Is my new Hayden fan clutch defective?

[mipa]

I'm currently in the process of getting all parts together to overhaul my coolant system of my 2002 TJ (RHD), after my water pump started leaking.

Currently when my TJ is cold the fan is really hard to move by hand, and when I start my engine it's always spinning - so I was certain my water pump died at only 40.000 miles of age because of a sized fan clutch - but I would have replaced it anyways, as recommended in this forum. I've read some posts here that suggest a sized fan clutch is a clear death sentence to a water pump.

My engine temp is always around 180 (converted from 90 Celsius, so I hope I got those Fahrenheit right) .. seems 210 is middle for you guys.. so I would say somewhere around 180 is mine.. definitely to the left... which would confirm the "fan is always spinning full killing the pump" theory.

Today I received my new Hayden 2771 Premium Fan Clutch from amazon, and when unboxing I expected it would move freely - but it feels similar hard to move as my current one. There are contrary posts here, that a cold fan should spin freely .. or not .. I guess the question is how "freely" is defined

I haven't installed it yet, since I wait for all parts to arrive which probably takes another month.. but I would prefer to clarify if my new one is faulty before installing.

Thanks

 

[Jerry Bransford]

It won't feel as stiff when you test it using the fan blades to rotate it after it's installed. And the fan blades will spin with a cold engine, just not as fast or with as much force.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

I'm currently in the process of getting all parts together to overhaul my coolant system of my 2002 TJ (RHD), after my water pump started leaking.

Currently when my TJ is cold the fan is really hard to move by hand, and when I start my engine it's always spinning - so I was certain my water pump died at only 40.000 miles of age because of a sized fan clutch - but I would have replaced it anyways, as recommended in this forum. I've read some posts here that suggest a sized fan clutch is a clear death sentence to a water pump.

My engine temp is always around 180 (converted from 90 Celsius, so I hope I got those Fahrenheit right) .. seems 210 is middle for you guys.. so I would say somewhere around 180 is mine.. definitely to the left... which would confirm the "fan is always spinning full killing the pump" theory.

Today I received my new Hayden 2771 Premium Fan Clutch from amazon, and when unboxing I expected it would move freely - but it feels similar hard to move as my current one. There are contrary posts here, that a cold fan should spin freely .. or not .. I guess the question is how "freely" is defined

I haven't installed it yet, since I wait for all parts to arrive which probably takes another month.. but I would prefer to clarify if my new one is faulty before installing.

Thanks

90C is 194F so temperature is running right where it should be.

I'm not convinced you can diagnose a fan clutch by feel. The factory service manual describes a procedure using a long temp probe between the clutch and radiator along with a strobe or tach to measure fan rpm above and below a temperature threshold. I don't think it even gives specific rpm, just that the speed and noise should increase noticeably as it passes a fairly wide temperature range centered around 170F.

Ironically the Hayden 2791, which is what I have, is stamped with a patent number for a design that is supposed to prevent being locked up upon a cold start, yet it does exactly that and my LJ roars down the street until finally disengaging about 4 blocks from my house. I have a 2771 in the garage to swap in hoping it's less noisy.

If you're trying to spin the fan clutch by holding the hub nut it's going to feel stiff. Think about the leverage you have at the end of the fan blade vs the nut.

 

[4.0TJOwner]

I am currently in the same situation. Did you install it? It works well?

 

[freedom_in_4low]

I am currently in the same situation. Did you install it? It works well?

i ended up with the USMW brand listed on RockAuto. It's much quieter and works just as well.

 

[4.0TJOwner]

i ended up with the USMW brand listed on RockAuto. It's much quieter and works just as well.

I have the Hayden 2771, I haven't installed it yet, but when I took it out of the box, it felt like it was attached. It's very difficult to move, so I thought it was defective, but apparently they all come like this.

 

[mipa]

I am currently in the same situation. Did you install it? It works well?

I installed it soon after making the post and had no issues at all since.

 

[jjvw]

I have the Hayden 2771, I haven't installed it yet, but when I took it out of the box, it felt like it was attached. It's very difficult to move, so I thought it was defective, but apparently they all come like this.

You have been misled by too many people claiming for too many years that a viscous fliud fan clutch spins freely when cold. This is untrue and has always been untrue.