Thx guys. Next question.

I ordered a viscous clutch today; should be in Atlanta next week. I know how to remove the fan blade. Is there anything I need to know about getting the old clutch off the fan blade? Any special tool needed like the clutch hub wrench that Pelican sells? Does it maybe just screw on to the fan blade?

Thx.

Rotate the four cap screws counterclockwise.

__________________
When cryptography is outlawed, bayl bhgynjf jvyy unir cevinpl.

Ok; what I hoped to hear.

Thx.

The 617's are easy. Pull the fan shroud back, undo the 4 bolts that hold the clutch to the pulley and lift the whole apparatus out. Back out the bolts holding the fan to the clutch and move the fan over to the new clutch. Installation is the reverse of removal.

__________________
Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

Excellent; thanks.

As usual, you guys are right. I replaced the viscous fan today and my temp is back to normal.

The only problem was that I could not figure out what to turn with the 27mm socket to reveal the bottom bolt. Bumped it with the starter and that worked. So what do you turn CW; the advice was to turn the main pulley shaft with a deep socket 27 but I am not sure which shaft that is. Of course too late now but good to know.

Love this forum.



Thx.

If you're using the 27mm socket to turn the engine over by hand, it is the center in the main pulley. The one at the bottom that all the other belts attach to.

__________________
Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

Great; hoping that I never need that info.

Much appreciated.

Unbelievable; I just called Pep Boys for grins to see how much they would charge to replace the viscous fan clutch.

$475 parts and labor.

And I paid about $50 for the part.

Just cannot understand the markup on this simple job.

Ya gotta remember, most of those repair places spell the car name as "Mercede$ Ben$".

__________________
“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now

Ok, guys; someone please 'splain me how the viscous clutch works. Does it gradually grab the fan blades so the speed gradually increases? Or does it wait until a certain temp and grab it at full speed to give the soothing roar?

That.

__________________
When cryptography is outlawed, bayl bhgynjf jvyy unir cevinpl.

What I needed to know.

Thx.

Just chiming in with some data. I followed this thread and decided to find out why my 300sd didn’t make good cold A.C. when stopped at red lights. It was ice cold when moving along.

I did some electrical troubleshooting and noticed the fan got power (when I shorted the switch on the drier) but didn’t turn. Then I tried to power the fan off 12v and it wouldn’t go. The resistance of the coil was infinity. So I tore it down and one of the brushes had melted the plastic brush holder and fused itself to a useless area of the motor.

I ordered another motor from peach. The cheap ACM unit for $85.

The fan hasn’t arrived yet and I took a drive down to the market. Wow, cold A.C. at red lights. The engine fan is sufficient to pull air through without the auxiliary unit. I felt kind of dumb buying the $85 unit but it’s on the way. I guess the stalled fan poses kind a flow restriction in front of the condenser. Getting rid of It solved my red light no ac issue. Oh yeah and I cleaned a ton of dead bees out of the condenser hidden under the aux fan.

It’ll be good to have the car restored to stock state though for those really hot days in stopmand go.

__________________
79 300TD “Old Smokey” AKA “The Mistake” (SOLD)
82 240D stick shift 335k miles (SOLD)
82 300SD 300k miles
85 300D Turbodiesel 170k miles