Need a working fan clutch for my 68 Cutlass Supreme with 350.

 

I have one, but it wouldn't be date correct. Let me know your thoughts on the car.

 

Sent you a PM

 

The clutch that I have looks just like your old one, except mine is from a 69 motor.
Are you sure that your stock one went bad? Usually they lock up, or have a ton of play on the shaft if they've turned sour.

If yours isn't sloppy, and has a decent drag like a tight doorknob, you're probably fine.

 

When I turn it it does have resistance but what about all that grease in the thermal coil? Im going to put it back on today and see what happens.

 

I would clean off that thermostatic spring just so it reads a little more accurately. (not that it was extremely accurate to begin with)
Be sure to be gentle with it, don't throw it under the wire wheel.
It is made of 2 different metals that expand and contract in response to temperature.

Quick description:

When you are moving slowly, airflow through the radiator is minimal.

The result is little cooling of the fluid through your radiator,
and eventually, a HOT thermostatic clutch spring....which locks the clutch up tight, coupling the fan to the engine speed.

At highway speed, you have plenty of cool air coming through the radiator via the front air dams, so the fan is not needed as much.
The clutch allows the fan to almost stop spinning once that front thermostatic spring is cooled by air through the radiator.

A locked up dead fan clutch is better than a limp one.
It will make all kinds of wind noise being coupled to engine speed when you are going really fast.... but at least it is still always cooling.

If it SLIPS all the time you will likely overheat because it's barely moving.

 

Grab the ol' lady's hair dryer and have some fun. You should be able to feel the difference once it's heated up.

 

I put back the fan clutch that I sent you photos of. Its working the same as the one that was in there before. This isnt the right thread for it but maybe you can help me out. I just installed a new 2 row 1" tube aluminum radiator last Sunday and now when I am going at higher speeds my temp gauge goes from 190 to 210 and then quickly back down to 190. It repeats that until I lay off the gas. At low speeds and idle it runs at 190-195. I thought it might be the fan clutch but now I am thinking maybe its the thermostat? The thermostat in there is 3 weeks old and is 180*. Im going to put a cooler tstat maybe 160 back in there like it was before. Any ideas? Heres a vid...jump to 1:00-1:25

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0pO3HUbxEk

 

I'd blame the radiator and the shroud. A 2 row is pretty small. Your thermostat would always be open when your motor operates at above the thermostat's temperature spec.
If the thermostat was stuck, it shouldn't fluctuate, just go UP. The fluctuation indicates that some sort of cooling is occuring.

Make sure your shroud is tight to the radiator so it's not pulling air in from side gaps. It should only be allowed to draw air from the front of the radiator fins.

Also, check your engine timing. It may run cooler if you take some out of it. I have an 86 Chevy 1 ton copper/brass 4 row in my car with 2 big electric fans, and it still goes up to 190 sometimes with them running full bore.
Then again, I run it around 3500 rpms and have 34 degrees of total timing. All in by 3k.

 

Sounds like the thermostat not opening fast enough.
Is it a high-flow thermostat or a regular one?
I'd put in a high-flow 180° and see how she runs.

And if you need a fan clutch, the local auto parts store's probably got one on the shelf.

- Eric

 

You can also drill a 3/16" hole in the outer ring to help it along. Also helps with burping the system. Another thing you might do.

Run it without the radiator cap on for a good 30 minutes to make sure all of the air pockets are out of your new radiator and cooling system.

 

The radiator in there originally was a 3 row with 3/8" tubing. I figured I would get more cooling out of 2 row 1" tubing. Plus it was the right price for my budget. There is a Mr Gasket Hi-Flow 180 thermostat in there. It originally had a 160 before installing a Edelbrock carb and intake.

My fan shroud might be the issue. The left top and bottom clips are clips and the hole for the bolts to go through is broken. It basically is sitting in place because the right side is bolted down. The bottom of the shroud is doesnt exist. It looks like the fan hit it one to many times and broke a huge chunk off. I just noticed this on Sunday when swapping the radiator. Its pretty shotty.

Do you guys have a spare shroud for sale

 

That will be your next parts wanted ad. In the mean time, you can zip screw some sheet metal to the damaged area to patch up the air flow issue, and run a few zip ties around the edges to keep it tight against the radiator.

2blu442 should have another shroud. I'd try him first.

 

2 of my very good friends.

 

I have an ad up for a shroud. Been up for a week no answer. Dont think its as common as I hoped. Ive seen them on ebay for $70. I better start saving my pennies.

This is what I was talking about. Its worse than I even thought. Could this be the verdict?

2011-11-22_14-54-54_420.jpg

2011-11-22_14-55-19_733.jpg

 

Looks pretty useless to me. That crater is probably where your fan is pulling the air from now.
Check your motor mounts before putting in your new shroud so it doesn't happen twice.

 

Also, is that new aluminum radiator a thinner profile than the stock one?
Looks like the fan could benefit even more from being a little further inside the shroud cone.

 

The radiator is pretty much exact side as the original. Maybe a tad bit wider even. I bought one of those American Eagle China radiators and crossed my fingers. It went in like it was made to to be there.

Core 16 ¾” Tall x 28 ¼” Wide
Total 18 ¼” (19” incl cap) Tall x 33” Wide
inlet 1 ½” driver side / outlet 1 9/16” pass side
Tanks 3” thick

http://www.championradiators.com/product/AE161

 

Would this fit proper?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1969-Oldsmob...-/390362626545

 

I doubt it. Cutlass and Delta dimensions are different in most directions, including depth.

By the way, I agree on the zip-ties and sheet metal patches.
You can patch the missing section with sheet metal, and make new mounting tabs, if needed, with sheet metal, too. You can use sheet metal screws, or drill holes and use #8 or #10 screws with nuts and washers.

- Eric

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1969-olds-cu...sories&vxp=mtr

Might be able to talk this guy down since it's missing a tab.

 

Just wanted to let you guys know I took out the 180 thermostat today and put in a 160 with a bottle of Water Wetter and that solved my issue. The temp stays at a solid 180 now. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

'Solved my issue' - not quite!
If you've a 160 thermostat, the motor should run at 160!!
Stop at a mechanic and see if he has a thermometer - maybe your guage is off!

 

I do believe my temp gauge might be slightly higher than the actual temp. Should try putting a new temp sending unit. Question about that, does coolant have to be drained to replace?

 

Depends on how fast you are !

If you've got everything ready to go, and enough clearance to swing your wrenches, you can do it with only a few ounces lost.

- Eric

 

I had two Mr Gasket Hi-Flow 180 thermostats be bad brand new. One got stuck open the first day (never closed afterward) an another that would stick and pop open.
I had other brands & styles that would pop open way past the set temp.
For such a simple basic part, I find they are often not made right in the beginning. I have never had one fail when it was old...

 

I have used Milodon highflow thermastats for years with no problems. The shroud generally breaks on the bottom when it is not adjusted correctly and more so when the engine mounts are old and sagging. Also if your gauge is not a mechanical unit, then, I would not trust it for a accurate reading.

Did you find a shroud?

 

Im getting a reading off of Sunpro triple gauge. I think it was around 40$. I'm waiting on blu442 to see if he has a shroud laying around. I forgot to mention the NAPA thermostat came with a gasket for my car with an adhesive bottom. I put the original cast iron back on with a small layer of black silicon. Worked well.