DMax Fan/ '97 Fan Clutch clearance Question....

[FrankieRider2]

I followed some advice from this board and installed these new parts today on my '93 6.5TD to help the engine airflow a bit.

I noticed in a post before there was something said about using a spacer for top/bottom clearance. My question is about side/side clearance.... it appears that my fan shroud is not centered on the engine anymore (my truck was damaged in the front back in 1997).

Upon installation I have about 3/4" clearance on the RH side, but only about 1/8" or less on the LH side. I'm afraid that the new composite blade will scrape the shroud on start-up. Is it acceptable to grind off a bit of the shroud lip to gain better clearance for the rotation of the blade.... and will any grinding adversely affect the operation of the fan as far as cooling is concerned?

Thanks a lot.

[StephenA]

Definitely grind the side down for enough clearance! You won't hurt anything by this. But, too close a tolerance leaves no room for accidental loosening or shifting of parts or someone leaning over and flexing the cowl. You definitely do not want those blades shattering, especially when the hood is open or if you hit a major bump or pothole.
One of the advantages of the composite fan is the fact that if you get swamped by enough water it will shatter instead of break your crank or other components like a steel fan does. But an exploding fan will tear up the radiator and anything or anyone else that gets in it's way, so despite the fact that it was probably my post you saw singing the praises of my new 97 clutch & Dmax fan & the easy "close" fit, please, don't anyone go overboard and fail to leave themself enough room for a saftey margin. Look at how much room the D-Max leaves in the orginial design for that fan.
Good luck!

[More Power]

As Stephen suggested, trimming the lip of the fan shroud is perfectly acceptable.

However, you might try re-positioning the fan shroud a bit. This could be accomplished by extending the mounting holes in the shroud in one direction, using a Dremel tool or die grinder with a carbide or similar bit.

Also, the motor mounts tend to sag over time. The passenger side mount is the one that seems to be more affected than the driver's side mount.

MP

[StephenA]

Ditto! Repositioning the shroud via moving the holes in it is definitely more better.

[Johnny B.]

StephenA, thanks again for the part numbers. I got my new fan and clutch today and installed them. My shroud lined up perfectly and the fan blades have about 1/4" of clearance all around. There appears to be a noticeable difference in the fans, the 9 blade pulls a heck of alot of air at idle. you can actually feel and hear the air flow now.

[StephenA]

Glad it's working for you Johnny B. Amazing how much more efficiently it moves air without all the noise, huh? I really wanted John Kennedy's heavy duty clutch, but had to put the bucks elsewhere... Still, I can add his clutch later if need be. Thanks for the info on the downpipe sale... Id' be interested how this fan/clutch mod holds up over time. While it has much less mass, it's a heavier pull on belt system. My gut feeling is that it will wear well, but we'll have to see.