Fan woes?

Several years ago We investigated fans and shafts in the Model A Times. We found both were with in tollerances in all that we looked at. What we concluded was the grove in the repro fans was sometimes not deep enough and the fan did not seat against the shaft but the key. As it was used it wore the fan hub or key down to the point it would become loose from the nut and wobble. The solution is to install the fan on the shaft with out the key, mark the point the front of the fan is on the shaft, remove the fan install the key and put the fan back on if you don't get to the mark you have to address the cause, either key way or key not being the correct size.
 
MrTube said:
OK I just received a shaft for the pump today. Fits perfect with a 1 piece aluminum 2 blade fan I have that is also new.

The pump in the A is an original type repro from 10 years ago, very little use on it. From what I can tell all I need to do is loosen the packing nut and the shaft should slide right out the back of the pump? Then I slide the new one in, tighten the packing nut no more then necessary, and bolt her up and i'm good to go?

I'm going to clean things up but I want to be sure I have an understanding of the basic nature of the beast.
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Make sure the thrust washer is seated in the pockets on the impellor and be sure to grease the rear bushing and lead packing rings as well as the front bearing. Did you also buy the rear bushing with the double lip seal? I like to use that as well as the locking collar for the front of the pump to keep the shaft in place.
 
Tom,

No unfortunately this time I tried to save money and went against my judgment. Normally I would buy all new seals and bearings but this time all I bought was a new shaft.

My thinking is since the current pump has so few hours on it and the only reason i'm replacing anything is due to the fan issue everything should work out ok. If I end up with too much movement i'll buy the collar. The current one which is installed assuming its a normal length shaft seems ok.
 
You know it just occurred to me I do not know how to remove the radiator.

Is it possible to lean the radiator forward to remove the water pump? This is in a 31 pickup
 
Yes, you can lean the radiator forward. I usually remove the headlight bar bolts on one side and loosen them on the other side to give a bit more room. Be sure to use a thin board or cardboard to protect the radiator fins.

The water pump on my 28 is rebuilt exactly as original, except for the front locking collar, but all future rebuilds will have the double lip seal to help keep the grease out of the antifreeze. I rebuilt the pump 12 years ago and have been using it for 6 years with no leaks. Lead packing rings with grease does a good job.
 
Tom,

I spent an hour tonight at work working on the A. I drained 2 gallons of coolant, got the fan loose on the shaft of the pump with little effort (bad). But I need a little more detail on the radiator situation. Its mounted on 2 springs from what I can tell with very hard to get to bolts\nuts and cotter pins. Does the stainless shell come off, or am I being a dope?

I worked almost 11 hours today before even touching the A, so maybe I was just tired and couldn't think.

I'll be going in tomorrow (saturday) to work on it some more with a clear mind.
 
John LaVoy said:
Several years ago We investigated fans and shafts in the Model A Times. We found both were with in tollerances in all that we looked at. What we concluded was the grove in the repro fans was sometimes not deep enough and the fan did not seat against the shaft but the key. As it was used it wore the fan hub or key down to the point it would become loose from the nut and wobble. The solution is to install the fan on the shaft with out the key, mark the point the front of the fan is on the shaft, remove the fan install the key and put the fan back on if you don't get to the mark you have to address the cause, either key way or key not being the correct size.
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New shaft and 2 blade fan are installed and is 100% solid.

I messed with the old fan and shaft and sure enough, it fit fine without the key. The key seems too high in the shaft to allow the fan to seat.

I used the same key with the new shaft and fan. Not sure if the fan, or shaft was at fault.

I assume / hope the 2 blade fan will provide enough cooling if puddering around on city roads on a hot day?
 
MrTube said:
New shaft and 2 blade fan are installed and is 100% solid.
I assume / hope the 2 blade fan will provide enough cooling if puddering around on city roads on a hot day?
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Actually, Model A Times did some tests showing the 2 blade cools better than the 4 blade.
 
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