Greetings everyone,

I've searched this up and think I may have a fan clutch issue but none of the threads seem to match my specific problem.

2006 durango 4.7 4wd

I changed my water pump and fan clutch this weekend and right from the get go the engine roars. I expect it from cold, occasionally the old unit would roar for about 30 seconds on first start up, but this is not going away and roars even when at running temp. It quietens down when the revs are below 1300. the roar over 1300 RPM sounds like the engine is revving full throttle, it's load, but the revs or normal for the speed. There does seem to be a lack of power as well.

Does this sound like a fan clutch issue even though it's brand new. I realize there could be something else that just happened coincidentally, but occums razor wants me to suspect the fan clutch.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

Nigel

 

Start with the engine cold, try and spin the fan by hand. Warm the engine to operating temp, and try the same experiment. If it doesn't feel any different, it's bad. Wouldn't be the first time someone got a bad part, right out of the box.

 

Thank you for the advice.
Have to say there was only a little difference between cold and hot, so I decided to take the fan and clutch off and run a couple of miles without one to see if the noise was something else. Hey presto no noise and power restored. Went back and exchanged the clutch, they gave me a different brand (higher priced) as a replacement, The other one came in a full cooling kit with a water pump and they didn't have any kits left. Fitted and problem seems to be solved.

I would never have thought a fan unit could make so much noise and effect power like that. All I need to do now is hunt down the guy who though it would be a good idea to design the radiator shroud as a one piece unit instead of two which would cut swap time in half.

 

I was at a MENSA event in St. Louis a buncha years back, and met a GM Powertrain engineer..... When I found out what he did for a living, I told him I know a fair few folks that would LOVE to kill him. He looked appropriately shocked, and genuinely puzzled, and asked me "Why??" I asked him if he has ever WORKED on anything he has designed. Of course, he hadn't. I suggested he try it sometime.

 

Huh....last place you'd think you'd find one o them

 

LOL. Indeed.

 

Happened to me too on a Grand Cherokee and on my 2006 hemi durango. In both cases I put on clutches from junkyard vehicles w/o issue. Factory new will work also.