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Spitfire How to remove fan clutch on 1500 Spit
- Thread starter Norton47
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Here's how I did it about a month ago when I pulled my worn-out fan clutch off and replaced it with an electric cooling fan. (The electric fan doesn't work as well as the fan clutch and 11 bladed fan, so if you're contemplating that conversion, be prepared to live with higher coolant temperatures.)
1. Drain and remove the radiator and its hoses.
2. Remove the four bolts that secure the fan to the fan clutch, and remove the fan.
3. Use a "pulley puller" or "harmonic balancer puller" to pull the fan clutch off the end of the water pump shaft.
4. Refit the radiator and hoses, and refill the cooling system.
5. Install and wire the electric cooling fan according to its instructions.
If you're putting on a new fan clutch, you have to remove the water pump from the engine and have the new fan clutch pressed on to the water pump shaft with a hydraulic press. If you're feeling really brave and have a rawhide mallet, you can try to press the new fan clutch onto the water pump shaft while the pump is still mounted to the engine, but it takes great patience, exact aim with the mallet, and luck. I did once see an old mechanic do this in less than 30 seconds with a rawhide mallet, but he said that it took 20 years of experience to do it so effortlessly. I tried it on my '75 Midget 1500 and couldn't manage it, and then took it to a machine shop for a guy to press it on for $5.
Good luck.
Scott
1. Drain and remove the radiator and its hoses.
2. Remove the four bolts that secure the fan to the fan clutch, and remove the fan.
3. Use a "pulley puller" or "harmonic balancer puller" to pull the fan clutch off the end of the water pump shaft.
4. Refit the radiator and hoses, and refill the cooling system.
5. Install and wire the electric cooling fan according to its instructions.
If you're putting on a new fan clutch, you have to remove the water pump from the engine and have the new fan clutch pressed on to the water pump shaft with a hydraulic press. If you're feeling really brave and have a rawhide mallet, you can try to press the new fan clutch onto the water pump shaft while the pump is still mounted to the engine, but it takes great patience, exact aim with the mallet, and luck. I did once see an old mechanic do this in less than 30 seconds with a rawhide mallet, but he said that it took 20 years of experience to do it so effortlessly. I tried it on my '75 Midget 1500 and couldn't manage it, and then took it to a machine shop for a guy to press it on for $5.
Good luck.
Scott
I removed my 77 Spit fan. It came of easily. Remember you are supposed to replace the silver friction bushing at $16.
I tried the largest electric fan that would fit on my radiator without hanging off the radiator. It was not powerful enough. It was the 10" Hayden from Moss or VB.
RThe motor would have tyo have a #8-10 wire for enough power.
I put my mechanical fan back on. I think 3-4 years ago the fan clutch was $50. I now have the electric as a back up. The car runs cool now.
Larry
I tried the largest electric fan that would fit on my radiator without hanging off the radiator. It was not powerful enough. It was the 10" Hayden from Moss or VB.
RThe motor would have tyo have a #8-10 wire for enough power.
I put my mechanical fan back on. I think 3-4 years ago the fan clutch was $50. I now have the electric as a back up. The car runs cool now.
Larry
Yeah, at the current prices a new fan clutch was just too expensive for me. The 12 in. fan I have now works, but the coolant temperature is always at the 3/4 mark whenever the ambient temperature is over about 75F. The last time I needed to replace a fan clutch, it was on my '75 Midget 1500, and I found a fan clutch on a junked TR-7 for $10 that worked perfectly. Those days are long gone.
Scott
Scott
tosoutherncars
Jedi Knight
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Just a quick note... The benefit of the fan clutch is that it 'slips' when cold, allowing a quicker warmup (and maybe *slightly* better fuel efficiency.)
If you can live without that... a large hose clamp directly behind the clutch will lock it, giving 1:1 movement (as happens once it warms up.) Total cost: about a buck. (You can send me the other $169 if you'd like.)
Note - this is how the earlier Spits were set up, so you're not doing anything the factory didn't do. If you would like a cleaner solution, you can put on an earlier waterpump and fan, which deletes the clutch.
If you can live without that... a large hose clamp directly behind the clutch will lock it, giving 1:1 movement (as happens once it warms up.) Total cost: about a buck. (You can send me the other $169 if you'd like.)
Note - this is how the earlier Spits were set up, so you're not doing anything the factory didn't do. If you would like a cleaner solution, you can put on an earlier waterpump and fan, which deletes the clutch.