Is there such an animal as a fan clutch for a 240 D? I talked with the localMB service dept and they said of course. I have my doubts and a lot of noise at highway speeds.

Greetings,


Does your car have A/C? If it does it probably has a fan clutch as well. To check to make sure look in front of the radiator fan blades and there should be a circular finned item that the fan is bolted to. If there is, that's the clutch. Does your fan blades move freely when the engine is stopped? If it does you definitely have a clutch. Depending on where you live, the clutch will kick the fan from a free wheeling ( so to speak) mode to a locked in mode where more air is pulled through the radiator. Where is the noise coming from when the engine is running? In most cases I've seen, and I just changed out the clutch on my fan, it didn't create noise but the rear seal wore out and the fan would move slightly up and down as it turned.

Charles

The noise at highway speeds is the fan. When the engine is off the plastic fan will not turn freely. I do have a/c on the car. Can I retrofit this with a clutch without causing an overheat problem? There is an auxilliary fan in front of the condensor coils.

Greetings,

I have a 300 series and it contains not only a fan in front of the condenser which is electric and turned on by the A/C switch, but also a clutch on the main radiator fan. Does your fan bolt directly to the front of the water pump? If so I would say there is most likely room for a clutch, but I would also guess that the fan blades would have to be changed out as well to accomodate the clutch. You aren't gaining any additional cooling effect by installing a clutch on your main fan. Your's as it is set up right now is turning at max speed all the time in which case you are getting the max cooling effect it has to offer. The clutch just adds the free wheeling effect to totally being locked in under hot conditions. If you are getting strange sounds from under the hood, it's most likely not the fan.
Just my $.03 worth, Mine seems loud as well, but diesels seem to operate at higher RPM's which makes them noisy anyway. Like Larry has said in other posts, just turn the radio up a little louder.


Charles

Our 240d has A/C, but no fan clutch here.

BTW can-do, the "noise" of a diesel (or the 4 cylinder symphony in the case of the 240d) does have it's advantages. I play the role of Mr Mom (as I am right now) on the two evenings per week that my wife works . When my daughter had trouble sleeping as a new-born (or just got real cranky), no sound soothed her more than the hum of the 240 at 65-70mph. Sometimes within a mile of getting on the interstate, she would be out like a light

__________________
1980 Mercedes 240D
1982 Mercedes 300SD
1985 Mercedes 300D
1993 Dodge Cummins Turbo Diesel

Greetings Imul,

Didn't mean to sound like I didn't like the hum of a diesel, but some find it annoying. I for one turn down the radio to listen to the engine do it's work. Caught myself falling asleep as well right before curve in road, just kidding. I bought a diesel because to start with because I like the sound and torque it delivers, as well as that burning diesel fuel smell. Beats any gasoline engine smell any day of the week.


Charles

My 1987 W124030 with 103.983 engine at 172,000 miles with A/C DID have a "viscous clutch" fan, I said did!
Today it has a 16 inch thermostatic electric fan.
It is sooo quite and oh sooo smooth.
I don't have data as to any fuel consumption savings but I'm hoping.
I'm sorry I waited so long to do what should have been done many years and miles ago.
Happy Trails Beep Beep from Houston!!!
Donald, El Cheapo

Hello

I have a 1983 MB 240D with A/C. Last year I replaced the original fan with a 300D fan and clutch. The engine is quieter and runs cooler. As for fuel economy, it stayed pretty much the same.
Horst

I removed the original fan and shroud.
With it off the front of the engine is made more easily to work on, just a side benefit.
I attached the electric fan and it's shroud to the radiator, and the thermostat and bracket at the front airfilter housing stud.
I placed the thermostat bulb against the radiator holding it place by shapping two long cotter pins around the bulb and the ends into the radiator fins. The metallic cotter pins conduct the heat the the bulb quite well.
The fan is a high current draw so I had to use a relay for the load requirement.
The relay control voltage wire is attached to the battery side of the ignition coil, this way the fan only runs with the engine running or the switch is on. Which with the fan running and the engine isn't, you'll have a low battery in a short time.
A mistake I made at first was having the fan come on at too low a temperature, typically 190 degree F.
That meant the fan would run constantly trying to cool below the setting.
It works fine set at 220 degrees F. It cycles on/off and the Temp Instrument indicates 90 degrees C.
It's too early to say what fuel savings is to be had; but just incase something goes wrong I didn't throw the original fan away.
Happy Trails Beep Beep from Houston!!!
Donald, El Cheapo