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xj6 fan blade

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healeys4me

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I have a 85 XJ6 that has 50,000 mi. While going through a spring inspection, we noticed stress cracks in the cooling fan blade. Is this something needing immediate attention? Any recommendations on replacement blades?

Thanks!

John

Richmond, Va
 
Yes, it needs prompt replacement. If the fan comes apart, it can destroy the radiator, or the hood. "stock" replacements are available from pretty much any of the Jag parts suppliers. If you look hard, you may find one in white as original,but the factory is/was supplying black ones. Used is not a great option, as they have all been "baked" too.
 
Had a cracked one on my 87 Range Rover. Had a misfire and the fan shredded and poked the radiator and went thru the shroud in 2 places and put a 4" X 4" circle 2" high in the bonnet. Any supplier here on the forum or Jag specialties will have them in stock.
 
I've got one of the black metal ones if you ned it.
 
Tony,

you have three options, and I would do it inmediately since the fan has now failed, unless you can afford to slice through the hood/bonnet:

1) replace it with another plastic one and run the risks explained above by Jesse & Larry, since they all start to crack sooner or later, not to mention replacing the fan clutch which is another story in itself.

2) replace it with a metal fan from John's Cars in Dallas, who sells improvements for Series III XJ-6,
https://www.johnscars.com (you need to call for the fan and other upgrades not shown in the website).

3) eliminate the fan altogether and do a double-electric fan upgrade, which eliminates the fan, the obvious wear in the water pump, and eliminates the shroud. You also free up a bit more horsepower too, though not enough to write a book about. Same for a bit more fuel economy, since the engine is freer from the fan load.

The electric fans will come on automatically when needed. (Thermal switching), this is a modification designed by a Series III XJ enthusiast who I can refer you to if you want to go that route. He supplies the parts to you, you supply the labor.

good luck whichever way you go.

Ex
 
Thanks to all who weighed in on this... The car will stay in the garage until I get this sorted out. So if the plastic blades have a history of failure, IM considering a metal fan blade. Any downside with metal?

John


Richmond, VA
 
The plastic blades are fine. FINE!!. At best it is 21 yrs old. Over a long time, the plastic shrinks a little (probably due to a LOT of heat cycles) but the reality is the plastic factory blades work great, and cool the car fine. Aftermarket metal flex fans probably cool fine too, but tend to be noisy. The series 2 style metal fans with clutch ..uhm... are not too good.My XJS fan lasted until the car had over 140K on it, and I replaced it as a precaution.It is easiest to just use the proper replacement part. It bolts on, works as designed, and is readily available. What is not to like??
 
...in the heat of Alabama the plastic blades will shrink a lot faster than in the milder climate of Maryland, so that's a good reason to go with a metal fan. Same for Florida.

What Series 2 style metal fan?

I was referring to a modern metal fan kit developed by John's Cars especially for the XJ-6, not a previous series XJ fan.

John's Cars develops permanent solutions to known problems in these cars, for example the Rack Bushing replacement kit, the Center Vent replacement clips, the "donut" Bushing replacement for the transmission mount, and the metal Fan replacement for the plastic fan which is known to desintegrate when least expected.

It's true some of those plastic fans last 200k miles, and it is also true that some don't last 5k miles, and that is the real problem, you never know what to expect from plastic blades rotating at 3,000 rpm.

I have seen XJ-6 hoods/bonnets permanently "sliced" by those plastic fan blades, not a pretty sight. If price was an issue, it would be one thing, but the irony is that the plastic fan costs more than the metal fan! If only it was a better part.

and the plastic fan is readily available because it is one of those "problem" service parts in the Series 3 XJ-6, there will always be customers for it.

As to noise, I have a friend who installed John's Cars metal fan and I was sold on it, it actually sounds better than the plastic fan, like a Jet engine! (just kiddin' but seriously), I did not perceive any louder noise, they both are very noisy when the hood is open.

a 24-year old cooling system is the reason I'm going with twin electric fans in the future.

Ex
 
Ordered my new fan today from John's Cars. It was cheaper than the OEM blade and will arrive on Friday. Ready for my trip this weekend.

Thanks to the group for all the help!

John
 
Think the thread is kinda mixed up...my '85 now has a new OE plastic fan....I don't have a problem....but I have the metal fan that was on it if anybody needs one.

John in Virginia is the one with the question/problem.
 
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