Viscous Fan repair

I'm slowly working through the various minor niggles on my 1998 DSE and found that the viscous fan is defunct. You can stop it with a rolled up paper when the engine is hot. I know you can refill the coupling with new silicon fluid but wondering if worth bothering and just get a new fan? I've got the cool running issue so planning to change the thermostat but want to mske sue the fan is ok before doing that.

Lyndasbottom said:

I'm slowly working through the various minor niggles on my 1998 DSE and found that the viscous fan is defunct. You can stop it with a rolled up paper when the engine is hot. I know you can refill the coupling with new silicon fluid but wondering if worth bothering and just get a new fan? I've got the cool running issue so planning to change the thermostat but want to mske sue the fan is ok before doing that.

Click to expand...

Never heard that you can refill them. Often it's not the fluid that has failed in any case.
If your car has aircon, I can give you a mod to use the aircon condensor fans for cooling, then you will not need the viscous fan

You say you have a cool running issue, with a duff fan it is usually the other way round. Likely the fan is duff and someone has removed the thermostat to prevent overheating. If fan is duff, don't bugger about get a new one. Fit a new stat. Always pays to hang (not touching pan) the new stat in a pan of water to make sure it opens.

It's quite a common fix for overheating in Toyota Land Cruisers and Hilux. Thanks for the offer of the mod I'll PM you.

personally id just fit a new viscous ,they arent dear

jamesmartin said:

personally id just fit a new viscous ,they arent dear

Click to expand...

No way!! I'd remove and bin it!! Data's Mod is much better and also gives you more access in the engine bay for those times you need to get in to repair things

upto you but with the viscous you know its got cooling if needed

my temp gauge sits at 11 oclock, and never moves under normal driving - I hit 12 once going up hill towing and the eleccy fans kicked in and back down it went, so I really don't see any problem using this mod?

I also moved my gearbox cooler and eleccy fan to the front and again no problems at all! mod done at 109K and I've now covered 141K!!

JohnnyCrash said:

my temp gauge sits at 11 oclock, and never moves under normal driving - I hit 12 once going up hill towing and the eleccy fans kicked in and back down it went, so I really don't see any problem using this mod?

I also moved my gearbox cooler and eleccy fan to the front and again no problems at all! mod done at 109K and I've now covered 141K!!

Click to expand...

you could drive for years and never need a fan at all , but oner day stuck in traffic, an electric fan is more likely not to work than a viscous ,its just a matter of risk reduction ,and for the cost why not if a viscous was a £1000 and not £50 i wouldnt refit one either, as said its quite possible that you may never need a fan at all

Think I'm happy to take that risk to be honest

jamesmartin said:

you could drive for years and never need a fan at all , but oner day stuck in traffic, an electric fan is more likely not to work than a viscous ,its just a matter of risk reduction ,and for the cost why not if a viscous was a £1000 and not £50 i wouldnt refit one either, as said its quite possible that you may never need a fan at all

Click to expand...

Most modern cars only have electric fans and the P38 has 2 so not much risk, indeed no more risk than the viscous failing or less if you fit ****part.

Datatek said:

Most modern cars only have electric fans and the P38 has 2 so not much risk, indeed no more risk than the viscous failing or less if you fit ****part.

Click to expand...

they do ,it would be difficult to fit anythng else with a transverse engine ,and quite a few dont work but unnoticed ,bp one may not work from the box

jamesmartin said:

they do ,it would be difficult to fit anythng else with a transverse engine ,and quite a few dont work but unnoticed ,bp one may not work from the box

Click to expand...

Old transverse engined Peugeots had an engine driven fan, the belt turned through 90 degrees

jamesmartin said:

they do ,it would be difficult to fit anythng else with a transverse engine ,and quite a few dont work but unnoticed ,bp one may not work from the box

Click to expand...

The mini had a transverse engine and a mechanical fan – I removed this too and fitted a Kenlow (in the days they were good)

Datatek said:

Old transverse engined Peugeots had an engine driven fan, the belt turned through 90 degrees

Click to expand...

Yes and changing the fan belt was a bastard of a job.

Datatek said:

Old transverse engined Peugeots had an engine driven fan, the belt turned through 90 degrees

Click to expand...

I wan to see this - can someone find me a pic??

wammers said:

Yes and changing the fan belt was a bastard of a job.

Click to expand...

Truly horrible

JohnnyCrash said:

I wan to see this - can someone find me a pic??

Click to expand...

It was about five foot long and had to go round several pulleys. You put the bloody thing on one and it fell off another. Nightmare thing.

lol you should see my old corvairs then!! both flat sixes,one turbo one not,but the cooling fan was engine driven and mounted on the top of the engines,it used a belt round the crank puley, which then went over 2 idlers and round the fan to drive it,if you accidently revved over 5k the belt flew off!! the amount of times i had to stop and refit it on busy roads was untrue! luckily i had cylinder head temp guages on both(essential)so if you didnt see the alternator light come on you knoew by the temp of the heads rising!:crazy_driver:

Datatek said:

If your car has aircon, I can give you a mod to use the aircon condensor fans for cooling, then you will not need the viscous fan

Click to expand...

Can this mod be made in my Disco 220?

It would be great.

thanks