Fan clutch problems on W210...help!
 

On my 2000 E430 - the original fan clutch seemed to be coming on too often (I had mistakenly bent what I think is the bimetalic strip on the front/center of the OEM clutch).

I replaced the part with a brand new Meyle unit that I ordered from fast lane and now the fan clutch is engaged every time I start the car.

I assumed that the fan clutch engagement was controlled by the unit itself (i.e. there are no wires or other things attached to it).

Do I have a defective unit or have I done something wrong?

If it's not Sachs @ this point I'd wager you have a Chinese piece... IME, these bits from China never dis-engage, or @ least the few that I got before I realized the Behr units I was getting were made in China and I swapped the all out for Sachs..

Jonathan

The fan clutch engages at startup for 10-15 seconds until the oil inside is distributed correctly. After that, it doesn't start engaging until the engine temp hits about 90C. I have a Meyle and it works fine.

So the engagement at start-up is correct for the Meyle? That seems different from what I recall in the more expensive Sachs.