The reality of cooling timing in keeping your engine cooled better under heavier load conditions

J

jerry work

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Feb 3, 2003
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Detroit Diesel has used a similar belt driven electric fan clutch on over the road trucks and buses for a long time. They are not known as needing replacement very often. One truck or bus put on more miles in a year than most of our GMCs do in multiple lifetimes.

Jerry

Jerry Work
The Dovetail Joint
Fine furniture designed & hand crafted
in the 1907 former Masonic Temple building
in historic Kerby, OR
http://jerrywork.com
+==========
James. Reliability will not be an issue with these fan clutches. This technology maybe new in our GMC world. But GM has had a fan clutch similar to these for about the last 15 years on their trucks. And I think Benz has been doing it for about the same length of time. I'm not totally sure on the Benz time. The point here is that it's a well proven system. I can't think of a down side. Bolts to our stock water pump. Then connect some wires. Looks like I don't even have to modify my fan shroud. Tom Pryor did a great job. And my thanks to Tom. Bob Dunahugh 78 Royale
===========
 
My concern was this: The WATER PUMP is kind of a weak link. The first time
I looked at one on a GMC, was my own coach. I had a rattle emanating from
the vicinity of the front of the engine. I thought, Hmmmmm? I wonder where
that noise is coming from? Power steering, alternator, A/C compressor,
water pump, fan clutch? Turns out, it was the bearings in the water pump.
After I stripped the belts, pulleys, fan, ( wow that sucker is heavy) and
fan clutch out of the way, I saw an automobile water pump. I grabbed the
shaft and it moved back and forth, in and out as well as up and down. So my
education began on GMC's. There is a whole lot of stuff going on up there
around that water pump shaft. AND GM had a whole bunch of best and
brightest engineering teams working on making that toronado stuff work in a
motor home.
So, along comes the aftermarket parts disaster. No other way to
discribe it. It was worse than Katrina. Still with us.
Gee, let's take this Mercedes Benz fan/clutch,etc., and adapt it to
that crappy water pump. No dyno test to destruction, no graphs or charts.
Just a very bright and talented GMC owner who says, "Hey, what if?"
Did he have a great idea? Yes, he did. I have absolutely no concerns
about that. I only question putting a different set of forces on a heavily
loaded weak sister component. If performance over the road proves positive
that the Benz setup is reliable, and doesn't eat too many aluminum
radiators in the learning and testing process, I wouldn't mind ponying up
$$$$$$ to improve that miserable stock fan clutch and water pump. Just so
you know. I am not critisizing him or his work developing the Benz fan
clutch. I hope it proves reliable in the GMC application. All I'm saying.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Or
78 GMC ROYALE 403

> Detroit Diesel has used a similar belt driven electric fan clutch on over
> the road trucks and buses for a long time. They are not known as needing
> replacement very often. One truck or bus put on more miles in a year than
> most of our GMCs do in multiple lifetimes.
>
> Jerry
>
> Jerry Work
> The Dovetail Joint
> Fine furniture designed & hand crafted
> in the 1907 former Masonic Temple building
> in historic Kerby, OR
> http://jerrywork.com
> +==========
> James. Reliability will not be an issue with these fan clutches. This
> technology maybe new in our GMC world. But GM has had a fan clutch similar
> to these for about the last 15 years on their trucks. And I think Benz has
> been doing it for about the same length of time. I'm not totally sure on
> the Benz time. The point here is that it's a well proven system. I can't
> think of a down side. Bolts to our stock water pump. Then connect some
> wires. Looks like I don't even have to modify my fan shroud. Tom Pryor did
> a great job. And my thanks to Tom. Bob Dunahugh 78 Royale
> ===========
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
Has anyone installed and electric water pump instead of the mechanical one? With or without electric fans for cooling? Or leave the mechanical pump
and take the strain off the bearings by using electric fans for cooling?

--
Tom Lins
Elkton, FL
77 GM Rear Twin, Dry Bath, 455
 
Several people have done electric fans. I'm not sure with what success. If I were changing water pumps, I'd go for the part which uses roller
bearings (as opposed to ball) and not worry further about it.

--johnny
--
76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
"I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell" - ol Andy, paraphrased
 
> Johnny, how does one distigbuish the bearing type?

By manufacturer and part number only. Everything else out there is either a copy of OE or worse.
Ask me about that some time.

Matt
--
Matt & Mary Colie - '73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan
OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit
 
See Tom Pryor's post, the Cardone part number is mentioned in that thread.

--johnny
--
76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
"I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell" - ol Andy, paraphrased
 
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