Cooling Fan Stays On

[Charlesthe2nd]

I think the fan clutch has gone out because the HD cooling fan is staying on. I got in to drive it the other day, and after warming it up in the driveway for a few minutes, the fan would not turn off like it typically does. Can anyone confirm that it is my fan clutch? If it is, what brand should I replace it with?

Really just adding this to the list of things-to-fix before winter. Brakes, shifter cable seal on ******, headlight assembly and passenger fender, transfer case shifter attachment, new bearings in castle nuts on the rear bumper, and I'm sure there is more that I'm not thinking about.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

Which fan is staying on? The mechanical or Efan Usually when the mechanical ones fail they don't lock up at all...but they can fail like yours too.

 

[kejobe]

Don't mechanical fans always spin when the engine is running... it's directly connected to the belt drive. The clutch will allow the fan to spin at same (theoretically) speed of engine or slower depending on where the clutch is for "lock up".

Now, the electric fan should only run when needed.

 

[Charlesthe2nd]

It's the big fan beneath the fan shroud. I believe it's called the radiator cooling fan on rockauto, and I've always known it as the thing that makes anything serpentine belt related a PITA!

Anyway, it's staying on. 100% is related to engine speed, i.e. it is making the engine run harder than it normally would and it is noticeable while driving. I'd say 500-1000rpm above normal operating rpm.

 

[Joenavy85]

It's the big fan beneath the fan shroud. I believe it's called the radiator cooling fan on rockauto, and I've always known it as the thing that makes anything serpentine belt related a PITA!

Anyway, it's staying on. 100% is related to engine speed, i.e. it is making the engine run harder than it normally would and it is noticeable while driving. I'd say 500-1000rpm above normal operating rpm.

Mine always rotated with the engine. It's got a noticeable speed difference between "engaged" and "disengaged". I'm not sure if they fail in the engaged or disengaged position, so that may be part of the problem. I removed mine after my water pump went out since it damaged all the blades and I haven't had any issues with just the electric fan. I'd say remove it from the pulley and see if it's seized up.

 

[Charlesthe2nd]

Mine always rotated with the engine. It's got a noticeable speed difference between "engaged" and "disengaged".

Haven't had a chance to work on the Jeep, but have had to drive it recently. I had to do some towing so was driving it this past week and noticed a few things about it. The fan is staying on when it's really cold, below 20. There were a couple times when I would get to about 4500rpm while accelerating, and it would cut off, then cut back on a few minutes later. It's being pretty weird, which makes me wonder if it's associated with something else being faulty.

I think the HD cooling fan only spins when engaged (could be wrong on that), and when it is engaged it's a noticeable increase in RPM, and sounds like a big mac truck trying to breathe hard. At this point, I'm wondering if air temp plays a part and this is all normal operation, if the fan clutch is indeed failing, or if there is another part that has failed causing the fan to operate when not needed.

 

[LibertyTC]

The HD fan should be disengaged when cold.
The fan should engage when temperatures reach 165° to 185° F.
There is a spin test mentioned etc see the factory service manual (cooling section)
It is time to replace the viscous fan drive assembly.

 

[Charlesthe2nd]

The HD fan should be disengaged when cold.
The fan should engage when temperatures reach 165° to 185° F.
There is a spin test mentioned etc see the factory service manual (cooling section)
It is time to replace the viscous fan drive assembly.

I'm guessing that this is the problem. Not really sure how to physically access or find an e-copy of the factory service manual, every site I tried wanted me to pay. If anyone has one to share, or if it's on kjcountry, I'd really appreciate having it. Even if I can't do the test to confirm the issue, I'm not really sure what else could make it function like this.

I'm going to go ahead and add the part to my order. Any recommendations on replacement brand?

 

[Leeann]

It's only been posted here about 1,000 times....

Index of /manuals/Jeep/KJ

 

[Charlesthe2nd]

It's only been posted here about 1,000 times....

Index of /manuals/Jeep/KJ

Ok ok, touche, you got me. I did a quick search this morning but didn't see it. Thank you for putting up with my stupidity.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

I'm guessing that this is the problem. Not really sure how to physically access or find an e-copy of the factory service manual, every site I tried wanted me to pay. If anyone has one to share, or if it's on kjcountry, I'd really appreciate having it. Even if I can't do the test to confirm the issue, I'm not really sure what else could make it function like this.

I'm going to go ahead and add the part to my order. Any recommendations on replacement brand?

OEM is Hayden but I've heard they've had quality issues lately. Not sure who makes them, but I put a NAPA one in my XJ and it's been solid for 2 years.