Removing Clutch Fan

[AyAnthony702]

Would removing the clutch fan hurt my engine? I've heard of removing it to stop some parasitic drag. Would it really help my truck into getting into power faster? How would I remove it if I do choose to?

 

[ES894x4]

Yes your engine will overheat if you sit stationary for a long time when its warm out and dont use the hvac to turn the efan on, buy a switch, or get a programmer capable of telling the ecu what temp to kick the fan on. Never dyno'd so cant say if it free'd any hp, but does drop revs faster after hanging from the iac between shifts but not much. Rent a fan removal tool kit from the autoparts store and go for it, and remember the threads are reversed(righty loosey). It should be on there super tight, so may need two ppl to get it done.

 

[adsm08]

EDIT: TRS should be treated like heavy machinery and not used under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or after 10 PM.

 

[stmitch]

If you remove the stock clutch fan it has to be replaced with an electric one. Otherwise the engine will overheat.

It frees up between 1 and 3 horse, so really not worth anything at all


Also, ESX, in his poorly written reply, has given you some bad information. Since any engine on a 2010 has a serp belt, rather than V-belts, the fan has normal right-handed threads and spins to the left to come loose.

There's a lot wrong in this statement.
1. The Duratec 2.3L has both a clutch fan and e-fan as long as the truck has AC. Removing the clutch fan leaves the factory e-fan in place. The factory e-fan is triggered by really high coolant temps, or the AC system.

2. Even if it only frees up a couple of HP, having less rotating mass and parasitic drag on the engine can only help. Any gains in performance and fuel economy will be worthwhile, especially for a mod that is free (if you don't get a an aftermarket flash tuner as well)

3. The factory clutch fan on the Duratec 2.3 does indeed have reverse threads. I've had mine off before, and so has ES894X4.

 

[ES894x4]

^This. Though I do apologize for my response reading a bit sh1t, I was on an ipod 2 and had to write it twice. I also assumed the truck had ac.

I have had my fan off for 5 years now, it hasnt made my truck explode, and has been a good free mod. I didnt buy a switch to activate it or tuner, simply use the hvac switch to turn the fan on when i know the truck will be sitting. Seems to work just fine in ac or defrost. Left the ac on when i took it to smog. It passed in less than 10 minutes, but had no problem idling while I chatted for a half hour with the guy smogging it. If I had left the ac off, the truck would indeed have gotten very hot, very fast in the summer heat. So it requires planning to be free.

I wont make any claims of power since I have no dyno sheet to back it up. From the butt dyno *not scientific or guaranteed to be true.* The revs do drop a bit quicker between shifts once the iac is done doing what it does. Throttle response seems to be improved. Not anything too crazy, its still a slow truck. Also havent calculated mpg ever on the truck since new, so I cant comment on any improvement it may have made. I have enjoyed the slight difference it has made and I'd be sad to put it back on.

Threads are indeed reversed, dont know what serp or v-belt has to do with that. Right is loose, left is tight on the dtec in the ranger. I had too much b1tch in me to get it off myself, and needed a friend to hold the pulley still while i wrenched it off.

 

[adsm08]

There's a lot wrong in this statement.
1. The Duratec 2.3L has both a clutch fan and e-fan as long as the truck has AC. Removing the clutch fan leaves the factory e-fan in place. The factory e-fan is triggered by really high coolant temps, or the AC system.

2. Even if it only frees up a couple of HP, having less rotating mass and parasitic drag on the engine can only help. Any gains in performance and fuel economy will be worthwhile, especially for a mod that is free (if you don't get a an aftermarket flash tuner as well)

3. The factory clutch fan on the Duratec 2.3 does indeed have reverse threads. I've had mine off before, and so has ES894X4.

YIKES!!!

Yeah, disregard my entire earlier post. For some reason I thought we were dealing with a 3.0, not a 2.3. Everything I said is correct for a 3.0, but wildly inaccurate for a 2.3 Duratech.

 

[pjtoledo]

hey guys, I replaced my fan clutch last weekend. 2005 2.3 5sp regular cab.
the old clutch had not completely failed, it still turned some, but was in no way capable of handling 90 degree heat. the electric fan didn't do the job either. in slow traffic, or sitting, the heat built up enough that the AC quit working after 2 minutes and the temp gauge kept rising. even at speeds of 50-60 the AC wasn't as good as it should be.
with the new clutch all is good again.
its a 36mm nut, 1-7/16 will work.
I'm about ready to swear its standard threads, but I'll check this weekend before committing on that one.

 

[getloud]

I took off my clutch fan and added a fan off a 3.8 thunderbird. 4 years later still cools great.

 

[MarzGraphixDesign]

90 degrees I live In South Carolina we get weeks of 98+ and with the index 105+ never had a problem with mine I think you might want to check out your system PJ you shouldn't be having problems that your experiencing.

 

[pjtoledo]

90 degrees I live In South Carolina we get weeks of 98+ and with the index 105+ never had a problem with mine I think you might want to check out your system PJ you shouldn't be having problems that your experiencing.

I hear 'ya., it may be due for some routine maintenance.
there is 290,000 miles on the original coolant, water pump, thermostat, radiator, and hoses.
with winter coming on it will be a non-issue until next April, provided the heat works.

So to the OP, if you have old worn out stuff, be prepared for some issues.