Questions and Answers

Crown Vic Fan Clutch Q. Hi, thanks in advance for your advice. 1996 Crown Victoria, V-8, auto, air, power everything. The heater core was leaking so we had it replaced. When doing that, they also replaced all the hoses, water pump (had a drip), thermostat, and viscous fan clutch because it had "a wobble".

The new fan clutch ran on all starts, ran at every stop sign or light, and needed "high revs" to get it to stop. They replaced it again. Same problem. They then put in a Ford viscous clutch, same problem. The engine is not overheating and used to work perfectly with the original one. Any clues?

Rick

A. Okay, this is how it works. The fan drive clutch is a fluid coupling containing silicone oil. Fan speed is regulated by the torque carrying capacity of silicone oil. Fan speed increases with a rise in temperature and decreases as temperature goes down. The more silicone oil in the coupling, the greater the fan speed. The less silicone oil, the slower the fan speed. A heat-sensitive, bi-metal spring connected to an opening plate regulates the amount of silicone oil entering the coupling.

When the engine is cold, try to turn the fan. It should turn with little effort. If it does run the engine until it is hot for at least ten minutes. Shut the engine off and try to turn the fan. If it requires a great deal of effort to turn, then it is working. You can also tell by the sound. When it is free it will make little or no noise. When it engages it will make a roaring wind type noise.

If it passes all these tests, then it is working properly. I don't think yours is not working. I think you're comparing it to the old one which was old and worn out.

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