Viscous fan removal ! again!

Hi all

i'm having a bloody nightmare removing the fan on my 4.0 V8. I've done it before with the tool and with a sharp blow with a chisel. I know its a right hand thread and need to turn it clockwise as you face the engine.

I've even made a bracket that prevents the water pump pully rotating, it's bolted via a steel strap to the jockey wheel pulley bolt.

Yet no matter how hard I hit it it will not budge. I've tried hitted the spanner with a lump hammer, I've tried using a chisel but it is just ruining the nut. I've tried frost bite and releasing agents but no joy.

I remember it being easy last time! And to add insult to injury it broke down two days ago and the RAC replaced the water pump at the side of the road and commented on how easy it all came apart as they usually didn't!

Am I missing something????

i hope you mean that you turn it clockwise to tighten it not to loosen it dont you? .... cos otherwise it will be hard to take it off

sponcom said:

Hi all

i'm having a bloody nightmare removing the fan on my 4.0 V8. I've done it before with the tool and with a sharp blow with a chisel. I know its a right hand thread and need to turn it clockwise as you face the engine.

I've even made a bracket that prevents the water pump pully rotating, it's bolted via a steel strap to the jockey wheel pulley bolt.

Yet no matter how hard I hit it it will not budge. I've tried hitted the spanner with a lump hammer, I've tried using a chisel but it is just ruining the nut. I've tried frost bite and releasing agents but no joy.

I remember it being easy last time! And to add insult to injury it broke down two days ago and the RAC replaced the water pump at the side of the road and commented on how easy it all came apart as they usually didn't!

Am I missing something????

Click to expand...

um, a brain?

it will rotate clockwise to tighten!

I did mean anti clockwise - I'm going to try a bit of heat!

dont use heat hit the lhs side of a flat (as stood facing fan)with a suitable punch with large-ish head do it on each flat and it will undo

Or get the correct spanner for it....

sierrafery said:

i hope you mean that you turn it clockwise to tighten it not to loosen it dont you? .... cos otherwise it will be hard to take it off

Click to expand...

On a 300Tdi it's anticlockwise to tighten - is it different on a 4.0 V8?

Jongould said:

Or get the correct spanner for it....

Click to expand...

Where do you live?

auf_wiedersehen_pet said:

On a 300Tdi it's anticlockwise to tighten - is it different on a 4.0 V8?

Click to expand...

I didnt hear about Disco2 300Tdi ... cos here we are, at D2 section, and D2's have all right hand thread viscous fans

sierrafery said:

I didnt hear about Disco2 300Tdi ... cos here we are, at D2 section, and D2's have all right hand thread viscous fans

Click to expand...

Just trying to help

Whats the correct spanner? there's space to use a normal opened ended spanner on a V8, I didn't have one that large... 36mm I believe... so I just used my adjustable had to shock the nut once with a punch to get it started and yes it's anti-clockwise to undo.

discool said:

Whats the correct spanner? there's space to use a normal opened ended spanner on a V8, I didn't have one that large... 36mm I believe... so I just used my adjustable had to shock the nut once with a punch to get it started and yes it's anti-clockwise to undo.

Click to expand...

The correct tool is a two-part affair: part one holds the pulley still and part two actually undoes the nut.

Available off Ebay for about £25 and makes life easy.

thebiglad said:

The correct tool is a two-part affair: part one holds the pulley still and part two actually undoes the nut.

Available off Ebay for about £25 and makes life easy.

Click to expand...

I do know of the specal tools that are available to stop the fan from turning, but what is the special tool to undo the nut? any standard spanner to do that as I have proved by using a large adjustable spanner which is all that's required to remove the fan as there is loads of space to do that.

discool said:

I do know of the specal tools that are available to stop the fan from turning, but what is the special tool to undo the nut? any standard spanner to do that as I have proved by using a large adjustable spanner which is all that's required to remove the fan as there is loads of space to do that.

Click to expand...

You wont get a standard spanner on as the fan covers the nut, I bent a 32mm spanner to get in behind the fan and allow you to turn the nut

Your confused mate, this is a V8 thread... therefore the the spanner is 36mm and as I have already stated my large adjustable works very well.

discool said:

Your confused mate, this is a V8 thread... therefore the the spanner is 36mm and as I have already stated my large adjustable works very well.

Click to expand...

I wasn't aware of the difference but comments taken so yeah, get an adjustable, otherwise get the proper one, you could just whack it with a chisle and hammer but thats a pain and ****s the nut...

BUT, if it was a TDi then you need a bent one

a flat ended punch doesnt damage nut like chisel and will loosen it if too tight on the shock spanner method

jamesmartin said:

a flat ended punch doesnt damage nut like chisel and will loosen it if too tight on the shock spanner method

Click to expand...

There must be a list of applications for the "shock spanner method" J M.

I now know of two track rod ball joints which I've known for years but just recently the viscous fan nut and just after with few turns with a spanner it will spin off using fingers & fan blade method, well mine did .