Hi all

Just a really simple question (I have used the search function, but didn't find the info I wanted).

OK, I'm a little concerned about the fan clutch on my stock 82 auto RX7. When the engine is off (ofcourse) the fan turns easily and I can spin it. Is this a sign that the clutch has failed? How does the clutch work? Does it hold the fan rigid up to a certain rev and let lets it slip or is it the other way round?

Any help would be most appreciated. I do have the Haynes manual on the RX7 but find it to be lacking in many areas for a dumb person like myself.

Glenn

 

IF you can spin it real easy and it goes around more then 2 - 3 times then it is bad.

 

Thanks for the help Hades12. I was looking into buying a new fan clutch until I found out how much they cost new. Can they be reconditioned?

The other thing is is that I tried spinning the fan when the engine was cold and it only spins around almost one revolution. So, there is enough tension in it to prevent it from turning more than this when I try and spin it by hand hard. Do you think that it's still OK? Can anyone with a standard setup, including the original fan clutch, have a go at this and spin their fans by hand to see how many revolutions, or part thereof, a "good" clutch can be turned.

All help is greatly appreciated.
Glenn

 

With the engine cold, you should be able to spin the fan fairly easily.. maybe 1 or 2 revolutions with a decent hand spin. Once the engine reaches operating temperature, the heating coil on the back of the clutch, heats up and increases the tension. If you were to turn the car off after reaching operating temperature.. you should feel a definate increase in tension and it should not move easily when you try to spin it.. Good luck

 

For what it is worth, I had one freewheeling and one that was locked up. On the freewheeling, you could stop the fan with you finger at normal op. temp. at any rpm. The one that was locked up put out enough wind that it kept the driveway blown off.

 

You fan sounds like its fine. But if you still want to replace it, go with an electric fan.

 

About this fan business, mine is on all the time even when cold. I just spun it while the car is still warm and it doesnt move much, like yall said already its got tension on it. All i noticed is that i hear the roar from it all the time especially when shifting through 1st through 3rd. I have always been told it takes lots of power away, so should i just rip it off and put an electric fan on it? Is there any particular electric fan yall recommend? Sorry if i hijacked the thread, i am basically having the same problems with mine. Oh and mines an 84 gsl by the way. Thanks

 

Whether it's broke or not: Shitcan it AND the shroud. Then replace it with a black magic 150 efan.

Trust me on this one Why would I lie ?

 

It sounds as if your fan is close to just locking up. In this case it is loading down the engine more than usual. But it really sucks when the fan is howling and then one of the fan blades breaks off and slams into the hood leaving a dimple and now the fan is unbalanced causing the engine to shake and all you can think is "this can't be good". That was kind of funny when I look back on it.

 

hehe sounds good guys..... now this black magic fan, how much are they and where do you get them? Im tired of sounding like a leaf blower, i cant even hear the motor

 

Flex-a-lite Black Magic Electric Fans: FLX-150 @

http://www.summitracing.com

200 bucks

sometimes cheaper on ebay

 

Thanks a bunch, i bought 2 9 inch fans last night on ebay for 50 bucks so i guess ill try those and see how it goes. I think i might try just one first and see if thats adequate enough and if not then ill add the other. I forgot what the cfm is on them but its gotta be better that the old fashion fan on it already. Thanks guys, Karson

 

9" fans?!!?! wtf. dual 13" or a single 16" is wut you need.

 

Yea i sort of bought them on impulse......... i figured 2 might be adequate but ill just see.

 

I'll bet NOT. The black magic is 2800 CFM. You need over 2000 for sure. Those little fans won't do it when it counts.

Just trying to elp you avoid disaster, dude.

 

Thanks, well what ill do then is put them on the front as pushers and get a third one to pull...... either that or ill sell um on ebay as soon as i get them and then get a real fan. For the sake of expense is there a decent fan i can get off of a vehicle, i saw somewhere where someone put a fiero electric fan on theirs and it worked great. Does anyone have one on theres from a different car?

