/ replacement process, make sure you turn the engine off and unplug the battery terminals.Remove the screws that secure the upper part of the fan shroud and place them in a clean container. Gently pull the shroud up to remove it completely from the whole assembly. Loosen the nuts securing the fan clutch to the water pump. Try to do this with the belt still attached to keep the pulley from turning with your loosening motion. Remove the belt by loosening the tensioner. Now is also a good time to check the alternator and AC compressor fan belt to assess their condition. If you have an air pump, remove the belt and check its condition as well. Replace old or worn out belts as you go along with this replacement/ repair process. Once you’ve removed all of the belts, remove the nuts that secure the fan clutch assembly completely and place it on an elevated workspace. Remove the bolts securing the cooling fan to the clutch and mark them properly to ensure proper positioning when you put it back into your vehicle. Replace old or worn out bolts. Apply a layer of tread lock to keep these bolts in place. Replace other worn parts to ensure proper operation when you re install the entire assembly back into your vehicle.
Return the fan shroud to its original position and tighten according to the OEM standards. Replace the belts on the AC compressor, water pump and air pump. After reinstalling the entire assembly, replace the battery terminals and turn your engine on. Do a final sweep and tighten all bolts and points of attachment. Place coolant inside your radiator as a final touch and then turn the engine on and allow it to remain on idle for a few minutes. This will allow the fluids to settle correctly inside your reinstalled fan clutch assembly. Wait for the engine to reach its normal operating temperature and then step on the accelerator to raise the RPM. This should activate the new clutch fan.
Now you have a properly working clutch assembly and you did it all inside your own garage!
If you have any issues tracking down some of the essential items to replace your worn out equipment, you can try Meyers Auto Parts' to get those hard to find replacement parts!