JHZR2
Staff member
I knew my fan clutch on my 1991 350sd was not working right because when I would run the air conditioner in hot weather and traffic, the engine temperature will keep up past where it should be.
It was the original made in 1989. 208k miles.
Sometime back, I bought a replacement fan clutch, it was not OEM, but was a brand (that I don’t currently recall) that I found had gotten good reviews on a dodge Cummins forum, and was potentially US-made. All of the standard aftermarket name brands looks to be Chinese knock, offs anymore, and the fan clutch design for the original aluminum fan was supposedly NLA.
Unfortunately, the clutch that I ultimately received was a Chinese made one, and return shipping wasn’t worth it. So I just installed it.
It is slightly thicker than the original one, but it bolted right up to the fan and onto the engine. I’ve driven it around 40 miles, and it sure seems to me like it is just constantly on. I know what the fan clutch sounds like on my dodge ram Cummins when it cycles on and off. The original Mercedes fan clutches, when working properly, seem to be silent. This one sure sounds to me like it is always permanently on.
Maybe that’s not such a bad thing, since the temperature gauge stays rocksolid stable And the air conditioning is blowing beautifully for being relatively warm and very humid.
But I am generally curious, since my understanding is that fan clutches have two chambers and oil that migrates between them, if there is some sort of a break-in or cycle that is required before it actually runs properly and cycles itself.
Or maybe it’s just Chinese junk, and I should replace it with the upgraded plastic blade fan and OEM fan clutch like my W124 Pats.
Any experience??
It was the original made in 1989. 208k miles.
Sometime back, I bought a replacement fan clutch, it was not OEM, but was a brand (that I don’t currently recall) that I found had gotten good reviews on a dodge Cummins forum, and was potentially US-made. All of the standard aftermarket name brands looks to be Chinese knock, offs anymore, and the fan clutch design for the original aluminum fan was supposedly NLA.
Unfortunately, the clutch that I ultimately received was a Chinese made one, and return shipping wasn’t worth it. So I just installed it.
It is slightly thicker than the original one, but it bolted right up to the fan and onto the engine. I’ve driven it around 40 miles, and it sure seems to me like it is just constantly on. I know what the fan clutch sounds like on my dodge ram Cummins when it cycles on and off. The original Mercedes fan clutches, when working properly, seem to be silent. This one sure sounds to me like it is always permanently on.
Maybe that’s not such a bad thing, since the temperature gauge stays rocksolid stable And the air conditioning is blowing beautifully for being relatively warm and very humid.
But I am generally curious, since my understanding is that fan clutches have two chambers and oil that migrates between them, if there is some sort of a break-in or cycle that is required before it actually runs properly and cycles itself.
Or maybe it’s just Chinese junk, and I should replace it with the upgraded plastic blade fan and OEM fan clutch like my W124 Pats.
Any experience??