Date: Thu, 23 Jul 2020 20:42:00 +0200
Reply-To: Raimund Feussner <ray@V6BUS.DE>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Raimund Feussner <ray@V6BUS.DE>
Subject: Re: radiator fan grinding noise
In-Reply-To: <D8384B6A-45FA-4ED3-8AB3-0B2030FB45A2@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
I had the fan moving in its shroud. The three nuts that hold it in place
came loose (just one, and just a bit).
Turned out there is a little play in its seating, so the fan wings
touched the (slightly dented) shroud.
It repaired itself after a while, I guess the wings wore off enough to
not scratch on the shroud...
The bearings should of course be checked. I think you can feel/test it
while the fan is still in its original place. Bridge the radiator temp
switch to turn fan on, then you´ll hear the cause.
Raimund
Am 23.07.2020 um 20:34 schrieb Richard Smith (Smirby):
> Those fans aren’t too expensive, or difficult to replace. I’d suggest removing it and if it sounds like it is bearings (“grumbles" when it spins), then you could replace it or have it rebuilt.
>
> https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8509946 <https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8509946>
>
> https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=596575&highlight=radiator <https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=596575&highlight=radiator>
>
> Bus Depot has the later model fan, with A/C, here: https://www.busdepot.com/251959455m <https://www.busdepot.com/251959455m>
>
> Maybe “not too expensive” is a bit of a stretch, given that $200 for parts and 2-4h labour could easily turn into a $500 bill. But in the grand scheme of things it is probably worth doing, especially if it keeps your van on the road, and the engine and passengers cool.
>
> While it is coming out, you could check for the simplest / cheaper possibility - that the fan is hitting on a shroud or other material. Just spin it by hand - when the motor is completely cooled off, so it doesn’t come on and nip off a finger - and see if it seems to be catching on something.
>
> …r
>
>> On Jul 23, 2020, at 11:14 AM, Ryan Cresawn <jrcresawn@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>>
>> Over the past two weeks my wife and I drove from Arizona to Indiana and
>> back in our 1991 Vanagon GL Westfalia Camper. It was roughly 4,000 miles of
>> driving. The engine is the original 2.1 liter with 177,000 miles on it. The
>> factory air conditioner works and was used during much of the drive. During
>> the first half of the drive we noticed that the radiator fan began to make
>> a grinding noise. The noise is most obvious with the air conditioner off
>> while stuck in stop-and-go traffic. This results in periodic cycling of the
>> fan from off to on. The grinding noise lets me know that the fan is
>> rotating but the sound is unfamiliar and our opinion signals a problem.
>> Based on the GoWesty article titled "Cooling System in Vanagons: Explained"
>> I am convinced I have a 450-watt radiator fan motor that operates at three
>> speeds. I believe the grinding noise is most obvious at the slowest
>> fan speed. And finally, here is the question. What action should I take, if
>> any, to address the grinding noise I hear from my radiator fan?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Ryan
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