I just replaced the clutch fan in my '01 5.9L Durango with one I bought atAutoZone. After installing it and running the Durango I noticed it takes up to 5 minutes of driving before the fan clutch disengages.I know itissomewhat normal for it to take some time for the clutch to disengage but 5 minutes seems long and fan really saps the power from the engine (not too mention the noise of a plane taking off). My question is:

If I purchased a Mopar version, wouldI stillhave this problem or wouldI no matter what brand ofclutch fanI bought? Or has anyone purchase one from someplace that has a quicker time in which it disengages?

Let me know.........
Thanks!

 

suprised this fan clutch issue is re-occuring more and more on this forum! I must assume the Mopar clutch will do the same thing. The fan clutch will wear in and break in over time. And that is something we don't have the patience for. I am in the same boat as you. I had mine replaced last summer. It started out really bad where it take up to 5 miles of driving before the fan clutch finally dis-engage. But over time, the clutch is starting to disengage much sooner.

I must assume you may not be the 1st owner of this D? I am sure if it was brand new, the fan will roar for a while until the clutch finally breaks in.

 

i dont remeber my moms (soon to be mine) d ever taking that long to disengage, usually 1/4 mile is a long time in the winter, thats the longest any of the trucks have taken, even mine (98 dakota) which isnt garaged, and my dads dakota didnt take that long new either, so idk just my experience

 

It may just be the oem clutch then. I hadn't had much experiences and not too many users have posted their experiences with clutch replacment. I just know that after I got mine replaced, it did take much longer than usual to disengage. But that was initial observation. A year has gone by for me since my new clutch replacement and I can say that over time, the fan will disengage sooner instead of later. Currently I have to drive an average of 2-3 miles for it to disenage. This is from a cold engine. Warm engine, usually less than a mile. When it was brand new, it took much longer. Then again, I bought a very heavy duty class clutch. I think you can get a light duty version that may do what you mentioned. light duty may disengage faster. They are a little cheaper in price too. When I bought my HD clutch, I did not know about the fan roarring, I was mainly concern about overheating as my supplemental E-fan cannot keep my D cool with a dead OEM clutch. If I were to do it all over again, I would buy a light duty clutch just to reduce the fan noise and save some MPG's.

 

Thanks for everyones's input. It seems like it may be getting better but still annoying. It's not a big deal to change it but not sure ifan OEM or one from AutoZone or Napa will make any difference. I guess I will wait it out for a few weeks and see............

 

Just wanted to post an update to my originalquestion. The fan clutch I bought just stayed engaged way too often and it was driving me nuts every time it did. I was onthe interstate and it engaged and stayed locked for a good 30 minutes way driving ~70mph. That is when I had had it. As soon as I got home I went up to NAPA and bought one that was made in the USA (or at least the sticker said it was). I installed NAPA's version and it works like a champ. Now it disengages before I even get out of our subdivision on a cold start. Pretty much works like I expect it to. FYI - The one that didn't work right was from AutoZone. It was a Torque Flow brand (made in China). Ireturned it to Autozone and got my money back. Long story short - stay away from AutoZone forFan clutchesand buy made in the USA parts.

 

My clutch is acting weird, there are times when the clutch will disenage after a few minutes of warmup time after starting up the D. There are times, where the clutch will stay engaged for several miles before it disenages (intown driving). But getting out on highway, about 1/2 mile before it disengages. I would love to see the clutch disengage almost imediately during cold start situations as when the engine and radiator temps are cold, the clutch should not be engaged at all.

I did not even thought of who made my fan clutch. All I know is I bought it from O'Reilly auto parts. They are a good reputable parts store that I go to other than NAPA. (Napa was out of stock for my D). At the time, when I bought the clutch, I told the parts person I wanted the heaviest duty clutch for my D and I think I made a mistake on that! haha. This badboy clutch set me back $100. Parts guy said there were different duty rating clutches for the D. A light duty, heavy duty, severe duty. Apparently I got the severe duty at the price I paid for.

 

check out the 2nd gen. dakota forum, it has some info you might be interested in. rich c. 2003 dakota qcab 4.7 4wd