fan question

[KSDP]

All day today we have had a fan cycleing on and off. It's about 83 degrees but my temp gauge is in the center. Is this typical and would it be the electric fans or engine driven? Sounds like a plane taking off. Ran perfectly and have had a good day. Just wondered about the fan. Thanks. Russ Bennett.

[dezertcamper]

Originally Posted by KSDP

All day today we have had a fan cycleing on and off. It's about 83 degrees but my temp gauge is in the center. Is this typical and would it be the electric fans or engine driven? Sounds like a plane taking off. Ran perfectly and have had a good day. Just wondered about the fan. Thanks. Russ Bennett.

Russ this would be your fan clutch that is kicking in and out. This fan is mechanical and runs off the engine. Yes the airplane sound is the perfect example of what it sounds like. I'm assuming this RV is new to you? Becuase this fan noise is common and you will hear this fan turn on and off through out your drive. BTW I insulated the whole engine compartment with B-Quiet sound deadening and it made a real difference.

[DriVer]

Originally Posted by KSDP

Just wondered about the fan.

Russ, That's one sound that you do want to hear. When my fan clutch goes off I feel reassured that everything is working OK!

You can sound insulate your doghouse and floorboards as suggested if it gets to be too loud for you.

[Davel]

KSDP,

Did you have your dash air on or the house air? Using the dash air seems to make the clutch fan cycle more often. When I first got the coach I didn't use the generator and house air going down the road. When we went out West in '07 the high heat and altitude forced me to use house air and now we do that almost exclusively. It eases the load on the motor and is much more comfortable thru out the coach.

If you are using the dash air open the hood and make sure both fans are on. One fan comes on immediately and the other cycles. The second fan quit on our coach which made the clutch fan work more often. The clutch fan comes on when the air temp gets to 150 or so coming thru the radiator.

Good luck,
Dave

[KSDP]

Thanks for the info. The noise isn't bothersome. I just didn't know if it was normal. Previous ones didn't seem to come on unless it was on the verge of overheating.

[ARROWVP38]

Just for your info the fan clutch will lose 10% of it's working value every year it is in use. If as i see your unit is an '05 so it's rated working capablities are now @50%
I change my clutch fan @ a three years. also take out the dex-cool antifreeze ( orange)since it only creats mud in the radiator and flush the system then use yellow prestone 50-50 mixture. R&R the fan clutch and thermostat then all your worries go away.And yes it is normal to have the fan clutch cycle.

[dieselclacker]

Originally Posted by ARROWVP38

Just for your info the fan clutch will lose 10% of it's working value every year it is in use. If as i see your unit is an '05 so it's rated working capablities are now @50%
I change my clutch fan @ a three years. also take out the dex-cool antifreeze ( orange)since it only creats mud in the radiator and flush the system then use yellow prestone 50-50 mixture. R&R the fan clutch and thermostat then all your worries go away.And yes it is normal to have the fan clutch cycle.

Wow! I can't wait for my rig to get 10 years old. No more roaring noise when the Visco fan hooks up!

Sorry, with all due respect, I do not agree with the above post. My Workhorse is seven years old, the radiator is not full of mud, and the fan still drops the engine coolant temp when it engages,(fan and coolant are original) and it is still LOUD. I would not dispute your right to do whatever you feel is right in maintaining your own motorhome, however your advice in the above post isn't for me.

Dieselclacker

[Ron & Dee]

Originally Posted by dieselclacker

the fan still drops the engine coolant temp when it engages,(fan and coolant are original) and it is still LOUD.
Dieselclacker

I love that LOUD sound, and watch how the temp drops back to normal.

Here lately though, my fan seems to come on at different temperatures. It used to come on around 211 to 213, which was pretty normal for my engine, but now the temp has been getting up to almost 215. It still comes on and drops the temp back to normal, but I have noticed a slight increase in temp before fan engages. Not always but just sometimes.

Should I have anything to worry about? Getting ready for a trip to the mountains in mid July.

Thanks,

Ron

[mfire1339]

The 10% factor was stated on the box my P30 chassis replacement clutch came in . And I believe it.

Mike

[max49]

The 10% factor was stated on the box my P30 chassis replacement clutch came in . And I believe it.

Mike

I hope you are wrong, but what does that mean? Mine is 5 yrs. old now. Does that mean the fan blows 50% less air per min, it only turns half as fast as it used to, or it turns on half as often, or the blade pitch is bending to half of what it used to be

I know mine is as loud as it ever was and it seems to come on quite often, especially if the AC is on. As far as cooling the engine, how do you guys know that? My temp gauge seems to be welded right in the middle.

[mfire1339]

Max, As I remember it would lose 10% of the maximum rpm of the fan. They never do really lock up to water pump speed. 1,500 rpm rings a bell, but my bells been rung too much..

Mike

[M&EM]

Originally Posted by max49

The 10% factor was stated on the box my P30 chassis replacement clutch came in . And I believe it.
---------
As far as cooling the engine, how do you guys know that? My temp gauge seems to be welded right in the middle.

Max,
I believe the ECM locks the gauge to the mid point once it senses a normal operating temperature.(190-220?). The actual temperature the ECM sees can be accessed via OBD2 port or with a external water temp gauge. I use a AutoTap scan system which does show the temperature to vary with load and response to the cooling fan. All the while the in dash gauge stays locked to the center point. It is basically an IDIOT GAUGE. But if the engine temp does go above a certain upper limit, I have seen the gauge indicate the over temperature. This happened once after shutting down too soon after a workout. Restarting showed the heat soak effect with the gauge almost to the red line. Came down real quick and got captured in the middle again.

Marty

[gbs2320]

Originally Posted by M&EM

Max,
I believe the ECM locks the gauge to the mid point once it senses a normal operating temperature.(190-220?). The actual temperature the ECM sees can be accessed via OBD2 port or with a external water temp gauge. I use a AutoTap scan system which does show the temperature to vary with load and response to the cooling fan. All the while the in dash gauge stays locked to the center point. It is basically an IDIOT GAUGE. But if the engine temp does go above a certain upper limit, I have seen the gauge indicate the over temperature. This happened once after shutting down too soon after a workout. Restarting showed the heat soak effect with the gauge almost to the red line. Came down real quick and got captured in the middle again.



Marty

Same thing with my UFO as verified by comparing the temp reading by Scan GaugeII through OBDII port and the dash gauge. This appears to be now commonly done on alot of vehicles to prevent alot of people from freaking out about normal temperature variation. But I don't like the approach since you get very little warning about a real problem. Greg

[dieselclacker]

I too monitor the engine temperature via a Scan Gage II. When the fan engages, it takes less than a minute to see the temperature begin to drop. Engine is back to normal in very short order, depending on ambient air temp. Its LOUD, and still works very well. When it stops engaging, or when it locks up, thats when I will replace it. I am a believer in preventive maintenance, but come on, a new fan clutch every three years, .


Dieselclacker