Fan fouling fan shroud

[Nick F]

Hey

The fan on our 1998 1.9 is fouling the fan shroud (near side). I've done my best to "adjust" it , but clearance is minimal. I've notice that clearance on the offside is huge, like a couple of inches. Is this normal? I need to replace the thermostat pretty soon, so I'm tempted to just trim the shroud slightly.

Has anyone else found this issue?

Cheers
Nick

 

[jonco]

The fan on our 1998 1.9 is fouling the fan shroud (near side). I've done my best to "adjust" it , but clearance is minimal. I've notice that clearance on the offside is huge, like a couple of inches. Is this normal? I need to replace the thermostat pretty soon, so I'm tempted to just trim the shroud slightly.

Blade clearance on my 98 1.9(M44) is ~20mm all round from blade tip to shroud. Nominal 120mm blade length from tip to inner ring. Adjustment is minimal but shroud should be located in guides at base. Need to check these are engaged properly. Also is viscous fan centralised on pulley - give it a wiggle to check bearing.

Some pics may help identify problem.

 

[Lee]

Also double check the engine mounts look ok. If one has failed it could be leaning the engine more one side.

 

[Nick F]

Here's some photos. One side is touching the fan, the other side has a cavernous gap!

The shroud is engaged at the bottom and seems rigid. The fan is secure and isn't spinning eccentrically or with any play. It's like the entire shroud/radiator is mounted two inches too far to one side....

 

[t-tony]

Engine has definitely moved over and the only thing which can let that happen is a collapsed engine mounting. The mountings are oil filled and when they fail it lets the engine move like yours has. Looking at the pictures I would say it is the left side one.

Tony.

 

[Nick F]

Also double check the engine mounts look ok. If one has failed it could be leaning the engine more one side.

Engine has definitely moved over and the only thing which can let that happen is a collapsed engine mounting. The mountings are oil filled and when they fail it lets the engine move like yours has. Looking at the pictures I would say it is the left side one.

Tony.

You both called it! Engine mount on driver's side is gone:



Thanks for the pointer!

Are they difficult to replace, i.e. more difficult than any other RWD car (undo, jack up/support engine, replace)?

Cheers
Nick

 

[Lee]

Relatively easy to change mate. Undo the top nut and lift gently. Bit fiddly getting to the bottom nut.

 

[Pingu]

Getting the new one in will be much harder than getting the old one out. You will probably need to loosen some other stuff to allow the engine to wiggle itself back into its correct position.

 

[Jams]

Really interesting article - thanks.

Looked this up today as I found that my viscous fan was touching my radiator and that the clearance between the top of the fan and it's shroud was a couple of inches versus no clearance with the bottom of the fan/shroud (fan was touching shroud). Backstory - the transmission is out at the moment - I wonder whether the engine bobs front-wards when there is no weight of the gearbox on it?

Whilst the gearbox is out and I saw this article, I thought I should check the engine mounts incase they are gone (150k miles), but they seem fine - solid, no obvious tears. However, does anyone have the dimensions of what a new mount's height is? Do they 'shrink' over time and hence does the engine 'sag' down?

Last point - am I right in saying these mounts are easier to replace with the transmission out? (more up and down movement of the engine is possible for clearance?)

 

[t-tony]

You cannot be sure about the engine mountings until the Gearbox (Trans) is refitted and everything is in it's normal position. Engine mounts are just as easy to replace with the gearbox in place as they are without it in place. The usual failure of engine mounts is that they leak out the oil which they are filled with at manufacture, which becomes obvious in time. With the gearbox refitted and the motor sat on it's mounts you can then check that the cooling fan has sufficient clearance from the fan shroud all the way around.

Tony.

 

[Jams]

Great - thanks for the advice @t-tony - much appreciated. I'll do this later this week.

 

[Jams]

My bad - you were right @t-tony. The engine naturally wants to sit forwards of the engine mounts, which meant the fan was in contact with it's shroud at the bottom and also in contact with the radiator (not where you want your engine leaning!). Gearbox back on, it sits perfectly within the shroud.

 

[t-tony]

That's great to read!

Tony.