fan

J

JDakota

Member
To get the fan off does the radiator have to come out ? Or can you take out the waterpump and fan together with out moving the radiator?
 
Remove the hood, top radiator support, top hose and push the top of the radiator out just enough to let the fan pass over the pump shaft. You may need to loosen the headlight bar so the radiator can lean out forward enough to clear the fan.
 
My guess is that the fan will be so firmly attached to the pump shaft that you have to remove the pump from the car to get the fan off. When you replace the water pump use bolts instead of studs and nuts to make future removal of the water pump easier. Some of the suppliers have bolts that are designed to look like studs with nuts so you get the best of both worlds. Be sure to cut a piece of heavy cardboard and place it over the radiator fins to keep from damaging them.

Charlie Stephens
 
JDakota,
Im doing the same thing mon. I read in the Les Andrews book that if it's a two blade fan you can just lean the rad. over at the top and change it, but if it's a four blade fan you have to remove the rad.
it also says to remove the fan from the water pump shaft, to tap the pully on the back lightly. good luck.
 
As stated, remove the upper hose from the radiator, remove the hood and support rods. Cover the radiator with cardboard (use some masking tape to hold it in place.) Cover both the front and back of the radiator.

You can tip the radiator forward to rest on the light bar, then work the fan off - use a good dose of penetrating oil.

Be careful not to MASH the shaft, the threads can be stripped pretty easily.
 
You might also cover the vulnerable backside of the radiator with a piece of cardboard or thin plywood. Even when careful as you can be, there is no telling when a part or a tool will slip and ding up the fins. I have heard some guys say (after some mishap) that they wished they had taken the radiator off in the first place. Just my two cents...
 
Unless it is loose on the tapered shaft,that fan is not coming off in the car.Take out the water pump,fan and all.Take the nut off the fan,and screw an old head nut on exactly halfway.Then screw an old head stud into the other half of the nut.Screw it down until it contacts the water pump shaft,making it as tight as you can with vise grips.Hold the fan pulley between your fingers,with the pump hanging down.Smack that head stud with a big hammer,hard,don't be a wuss with a lot of little taps.With the head stud and water pump shaft in contact,a hard hit will transmit that energy to releasing the taper.The nut just keeps it all tight and in line so you don't booger up the threads.When you replace the fan,make sure there are no burrs on the keyway,and fit the fan up dry and turn it on the shaft to make sure the tapers match.You can coat the shaft with a magic marker and spin the fan on it to see the contact.I have a couple of aluminum fans that don't come within a mile of seating on the shaft.If the two tapers match,fit the key,and be very careful that the hub seats correctly and the key does not slip up a little.You can tighten it that way,and it will seem OK,but will loosen up shortly.It will ride up with wear,but not in a good way.If you have a new powdercoated fan,make sure it has NO coating in the bore.If it is a new aluminum fan,use a flat washer against the hub.If you don't,the six points of the hexes on the nut will eat into the soft aluminum after a short time.And last,mount it on the tapered shaft dry.I am a big fan of never-seize,and go through a lot of it,but tapered shafts need to be dry to be tight.
 
Taking the fan only off on the car is a lot of trouble if it can be done at all. Keith's description of the whole process is about the best I have ever seen. As Charlie says, replace the water pump studs with bolts, 5/16x1" as I recall. Compare the length of the stud thread that is in the head plus the housing thickness with bolts at the local hardware store. Makes it all easier next time. You dont even have to loosen the radiator and hose.
 
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