Engine fan noises

[seeker1056]

Ok so I am drivin this truck daily now and the fan makes so much noise , howling (air movement) you cant hear the motor or radio at 50 mph.

How necessary is this huge oversized fan on a small truck?

For a street truck that will never haul a load can i get away with an electric fan on a thermostat in its place?

Thanx

[KTA]

It sounds like you have a bad viscous fan clutch. It shouldn't be locked up unless it is sensing the temperature needed for it to lock up.

[Philip]

What KTA said.

I have had my truck almost 9 years. The fan has only came on 3 times. All 3 times was on the same hill down in MO with a heavy load on the truck. All 3 times it was a 90+ degree day.

[Greenleaf]

Wow. I have never heard a fan on either of mine. Maybe they don't work? Who cares.

I was told yesterday at a service tech class that a Cummins owner was driving to Columbus (Ohio) when all-of-a-suddend there was this loud whooshing noise. The truck was towed back to Mansfield (Ohio) only to discover it was the fan had engaged.....

ROFLMAO!!

[Philip]

Don't laugh to hard Scott. When one of these fans kicks on and you haven't heard that sound. It does scare you for a few moments till you know what it is.

The first time mine kicked on. I was running 70 MPH up a large hill with a 73 Cutless on a trailer. That $#^& fan kicked on I droped off the throttle for a few seconds till I realized what it was. By that time I went from 70 MPH to 50 MPH and couldn't get anything back till the top of the hill with these 3:08's of mine.

There was a semi even with the hood of the truck when it came on. It got his attention to. He told me on the CB it scared him when it kicked on.

[TOMTOM]

I run mine without a fan until a/c season rolls around. I wonder if it needs the airflo for the i/c ?
TOMMY

[Underpsi]

My 89 fan kicks in all the time. Must be my small rad with the top and bottom tanks

[seeker1056]

it is the clutch fan siezed, and thanx.

So will an electric fan keep up to a cummins for an everyday driver with no load?

If not, anyone got a good used clutch hub they would sell?

or ccan I go fanless like TOMTOM?

I am barely reachin 160 degrees now on a hot hard day.

[jogl]

I took my fan off in the winter when I changed the idler and the fan bearing. I just put it back on a couple of days ago because I was worried about what would happen if it was left idling with the A/C on.

The whole time it was off the temp gauge acted just like it always does.

So you may not need that fan. But if you run the A/C you definitely need some air going over the condenser all the time, especially if you are stuck in a traffic jam or something.

JP.

[seeker1056]

well the fan issue resolved itself tonight - it self destructed at 3200 rpm taking out the rad shroud and knocking off the lower rad hose - and I have no idea how it didnt take out the rad.

So I am on the side of the road with no tools. A dime was used to tighten the hose clamp after the hose was reseated, and I snapped off the remaining four fan blades which were also stress fractured.

So I guess our fans wont take sustained 2800-3200 rpm

Now without the fan - go figure - the temp guage is runnin about 10 degrees cooler?

[PToombs]

That's because the engines not working as hard to turn the fan!

[jogl]

Yup, I would guess clutch was stuck. Normally at 3200 the clutch is probably slipping a lot, saving the blades, etc. But your clutch was stuck eventually destroying the fan at 3200.

So you found the problem (maybe). And you are lucky because every time that I have lost a fan it tore the rad up just for good measure.

JP.