Best way to remove the 3.0 clutch fan

[MARK96SVT]

Hey I have a electric fan and thermostat ready to be installed on my 3.0. Do I need to remove my water pump to get the clutch fan off? How did you guys do it?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

there is a special tool for holding the pulley still while you crank on the fan clutch.

if you dont ever plan on switching back to your mechanical fan, you can always use a saws-all on it. i wouldnt recommend this however because you wont be able to put the mechanical fan back on after you discover the electric fan isnt sufficient

 

[Mutant Pony]

I recently made my own tool which works better than all the factory made one that I've tried.
I prefer a clutch over an electric. clutches do go bad with age but, they are more dependable than the electric ones. A properly functioning clutch does not use a considerable amount of torque or h.p.

 

[oldmantruck]

I don't know if this will help you or not, but you can try putting a ratchet in the tensioner as if you were changing the belt, but instead of looseing , tighten the belt enough to hold the water pump pulley, then yank quickly in which ever direction it tells you to on the fan shroud. ( I'm assuming the 3.0 will tell you there any way, it is listed on the 4.0) I've never taken the fan off that way, but I have loosened the bolts for a water pump pulley that way on a different truck

 

[MAKG]

The fan clutch tool costs like $15 from Performance Tool. It's simply not worth F'n around.

And I strongly recommend against using electric fans on vehicles that weren't designed for it. Almost to an item, vehicles designed for electric fans come with larger radiators with respect to their displacements (for instance, all three of my vehicles came with about the same size radiator from the factory, though the Prizm has less than half the displacement of the other two).

 

[arrabil]

Almost to an item, vehicles designed for electric fans come with larger radiators with respect to their displacements

I put a 4.0l radiator and a good electric fan on the 2.9l and the fan almost never kicks on. Even in the current 90 degree heat. I don't know that it would work in the hotter southern climates but it sure works up here. Just adding a real-world example to what MAKG was saying.

 

[MARK96SVT]

I am switching to an electric fan because i have a 3" body lift, and there is no shroud on it. I figure if it doesn't have overheating problems now (its been around 100* lately) then I shouldn't with an electric. I went to have my a/c worked on however, and my condenser wasn't getting enough flow, so thats why i'm switching.

If i do run into problems though I will probably have to modify a fan shroud to fit.

I didnt know there was a tool to hold that pulley still. I'm also rethinking my switch to an electric now. (even though i have all the parts )

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

if all your after is supplementing your a/c, why not stuff a small pusher fan in front of the condenser that switches with the a/c pump clutch? ive scoped it out before and there appears to be enough room for 1 or 2 small (10") electic pushers on either side of the cores center support.

 

[BobR]

IDK

on my engines (2.8 or 2.9) I just a 1 and 5/16" open end wrench, cresent, or pipe wrench and beat on it with a big hammer clockwies to loosen because of the reverse threads.


Bob

 

[Natedog]

there is a special tool for holding the pulley still while you crank on the fan clutch....

X2

...I prefer a clutch over an electric. clutches do go bad with age but, they are more dependable than the electric ones. A properly functioning clutch does not use a considerable amount of torque or h.p.

Yes, mechanical fan is alot more dependable. My hardcore wheeler has one for this very reason! And because it uses the factory fan clutch, deep water crossings are never a problem.

 

[schultp]

I used an old piece of serpentine belt and my vise grip pliers to make my own "Strap wrench". I placed the belt around the wheel and grasped it with the vise grips. I rocked the vise grips so the belt tightened and it also could be held as a brace while I torqued a wrench on the end of the clutch. Worked great.

You can also buy a cheap strap wrench at Harbor Freight if you have a store nearby.

Paul.

 

[chiloh30]

.I just took one of those suckers off they are reverse thread,, I removed the belt, took a long strap and wrapped it around the pump pulley in the "opposite' direction of the threads, left enough strep to wrap back around the tensioner and isle pully gave the the end to my son to hang onto put an 18 inch crescent wrench on it and "finally" broke it loose...It is reverse threaded..look just benind the fan and you will see on the shaft where the wrench goes,,,,hoe this is of help

 

[mrm8480]

fan clutch removal

are the threads on the clutch left handed?

 

[mrm8480]

fan clutch removal

thanks for the info. I guess I made it pretty tight by now, hope it comes off ok. Have a good one.