87 300TD and a 2pc fan shroud question - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

locry · #1 03-05-2011, 06:24 AM

Ok, so I have a 1pc fan shroud on my 87 300TD, its a PITA to do anything on the front of the engine with a 1pc shroud. I went ahead and bought a 2pc shroud... tried to install it WITH the fan in place... and it seems there is NO WAY I am able to fit the SHROUD in there without removing the FAN, which defeats the purpose of having a 2pc shroud... and yeah... I did remove the "ring" part of the shroud... and even that I couldn't get between the fan and the radiator...SO... is there a different FAN that comes with the 2pc shroud? i'm guessing not all 124 fans are the same.

locry · #2 03-05-2011, 01:53 PM

I read in another thread that there are plastic versions/updates of the aluminum fan/clutch combo... what are the differences dimensionally? I'm interested about fan blade to radiator clearance. And if ever there's clearance difference, is it the fan OR the clutch that's responsible? I'd like to be able to install the 2pc shroud... but i need clearance badly. PITA to change the serp belt with the 1pc shroud.

babymog · #3 03-05-2011, 02:12 PM

I have that 2-piece shroud on my '87 TD also.

It is beneficial, you can remove the ring (relocate rearward and leave hanging on the fan) and easily get to the bolt on the front of the fan to remove the fan, where the 1-piece makes this much more difficult.

Also check to be sure that your car hasn't hit a parking block and bent the bottom radiator mount upward/rearward even slightly, it doesn't take much to upset tolerances and even prevent the radiator from tucking neatly under the upper brace.

vstech · #4 03-05-2011, 02:20 PM

what he said.

babymog · #5 03-05-2011, 02:52 PM

Also, I have never needed to remove any part of the fan or shroud to swap the serp-belt on a 124 300D/300TD. It should slip neatly between the fan and shroud, the easiest belt to replace of any car I've owned (except possibly '87 190Dt).

babyjames · #6 03-05-2011, 10:22 PM

Don't go there! Buy the super-stubby socket from MB. You can use it to break the bolt loose, then clamp it in a pair of vise-grips to spin the bolt the rest of the way out. Nasty job. Not much worse, overall, than R+I on the fan for the OM617, though!

Jay.

babymog · #7 03-05-2011, 10:34 PM

Why bother? I simply use a standard L-shaped allen wrench (short side), with a 10mm slipped over the long end for additional leverage, ... a little push and it pops loose.

If you're worried about bending radiator fins with your knuckles, stick a piece of cardboard in there to protect it.

I really don't see this operation as complicated nor difficult.

locry · #8 03-06-2011, 04:17 AM

so the 2pc shroud can be used on the aluminum fan on an 87300TD? it seems impossible to do at the moment...

scottmcphee · #9 03-06-2011, 09:26 AM

Plastic fan is worse? Quantify...

vstech · #10 03-16-2011, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottmcphee

Plastic fan is worse? Quantify...

look at the aluminum fan... notice the engine side blade tips they are all trimmed. the plastic fan does not have those tips trimmed, it will hit the air intake horn where it passes through the bulkhead and enters the air filter box.

vstech · #11 03-16-2011, 12:11 AM

all three of my 87's now have the 2 piece shroud, and they all also have the aluminum fan. no issues at all.

babymog · #12 03-16-2011, 03:47 PM

Mine too.

Jeremy5848 · #13 04-28-2011, 06:03 PM

I have the 2-piece shroud with the 606-style plastic fan and clutch on my '87 300D Turbo (W124, OM603). Removal of the shroud is trivially easy and makes access to everything at the front of the engine so much nicer. The plastic fan doesn't even come close to hitting the air tube; I wonder if the original 603 clutch is thinner than the replacement 606 clutch? That would set the fan back and might cause the reported interference problem.

Edit: I'm now at the point in the new-to-me head installation process where I can photograph and measure the gap between the plastic fan and the accordion air tube. It measures 18 mm minimum or about three-quarters of an inch. I don't see how that can possibly be a problem. There must be some other factor affecting the clearance in the engine of the OP regarding this problem.

Jeremy

Jeremy5848 · #14 05-29-2011, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vstech

are you sure that fan spins the right direction? it appears to have a HUGE gap around the fan to the shroud. not as large a diameter fan as the original I see. does it pull enough air to keep the motor cool being a smaller diameter? the original fan needed the notches in the edges to clear the boot where it passes through the fenderpanel.

As the following pictures show, the original 603 metal fan and the 606 plastic fan are almost identical and mount pretty much in the same way. Before I bought a 606 fan I borrowed the original plastic fan from my '96 E300D (W210, OM606) and tried it on the 603. So I knew it fit and worked before I spent the money. And yes, it turns the right way and keeps the motor cool and all that.

In fact, I noticed no change in cooling -- neither better nor worse -- when I changed my '87 to the 606-style plastic fan and clutch. The major difference is in the weight -- the metal 603 fan weighs a couple of pounds, the 606 plastic fan only a few ounces. The clutches look identical, I don't know why the 603 clutch is so much more expensive; maybe Mercedes is running out of 603 clutches and knows it has the buyers by the short hairs.

Jeremy

scottmcphee · #15 05-30-2011, 12:23 AM

Wonder why blades aren't evenly spaced, and spacing seems different b/w metal and plastic fans?