Coolant LEAK! help?

[chuckster57]

Some radiator drain plugs ( like my old '86) had a long pair of fingers that held it in when you unscrewed it all the way. If I am explaining it right.

[klhansen]

[quote=RT;2247523]The air chisel sure works well [/OUOTE]
I can't believe you said that!!!

It does work QUICKLY, but at the expense of the fan clutch nut (you should see mine after the Ford dealer tech did that on my truck ).

Originally Posted by RT

I probably wouldn't do it on a water pump I was going to re-use, but you're replacing it anyway...

How about the fan clutch itself. Do you think it likes being hammered on? Mine's been OK for 100k after the event mentioned above, but I've always been ready for it to blow up on me.

Using an air chisel is just plain abuse in my opinion. I'd compare it to washing your truck with 80 grit sandpaper.

[robertth]

I have gotten pretty good at using the Autozone tools which they rent under the item #27141. You pay them $60 and get it back when you return the tools. You only used the H shaped tool with a cheater bar to hold the water pump pulley from the driver side to loosen or the passenger side to tighten, and the 48mm open end wrench from the opposite side with something that has a 1/2" drive or just a big cheater bar. I used a torque wrench set at 60 ft-lbs (which was 18" long, so I'm only applying 40 lbs of force) to set it. I figure, since the open end wrench is 14" long, that I am getting (14+18)/12*40 =106.77 ft-lbs of torque on the fan clutch nut, which is in the high range of the spec. It is actually something I look forward to doing now. I'm changing my fan clutch this weekend.

[RIStroker2000]

Chuck you must be right about the fingers, so its basically not replacable? ***? And yea i went with the autozone kit robert. And the 48 mm was junk, it started to sprip the bolt on the clutch. I had to use a pipe wrench. Aparantly ALOT of guys/mechanics use the chizel approach. But I havent heard of that ending up in a bad situation. But, I wouldnt do it on mine

[chuckster57]

I was able to squeeze the fingers together and pull it out when I broke mine back in the '90's.

[robertth]

The nut is actually a 1-7/8" which is almost .5 mm less than 48 mm, so yeah, the wrench is a little big. I put a piece of duct tape on each side of the open end wrench and it worked fine. I suppose if it is on there too tight, that even that will tear into the nut. But, it worked for me, with the help of my son.

[RT]

Originally Posted by klhansen

Using an air chisel is just plain abuse in my opinion. I'd compare it to washing your truck with 80 grit sandpaper.

You're right - I would never use anything rougher than 400 grit to wash my truck.

I know it is rough on the nut - I wish someone would do a study to see whether hitting it for 1/2 second with an air chisel is as bad as whacking on it with a sledge on the "proper tool"

[klhansen]

Originally Posted by RT

I know it is rough on the nut - I wish someone would do a study to see whether hitting it for 1/2 second with an air chisel is as bad as whacking on it with a sledge on the "proper tool"

It's all a matter of leverage. There's a big difference between applying a force ALMOST tangential to the nut about an inch from the center of the shaft versus applying a tangential force a foot and a half away from the center. The wrench and hammer method translates to torque at the nut, while the air chisel translates to torque AND bending moment on the shaft.

[Kids_Ride]

I know it is rough on the nut - I wish someone would do a study to see whether hitting it for 1/2 second with an air chisel is as bad as whacking on it with a sledge on the "proper tool"

http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/...milies/lol.gif Laughing like crazy... "proper tool"

I am just a DIY by necessity, and I have only done my Xcursion twice, Ranger twice, and Range Rover twice, and never have those rented tools worked... Every time I fiddle with ideas, until I get my hand chisel, a hammer and tap it off. Once on the Excursion, a belt wrench on the pulley, with a pipe wrench and a huge wack did it... this is too funny thanks....

The problem on the X, is holding the pulley, the belt doesn't do it...

[RT]

Kevin - it makes sense, but I'm going to get more worried when I see a rash of failed fan clutch bearings. I'd almost rather lose a fan clutch every once and again as opposed to taking off my knuckles when that flimsy fan clutch wrench slips.

Just a simple thread hijack, but has anyone ever actually seen a clutch fan fail at the bearings? I've seen hundreds fail with seals leaking but only one that froze up and that was back in the 60s.

[Kids_Ride]

Isn't that clutch a viscous coupling... there is fluid that moves between chambers based on the heat, so is there bearings... ??? The diagram I remeber of a viscous coupling fan clutch, did not shoe any bearings. This unit does not move freely. It moves on on the shaft by gripping, like an object sticks to the side of a spinning barrel. something like that.

[klhansen]

It is a viscous coupling, but it has to have bearings of some kind, and a shaft seal where the shaft enters it from the back. There's an internal disk that's fixed to the shaft and the rest of the clutch, including the fan rotates around that shaft. The thermostatic valve either restricts the fluid from getting between the disk and housing or allows it in when it gets hotter, essentially locking the disk and housing together from the viscosity of the fluid between them.

I had a fan clutch sieze up on a 76 GM body motorhome in the middle of Colorado. Changed it out in the parts store parking lot using the braille method thru the 6" opening they call a hood.