Fan Clutch Replacement

[Sig220]

96, 4.0, auto 2wd.

While my son is away at school, it was a good time to change belt, radiator hoses and water pump. I became a little leary of the fan clutch and decided to change it as well.

I have tried two fan clutches from Azone...one regular, one heavy duty and found they will not fit due to lack of clearance for the clutch between the radiator and the fan pulley. The clutch I took off can be remounted w/o problems. Funny thing is it is marked as a "delco" product.

I know the past owner had replacecd the radiator, could this be the cause of the lack of clearance??

 

[avnsteve]

yes, it is likely the cause of the clearance problem, there are so many different manufacturers that don't quite meet the EXACT specifications, they get close. run a google search of the part number of the delco product (if you can find it on the clutch) and see what that gets you. Or, just hang loose, someone else may ring in and tell you what they've fit on their rig. Can you tell if your radiator is 2 or three row? that may help you find a clutch that fits. many people eliminate the clutch and fan and run a taurus fan or similar (search will yield that), there is no one correct answer

good luck

 

[RichP]

Car quest has the correct length one, take your old clutch with you and compare, they will pull up two, you need the shorter one OR just get it from the dealer, price was not that different, maybe $5 or $10, don't remember. It's actually an AC/Delco.

 

[Ecomike]

I replaced mine 2 years ago. Pretty sure it came from Autozone. 87, 4.0. had No clearance problems on it.

Only other place I might have bought it would be O'Reileys. I do recall getting the heavy duty brand with the little thermal coil on the front center and not the cheapo version.

 

[Sig220]

For reference, the markings on the original clutch:

(Stamped in metal face) Delco Prod, Div GMC, Dayton Ohio, USA

(Stamped in ink on clutch face) 62079625

I did a search by the number and came up blank, even searched the number on a Delco site to find what vehicles it fit and came up blank.

I will go by a couple of places on Monday (Carquest, Oreilly's) and see if I can match it up on sight. Both the AutoZone parts had a cast metal face on the clutch that the original did not have which is about the thickness I lack in clearance.

Glad I am not in a rush!! This started off when I gave the parts a visual inspection and spotted a bulge on the lower radiator hose, as I replaced it, the new hose would not seal to the water pump as part of the "lip" had corroded......so a new water pump was in order. Figured since I was going that far I would replace the belt and the tensioner pulley. Heck, if you go that far, might as well do the fan clutch. Then I get stuck!

Thanks for the tips and info so far!

 

[Sig220]

Just a note for those that hit this thread with a search.

OReilly's offers a Hayden brand clutch that is closer in appearance to the original then the torqueflo brand that Autozone offered. I am pretty confident that it will fit......and if necessary it can be modified to be even slimmer!

Part number was 2625, and on the plus side its made in the USA instead of china.