replacing fan clutch/coupling - How to's

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disallow
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Postby disallow » Sun Aug 11, 2013 3:00 pm

disallow wrote:Here is the site for where I bought the clutch:

http://www.autopartsway.ca/PartList.cfm ... enum1/tabS

and here is NPW's website:

http://www.npw-mfg.co.jp/

as to whether they are the OEM manufacturer, I have no idea. In any case, as I said, the part looks identical to CliffJumper's part in his pic at the top of the post, and it does not perform in the expected way, though it does seem to have reduced overall engine load when barelling down the highway at 70MPH.
Update on this. I returned the part in question, and received a full refund including the shipping cost.

The website was www.autopartsway.ca (they are in Canada) and they did offer an extended warranty on the clutch, up to 5yrs for a nominal fee.

Based on my experience, I would recommend these guys. Great customer service, just this part didn't work out for me.


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oreogaborio
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Postby oreogaborio » Sun Aug 11, 2013 3:22 pm

Did you get a replacement or did you go with another option?

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disallow
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Postby disallow » Sun Aug 11, 2013 3:24 pm

oreogaborio wrote:Did you get a replacement or did you go with another option?
I didn't buy an extended warranty, but they do offer it.

After reading about othere people's non-oem fan clutch issues, I decided to ask for a full refund, and will use the cash to buy one from Nissan.

Where did you get yours from?

T

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oreogaborio
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Postby oreogaborio » Sun Aug 11, 2013 7:14 pm

www.fcpimport.com

Paid $73.89 shipped.

Gonna contact em & see if they have a warranty. That was back in October of 2012

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ShipFixer
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Postby ShipFixer » Sun Aug 11, 2013 9:50 pm

So should the fan be spinning when the engine is cold or not? Mine spins but it's not particularly loud. That being said it's an 05 and highway mileage isn't what it used to be. All other things being equal...hmmmmm...

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Mon Aug 12, 2013 9:29 pm

The fan will spin when cold, but will spin at a much lower RPM than when it is hot. General rule of thumb, with the engine not running, you should be able to spin it by hand and it'll turn no more than a turn and a half.

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ShipFixer
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Postby ShipFixer » Mon Aug 12, 2013 11:37 pm

When I flick it from the top I get a quarter or less. Tried it a dozen or so times. Does that mean the fluid has gone stiff and its time to replace it?

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ShipFixer
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Postby ShipFixer » Wed Aug 14, 2013 8:30 am

Anyone? :-)

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disallow
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Postby disallow » Wed Aug 14, 2013 2:16 pm

I don't think there is a tried and true way to ensure its 100%.

Is your truck really noisy at low speeds?

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ShipFixer
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Postby ShipFixer » Wed Aug 14, 2013 2:35 pm

Its about the same hot or cold. The fan itself has never been that loud but it doesn't seem to change much. And my mileage is definitely down...

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oreogaborio
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Postby oreogaborio » Wed Aug 14, 2013 3:47 pm

When you first start the car, the fan will be in direct drive... you'll hear it. After a few seconds the fan will turn off as the engine is cold and you'll hear it get quieter. If the fan stays on all the time and it doesn't get quieter, replace it.



Site note: my fan is being covered under warranty

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ShipFixer
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Postby ShipFixer » Wed Aug 14, 2013 7:04 pm

oreogaborio wrote:When you first start the car, the fan will be in direct drive... you'll hear it. After a few seconds the fan will turn off as the engine is cold and you'll hear it get quieter. If the fan stays on all the time and it doesn't get quieter, replace it.



Site note: my fan is being covered under warranty
So it should stop, or get close to stopped then? Yeah, mine never does that...

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ShipFixer
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Postby ShipFixer » Wed Aug 14, 2013 8:47 pm

Ordered...we'll see what happens...

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Postby ShipFixer » Mon Aug 26, 2013 12:08 pm

Got this done over Saturday, and I'm pretty happy I did it. I'd been contemplating trading out for mileage if I start road tripping heavily again since my mileage has dipped, and this puts off that decision. My onboard computer (which has always been very close to computed actuals for me) showed 20.5 mpg for a 50 mile loop around San Diego at 67 mph, up and down hills with downshifts. My truck hasn't seen 20-21 for three years, and that took 60 mph on flat east coast highways. I'd chalked it up to switching to the LTX MS2's and California high ethanol content gas, but apparently it wasn't that bad. Very interested to see what I get on my road trip to and from Mammoth Mountain this weekend.

The new clutch and the old didn't feel that different turning in my hand, and my truck at 87,000 miles wasn't that loud either. The first start up with the new fan was very loud for a few seconds, but right away it was obvious the engine is under lighter load at idle or on the highway without using my scan tool.

Some notes: no realistic way to do this without shroud removal. I'm not even sure a marmoset could do it :-) The bottom and upper shroud clip together so you do need to take both off. Easiest way to pull this thing is to remove not only the air intake tube in the middle, but also the top of the airbox. And disconnect the large hose running to the top of the radiator, and bungee cord it back against the power steering reservoir to keep it out of the way.

I also pulled the shroud and electric fan out at the same time after unbolting both...

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disallow
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Postby disallow » Mon Aug 26, 2013 1:15 pm

ShipFixer wrote:Some notes: no realistic way to do this without shroud removal. I'm not even sure a marmoset could do it :-) The bottom and upper shroud clip together so you do need to take both off. Easiest way to pull this thing is to remove not only the air intake tube in the middle, but also the top of the airbox. And disconnect the large hose running to the top of the radiator, and bungee cord it back against the power steering reservoir to keep it out of the way.

I also pulled the shroud and electric fan out at the same time after unbolting both...
I have huge ham-sized fists, and managed to do mine (twice!) without removing the shrouds or the electric fan... :)


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