ill let you know that mine spins about the distance from one fan blade to the next, if you hear your fan roaring (sounds like a plane taking off or a diesel someone once told me at start up) then this could be a locked up clutch fan. a NEW clutch WILL hold on for up to a mile of what i consider normal driving before letting go and free-wheeling, my factory clutch holds on till i hit 2nd gear, not sure what the relationship is there but its only on the first start of the day and then its fine.

 

Yeah i rechecked the fan because i was cold last time I checked and its about the distance of 1 blade to the next, a new clutch goes for 49.99 at my local Oreilly's. After startup the engine does roar like a diesel, thats why i figured something was wrong to begin with. I'm getting ready to get off work now so ill keep an eye on when the fan disengages and update the post.

Update: So after tonights drive home my engine fan stayed on up until i hit 3rd, or about 45ish MPH.

 

how long does the truck sit during the day? it takes mine overnight (10+ hours) before it will lock up again, your clutch might be seizing up on you


and btw the roaring IS actually normal, my dads 09 dak does it first thing in the morn too


another thing i thought of is how long have you owned the truck?? its possible that the previous owner put a heavy duty fan clutch in there and in that case its (i hate to say it) normal for the clutch to hold that long on the first start, and it will catch sooner than the regular duty clutch

 

The durango roars at every start up, and this is only my 4th day I've had it, the previous owner didn't say anything about a new clutch, though he told me about all of the little fender benders he was in.

 

When a clutch fan fails it causes the coolant to retain heat, forcing the engine to run hot and eventually overheat. A clutch fan is engaged and disengaged from operation by the heat produced from the radiator. The fan clutch is constructed using a silicon grease and temperature sensitive coil spring that expands and contracts with heat. As the spring absorbs heat it expands engaging the clutch fan utilizing engine power to drive the fan. As the engine coolant cools the fan clutch will disengage. A clutch fan can fail one of two ways, it can either lock the fan to the clutch causing poor and a whirring sound, like an airplane is taking off next to you all the time. Or the silicon grease can start to leak causing the fan clutch not to lock up allowing the fan to "freewheel", failing to pull air through the radiator when needed and eventually over heating the motor.

Also when the silicon grease sits for a time it will flow down by gravity thus engaging the clutch. As the fan turns after initial start up is in the locked position until which time the silicon grease dissipates back out from the puddle it created thus unlocking the the clutch and disengaging the fan. When you drive down the road (45mph or somewhat) the fan turns enough to disengage as stated and the sound or the direct engaged fan subsides.

Usually this starts at 2 different times, when it is cold as described, and when it is hot and parked. The heat is directly in front of the clutch and also when you turn off a motor after acquiring full operation temperature the shear heat will again engage the fan just like in the morning. You simply drive a little and it disengages.

If this is happening all the time (engagement) no matter what, the old owner might have installed a heavy duty fan clutch in it instead of a regular. If you feel that this isn't your issue, then replace the clutch and be done with it.

 

Okay I gotcha, but i'd rather not spend 50 bucks if i dont need to. The clutch re engages even when the engine is barely over minimum normal op temp, is this usual? I apologize if I irritate you hydra ive never owned a car with a clutch fan and I simply am trying to figure out if what it is doing is considered normal.

 

What if i removed the fan/clutch assembly during the cooler months and then re installed it during the summer? Would that cause any damage to the threads on the shaft? I could always find some type of nut to put on and cover the threads.

 

under normal driving the clutch should NOT re-engage until your water temp gauge is past the right most hash mark (not quite in the red yet) not sure what would make it engage early unless your temp gauge is shot and reading way low however i think you have noticed other problems with the truck if it was overheating

 

Yeah it isn't overheating, maybe I should just deal with it. I just enjoy hearing my exhaust note. I've been looking around and i've only found heavy and severe duty replacement clutches, nothing original. Any recommendations to where I might be able to find a stock clutch? I have checked the Mopar website also.

 

try napa? www.napaautoparts.com or rockauto? www.rockauto.com