Gonna replace my water pump soon.. at 125k figured might as well replace the fan clutch while it's off. this one is still decent... starting to show signs that it's wearing out though.

anyways, from what i'm reading some people had some bad experiences with fan clutches... saying they were VERY loud. my truck has never been loud and i want to keep it that way. Am i stuck paying at the dealer for a genuine part or is there a decent after market? what am i looking for here? would like to get after market if there wont be any issues.. would save my 90-100 bucks over the dealer. thanks in advance!

2006 1500 4.7L automatic

 

I replaced the water pump and fan clutch in my truck earlier this year and was surprised to learn it's recommended (by the manufacturer) they be replaced as a set. While you're in there, you should go ahead and replace the belt tensioner and idle pulleys. The replacement interval for the tensioner and pulleys varies, but 75K miles is a good rule of thumb.

All that being said, take a look at Rock Auto's offerings:

4 Seasons Heavy Duty Fan Clutch
Belt Tensioner

Don't go economy for any parts. It's best to pay once and cry once.

 

Is that the clutch you got? Any issues? My oroblem is I've been finding that when people buy something besides dealer they sometimes end up with a very loud fan

 

Yep, I bought the 4-season and no issues. I wonder how people can claim to have a loud fan. Sounds like bunk to me.

 

got Rid of the fan clutch on my 05 4,7 and hit an electric fan setup. Couldn’t be more happier with it.

 

simple searching on the net and reviews on fans got me to that answer

 

Weird, but I guess things happen. Either way, I've learned not to by anything from Rock Auto's Economy parts section and actually lean more toward the Premium parts. No sense cheaping out and doing a job twice.