Cracks in radiator fan

[EricCR]

Hi folks,

 

I was replacing my radiator and took the chance to clean everything I could while the old radiator was out. The fan was black with soot and once I cleaned it I saw about 3 small cracks, the biggest one (pictured) is probably half an inch. Given that these cars use a fan clutch which exerts a lot more force on the blades than electric fans, should I replace it or is this a non-issue?

 

[CamperDan]

10 hours ago, EricCR said:

Hi folks,

 

I was replacing my radiator and took the chance to clean everything I could while the old radiator was out. The fan was black with soot and once I cleaned it I saw about 3 small cracks, the biggest one (pictured) is probably half an inch. Given that these cars use a fan clutch which exerts a lot more force on the blades than electric fans, should I replace it or is this a non-issue?

 

I think it's best to just replace it, you wouldn't want this possibly ruining your new radiator. I'm just saying.

 

Chris.

Edited November 27, 2023 by CamperDan

[EricCR]

Sigh... I guess you are right, and I just checked and the blades are only $40 @ rockauto. The annoying thing is that I only noticed only after I put everything back together so that means another mess in the garage and more wasted coolant.

 

The more I look at that photo, the more it's clear that big crack goes all the way through.

[R50JR]

2 hours ago, EricCR said:

Sigh... I guess you are right, and I just checked and the blades are only $40 @ rockauto. The annoying thing is that I only noticed only after I put everything back together so that means another mess in the garage and more wasted coolant.

 

The more I look at that photo, the more it's clear that big crack goes all the way through.

The cracks on the fan are common. All of us have/had them but I have never seen a fan fail from the cracks.

 

You definitely do not need to drain any coolant to replace the fan. Just remove the bottom shroud and the fan should come out.

 

[Strato_54]

My 97 had it, 1 full crack and it never let go. I ended up removing it in favour of electric fans. That looks better than what I had, but still wouldn't put my full trust into it.

[Dbot]

I ain't proud to say it, but I've had cracks on my fan ever since I bought the rig in 2019 

[EricCR]

Ok then, perhaps it isn't that bad then. Thank you, guys.

 

I'll order a new fan before things become NLA. I also bought the original plastic skid plate only to realize that out of the 9 screws that hold it in place, 6 rusted out and broke who knows how many years ago. It's been a real fight to drill new holes to get that damn thing attached.

 

Oh, I also ran my VIN through carfax and it turns out my Pathy had at least 4 owners in the US, so I'm the 6th overall. It had a cluster replaced by the last US owner, which magically removed 20k miles off its history, lol (instead of 140k it apparently has 160k, which is still on the low-ish side). I'm actually surprised this thing is in such a good shape given how often it changed hands.