when the car is cold should the fan spin freely or be hard/impossible to turn? i've always thought that the fan was free-wheeling until the temp was achieved for the clutch to lock up and make the fan spin.

thanks in advance

g

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0o==o0

James 4:8

"...let us put aside the blindness of mind of those who can conceive of nothing higher than what is known through the senses"
-Saint Gregory Palamas, ---Discourse on the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ


Centrally located in North East Central Pa.

I have a '98 E300, which I think has the same fan clutch as your car. I recently put a new one in.

When the motor of my car is not running. the motor is cold, and I face the car from the front, I can turn the fan clockwise with my finger but there is some resistance and the fan stops immediately when I take my finger from the fan blade. The fan definitely does not spin. I think that is what is supposed to if the fan clutch is working properly. (I have not tried to turn the fan counterclockwise.)

When the motor is cold and running, you should be able to stop the fan from the driver's side with a rolled up section of a newspaper as the clutch has not yet engaged.

grab your fan blades see if any play by wiggling it.If so replace.

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran, deutschland deutschland uber alles uber alles in der welt

with engine off the fan will be slightly hard to rotate, when you start it up, the fan will roar as it will act engaged because the silicone oil inside pools to one side of the clutch (making it heavy)

once the oil is spread out the fan will freewheel and you can stop it with your fingers easily - it will be quiet and wont instantly speed up with engine rpm either.

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

Zulfiqar is exactly right.

-J

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.