well, with sunday being a day of rest,
i’m weighing all the appreciated info and trying to figure out what to do down here tomorrow
(before i leave the mechanic’s shop and go to the bodywork shop).
One thing i can see is that its a MUCH bigger job to replace the fan clutch on my ’76 Birchhaven w/455
(which i’ve never had the occasion to do, myself)
than it is to replace the fan clutch on my ’78 Eleganza w/403 (which i’ve done a few times, easily)…
and i suppose that these very different fan shroud set-ups are due to engine size and model year.
Its really tight on this ’76! Looks pretty great for purposes of radiator airflow, but not great for access... for replacing the fan clutch!
So... i don’t think that air flow is my problem. (Comparatively, its seems my ’78 should be having issues,
since its not nearly as closed-in behind the radiator).
The whole cooling system was flushed this past November as regular maintenance,
and i have not seen the temperature creep up anywhere near “hot” (halfway mark) w/original sensor
during either driving or idling, and so i guess its a safe bet that my water pump is OK.
And, hearing from other people experiencing the same “counterintuitive” fan clutch behavior…
I”m guessing that it must be this dang Duralast 222045 that’s the culprit, especially in regard to Ken’s link here:
> Additional information stolen from the Hayden web site:
>
http://www.haydenauto.com/featured%20products-fan%20clutches%20and%20fan%20blades/content.aspx http://www.haydenauto.com/featured%20products-fan%20clutches%20and%20fan%20blades/content.aspx
> " Some Chevrolet/GMC truck models are specifically designed to engage at lower temperatures than the original equipment parts that they replace. “
So can i find the proper AC Delco fan clutch down here in Tijuana? i’ll call around tomorrow and see…
If not, should i just have them swap another 22045? (2747)
Standard duty and Severe duty both seem like they have their own drawbacks.
BTW: i can see a very small weep of oil from the sensor coil on the relatively “new” (400 miles) fan clutch. Is a small amount normal?
This is a last chance to get some good affordable labor for a while (with my Mexican insurance policy expiring),
so I’d love to get this sorted out before i need to leave this shop:
monday: mechanic, tues/wed: bodyshop, wed/thurs: reupholstering cockpit seats, thurs dash AC recharge and possibly installing an AC aux kit from Jim Bounds, friday: following up any loose ends (like maybe having had to special order a fan clutch!)
We’ve got our work cut out for us...
Thanks everybody for the support!
Greg / SolarSonic / Los Angeles and technomadic