 

Just out of curiousity, why do you say the pair of 9" won't work for him? I cool a 600hp big block in my Mustang with a pair of Hayden 10" fans with no problem. And yes, it is a street car. I can't see a little rotary producing much more heat than that. My old `79 RX7 I had installed a single 11 or 12" fan on (stock `88 Cavalier Z24 fan) and it never skipped a beat. Dual 13's is insane overkill unless it's a turbo car.

Bug

 

Alright guys heres what ive done......... a buddy of mine just got a 90 model mustang gt with some pretty big mods done to it, the guy bought an electric fan for it but never took the mechanical one off and put this in place of it........ so i bought the fan from him for 30 bucks and its new........ its 16 inches and its so strong that it takes 3 guys to hold it when we hook it to the battery..... even then it trys to twist out of ur hand......... So should i just put that on and sell the 2 9 inchers in getting?

How did yall attach it to the rad, did u use the tie rap looking things that go through the rad? And lastly should i just wire it up with a toggle switch or can i wire it to something under the hood to come on when the car starts? I could care less if its going all the time but i dont know if i should wire it up to soemthing or not. Thanks guys, Karson

 

tried and true is a cheap and every yard has them for under 20$ is a ford taurus fan or Mercury sable same ****. just make sure it works b4 you buy it.

 

Yep, those things are NUTS. Early `90's Taurus or Sable with a 3.8L engine (NOT 3.0L engine) has a dual speed 16" fan that when set on high can carry a small child to the moon They even have a built in shroud. They are very popular with the Mustang crowd.

Bug

 

I said I bet they won't... when it counts... because they probably don't suck 2000+ CFM's. I don't KNOW, but alot of the little duals either don't cover the percentage of the radiator you should ( 80% ) OR they don't suck ENOUGH on a really hot day when you're in bumper to bumper traffic.

I'm also ASSUMING that your radiator is bone stock. That is a negative, too. I'm running a 3 row refinned radiator ( which is newly redone ) with the stock fan and no shroud on a ported 13B and I stay cool in southwest Georgia, BUT...

My next round of mods will include the Black Magic efan and an electric water pump and the aviation electric pump that replaces the OMP so I can switch to 2 cycle. Why am I doing all this ? Because I'll see some horses and I can shitcan the spaghetti lines and I'll free up some space on the pulley for the Camden supercharger that Mr. Atkins will gladly sell me ( along with the Holley 650 ). So when you see my Mikuni and intake on the "for sale" section, you will know.

Lastly, the rotory engine is one heat producing son of a bitch. The exhaust temps it generates is much hotter than the Ford Big Block you alude to... by far. Call any high temp coating places and tell them you have a rotory engine. They'll either laugh at you or tell you they won't guarantee it, etc. They'll all coat any boinger for you and guarantee it. Do a search on "exhaust temp" and you'll find out.

Don't compare apples and orangutans !

 

Thanks everyone for your help, it's been great. I think that my fan clutch is probably OK for now. The coolant temp never reaches half way, it gets to about 4/5 of the way there. However, it definitely does run hotter on the highway then when in traffic... I've been driving in 30 degree plus lately and it's going to get hotter so I'll be keeping a close eye on the guage.

Another question. For a stock 12A 1982 auto, where should the temp needle sit when in normal traffic, running at 60 km/h, at say 30 degree celcius? And, what about on the highway at say 110 km/h.

Again, thanks for your help.
Glenn

 

It should sit at about 1/4 of the way up the gauge in any condition. Thats where mine sits all the time.

 

Zip ties and a fiero gt fan are a wonderull thing! The price cant be beat!If you use a Taurus fan watch out for the center of the fan rubbing the rad it will rub a hole in it, the center rod holding the fan is slightly longer than the feiro fan. You just have to grind it down about 1/8th of an inch. The feiro fan with shroud fits the longer 83-85 rads perfectly covers it completely!