I need one of them there fan clutch-thingies

[Guest imported_DaveZZZ]

Hi All.

I was going throught the cooling system, since I overheated just a bit the other day (85 deg., stuck behind an accident scene for about 35 minutes). The radiator seems OK, and as soon as I started moving the temp dropped. SO, I started looking at the usual culprits. And then I noticed that the fan blade spins very easily (it is an AC car with the clutching fan).

So I need to find one of these, and I hesitate to go junkyard, since they wear out and anything from the yard might not last long. Does anyone know where I can get one of these? Do the dealers still have them, and if so, does someone know the right part number to ask for (they tell me they can't search back that far, and they never know if a part is unchanged since 67).

I have a day off from both work and wife on Friday, so I would like to put this on my list, so time is of the essence.

Edit: I just called the parts place, on a whim, and they can only reference back to 68, but they do have one that lists as 68-81. Does anyone know if this is the same?

Thanks guys

Dave

[rocketraider]

The OE part # is group 1.050 p/n 391191, listed as 1966-67, but that doesn't mean a later one won't work fine. 68-81 is a lot of years to cover and there's different p/n's scattered all thru the books for those years. This may be one of those times you have to bite the bullet and use a generic aftermarket part until you can find the GM piece- which from my experience on ebay and at swap meets has become a high dollar item especially if it fits a 68-72 Cutlass.

I've noticed that some aftermarket brands, notably Imperial, can be rather noisy when they engage. Get the thermostatic type fan clutch as that's what the cars came with.

[Guest Doug Blake]

Dave,

also if you overheated it, you should retorque the heads, and change the oil also. Maybe put a new water pump on it too, that'll probably go next?

But try CSK Checker auto parts:

Imperial #211043 Non-Thermal with Lifetime Limited Warranty $26.99

Imperial #215043 Thermal with Lifetime Limited Warranty $39.99

http://www.partsamerica.com/SelectParts....hfor=Fan+Clutch

[Guest imported_DaveZZZ]

Ok, Now you?ve got me paranoid?

The overheating occurred after a very long wait in traffic; the hot light came on and I pulled over into a nearby parking lot to wait for the scene to clear. When traffic started moving again I started it up with the heat on full, and the hot light was still on. At first I had some detonation under light load (but not at idle). After a short time at 30mph the hot light went out, and the detonation went away.

As far as I can tell everything is running fine at the moment, and I see no sign of harm to the engine, no oil in the coolant, and no coolant in the oil. Obviously the problem seems to be insufficient cooling at idle. Friday I will be replacing the fan clutch and the shroud. I?d say that the radiator might be due, but there?s no way I?ll find one for Friday, and I think it is in decent shape. It just has a bunch of bent fins in the shape of the shroud- looks like someone lost the shroud and it hit the radiator.

So how can I determine if the engine suffered any serious harm during the overheat? It runs fine, and the coolant did not boil over. I have overheated cars much worse than this before, and they were fine for a long time to come. Re-torquing the heads seems like an OK idea, but thanks to the AC I?d rather not (that pass side valve cover is under the compressor). What would you folks recommend that I do at this point?

Thanks

Dave

-Dave