Quick fan clutch question

I was over heating just a little bit today, it would go half way past the 210 line and dip back down. I normally run dead on at 210 not a mm over and it's been cooling down here so I was surprised.

I noticed my fan clutch was Very tight just after driving. I had to really push it to turn, there was no giving it a good push and allowing it to make a full revolution it would just stop. I know as it gets hot it should engage more but is that usual for it to be so tight?

I thought I saw a little smoke and smelled something burning very faintly too. I was thinking the fan is stuck engage and not free spinning and cooking my belt and causing excess engine stress, I dunno.

97 4.0 auto 4x4, napa ZJ fan clutch NAPA 272310

Well check the belt, and follow your nose to the odor source.

I doubt it is the fan clutch. That rise and sudden dip is the radiator cap opening and bleeding off when it dips. You might try a new rad cap first. But It sounds like something worse causing it to run too hot.

Smoke and smell from e-fan taking a dump?

Just to be clear, the temp was just barely past the 210 line, between the 210 line and the next line. So it's not a major over heat I am guessing 215*.

The radiator cap is pretty new, less than 6 months but I know it could just be gone. It could be the e-fan, it does spin when it hits the temp or the AC is on but it could be weak I can't say.

I was just wondering about the fan clutch behavior, I don't remember ever turning it when hot to know how freely or not it should turn. It just seemed off to me that it was so tight/stiff.

The ZJ clutch is nearly Direct drive when it gets hot, like 180 F. That is why it cools so well.

When an engine starts overheating the first odor is usually valve cover gasket oil leaks near the Exh manifold burning. Do you know the difference between oil, antifreeze, and plastic wire insulation burning smells?

The burning smell was so faint it was hard to even notice or pick out what it was. I want to say it may have been more of an exhaust smell the more I think about it. I am going to drive it later and see if I can really pick anything out.

If the fan clutch sounds like normal behavior I am going to look more at the E-fan now.

If the radiator is over 4 years old, I would suspect it first! The tubes on radiators these days are ultra thin, and they clog up way too easily, which slows coolant flow, causing a gradual rise in peak operating temps. Also look for a cracked exhaust manifold, or pipe connection leak near the engine. Both are lot more common than usually admitted here on I think, and are usually partly fixed at first with overdoing coolant pump, clutch, and fan upgrades.