Fan Clutch

Any recomendations on a replacment? I'd prefer not to spend a ton of money on it, but I'm getting kinda tired of watching the temp guage all the time.

I haven't had much luck with the Autozone one's, can't remember what brand they are. I put a new fan clutch on from them last summer and my coolant temps were worse off at idle. Come to find out it spun more freely than my original one with 270k miles on it. The second one has been better but my temps still keep creeping up at idle. I am going to try a factory one here soon and hope that helps as I'm tired of replacing that damn thing. Chewed up a bunch of fins on the radiator already r&r ing that dang thing.

bbaker,

I installed a new fan clutch on my 88 XJ three years ago. I first went to autozone and picked up a Imperial brand. I tried to install it but it was too tall to install without tilting the radiator forward.

I then returned it and went to my local CarQuest store and they had one that looked like a carbon copy. The OEM clutch I was replacing was a AC/Delco.

I installed the clutch and it worked great. I figured out i needed to use two wrenches to loosen the bolts holding the fan to the clutch. One wrench secured the assy as I loosened the other 3 bolts. Then I retightened one of the 3 bolts and broke the torque on the 4th. I did not want to bend the fan removing it.

If your temp is getting hot I'd also recommend you install a new thermostat at the same time. Go to the dealer and buy a 195F Mopar, it comes complete with the gasket. My radiator shop told me if the thermostat see's 225F one time it can be damaged, so if your running hot I am sure your thermostat is damaged. It less than $10 to use the Mopar. You will also like the gasket they give you, has RTV already applied.

You also may find it easier to remove the mechanic fan if you have the fan belt removed. This would be a good time to install a new belt. I'd change the belt if it is 4 years or older.

You will have to lift out the mechanical fan assy and the shroud together, you can't remove the shroud by itself.

My recommendation is to remove the fan clutch then go to the parts store in another car, get a friend to drive you if necessary, and put your old one on the counter. If the one the bring out is not the same go to the next parts store. There is not not much clearance between the fan and the radiator so a clutch that extends past the front of your old clutch should be avoided at all costs.

HTH

Martin

I suppose I should mention a couple things about my current setup. I removed the fan and clutch assembly two years ago and replaced it with a Flex-A-Lite 110. It worked great for highway driving, and in conjunction with the stock electric fan, worked pretty well for city driving and on cooler days on the trail. The only time I ever felt uncomfortable with the setup was driving to and from Paragon from Pittsburgh last summer towing a 6x12 trailer with 4 sets of trail tires and some tools in it, and even then, it was only on the mountains around Paragon, and the heater added enough cooling power to make it through without problem.

I'd still be using the Flex-A-Lite this summer, but due to the 4" or so of fan that stuck below the crossmember, and a large pond that developed on a highway near my house, there aren't any blades left on it.

Another question I have is are all XJ fan clutches the same? If I have to pull a fan and shroud from a parts jeep, could I get one from say a 2000 and bolt it onto my 88? I'd assume it would be in pretty good shape, and would certainly be cheaper than the stealership, even with my discount.

bbaker,

I wish you had mentioned your modifications in your first post. It sounded like you had a stock XJ and was beginning to run warm. YOU need to go look at a autozone.com or a rockauto.com site to figure out if the fan clutch is the same between those model years.

I did not realize you wanted to undo a bad decision on your part. You seem to know the answers so far, I am not sure what you want to know now. I mentioned in my post about problems with the imperial brand but the carquest brand was idential to the AC/Delco I removed from my 88 XJ. As with all automobile parts there are "good" parts and "not so good parts". It only through experience can you determine for yourself what brands work for you.

I think I told you two good brands, what else you asking for?

Martin

Make sure you are getting a good quality thermostatically controled fan clutch. Forget those that do not have this accommodation- they are crap and negate half of the value of the fan clutch altogether. Have had BAD service from AZ lately in a lot of ways and am not sure i will ever go back there. It is crucial the cooling system is in top notch shape on these XJ's so don't scrimp on any part of it. Judd

Martin, I thought you were saying that the one you got at CarQuest was a carbon copy of the Imperial part, and that the factory one was the only one that fit properly. My mistake. I'll do some calling around today, and maybe swing into CarQuest and take a look for myself. Thanks