[mckellyb]

However...what genius came up with the tripod support for the radiator fan (which should be electric, anyway, IMO)?!

I know those are 13 mm bolts, but I can't get to the one a 7-o'clock. Just can't seem to get in there, and radiator/hose/etc. removal shouldn't have to be part of a solution.

Suggestions?!

 

[dkozloski]

You might try reading the FSM.

 

[mckellyb]

Which I don't have, but THANKS FOR THE TIP!!!!!!!

 

[dkozloski]

Try www.alldatadiy.com

 

[nwjones18]

All the service manual says is to "remove the three bolts" then to reinstall them.. Mine doesn't have a crankshaft driven cooling fan so I didn't have to mess with that. I got Dayco belts from Rockauto and have been happy with them.

 

[sapien]

As usual the resident troll was of no help. Besides showing a diagram of where the bolts are, here's what the FSM says:

1. Remove the engine cooling fan. Refer to Fan Replacement (LH2) on pg 6-1078...
2. Remove the fan bracket to crankshaft balancer bolts.
3. Remove the fan bracket to engine block bolts.
4. Remove the fan bracket from the vehicle.

maybe that bolt more easily accessible from underneath?

 

[1BadCadSTS]

As usual the resident troll was of no help. Besides showing a diagram of where the bolts are, here's what the FSM says: maybe that bolt more easily accessible from underneath?

Lol

The FSM point blank says what steps to do and refers to you to the exact page for large steps. How isn't that useful?

 

[mckellyb]

nwjones 18, sapien, and 1BadCad, thanks. This helps, actually, because it's the fan which is just the wrong distance from the third bolt which makes it impossible to reach with any of the three short, but different length, extensions, or any of those and a deep socket.

/facepalm

I figured I might have to get underneath it to reach it, but I really don't want to, because that means taking even more apart, and it's plenty funky under there.

Last time I removed a fan from a crankshaft-driven fan clutch, I wound up having to get threaded studs made so I could get it back on because Freightliner didn't expect to have a motorcoach bed constructed around the engine...and I'm not triple-jointed.

Looks like the fan comes off, Friday, as the long serpentine belt will be here, I know I'm on borrowed time, and I have until Sunday afternoon to finish it.

My motivation for getting it done is the 12 MPG of our third car, the '98 Grand Cherokee 5.9L. I really like that truck, but man, is it thirsty.

 

[Ludacrisvp]

I'd think you'd appreciate the HD cooling option (which is the cause for that mechanical fan) for the car being in texas...

 

[dkozloski]

nwjones 18, sapien, and 1BadCad, thanks. This helps, actually, because it's the fan which is just the wrong distance from the third bolt which makes it impossible to reach with any of the three short, but different length, extensions, or any of those and a deep socket.

/facepalm

I figured I might have to get underneath it to reach it, but I really don't want to, because that means taking even more apart, and it's plenty funky under there.

Last time I removed a fan from a crankshaft-driven fan clutch, I wound up having to get threaded studs made so I could get it back on because Freightliner didn't expect to have a motorcoach bed constructed around the engine...and I'm not triple-jointed.

Looks like the fan comes off, Friday, as the long serpentine belt will be here, I know I'm on borrowed time, and I have until Sunday afternoon to finish it.

My motivation for getting it done is the 12 MPG of our third car, the '98 Grand Cherokee 5.9L. I really like that truck, but man, is it thirsty.

My FSM says you remove the fan as a first step using a special tool then remove the bolts.

 

[mckellyb]

Nice touch, but I'd wager it could do as well with dual electrics.

 

[sapien]

Fan Replacement (LH2)
Tools Required: J-41240 Fan Clutch Remove and Installer

Removal Procedure
1. Remove the air cleaner intake duct.
Important: Do not completely remove the fan from the crank adapter shaft.
2. Loosen the fan nut from the crank adapter shaft using J-21240.
3. Remove the fan shroud.
4. Continue to loosen the fan nut and disconnect the fan from the crank adapter shaft.
5. Remove the fan from the vehicle.

Installation Procedure
1. Install the fan to the vehicle.
2. Connect the fan to the crank adapter shaft.
3. Install the fan shroud.
4. Tighten the fan nut to the crank adapter shaft using J-21240. Tighten the nut to 100 N-m (74 lb-ft).
5. Install the air cleaner intake duct.

Hope that helps a little... the torque spec for the bracket bolts is 24 N-m (18 lb-ft). Install loosely to the engine block first and then to the crankshaft balancer to make sure everything lines up, then tighten.

 

[dkozloski]

Nice touch, but I'd wager it could do as well with dual electrics.

According to a GM engineer who used to frequent the forum the HD setup will cool the engine at 100MPH on a 100 degree day with a 100MPH following wind.

 

[1BadCadSTS]

Nice touch, but I'd wager it could do as well with dual electrics.

Heavy duty cooling also got 2 frontal electrical fans and an optional electric secondary water pump as well as the clutch driven fan... I'll wager it runs a lot cooler than any pure electric fan set up...

 

[mckellyb]

True, even the hottest Texas days, in traffic, A/C on, the temperature rarely cracks 192F, or so, which I can't complain about one bit.

Also, I had the ECU tweaked, so the fans come on sooner and stay on for a while if it's really warm, after shutoff.

 

[EChas3]

We had a member in the Mid-east (I hope he is OK...) His export model had the HD Cooling and it did nicely in the 140 F days typical to that region.

 

[kcaughron]

Wish I read earlier, I'm just a few miles away in Dallas. I would have helped! Hope it went reasonably well.

 

[mckellyb]

Haven't done it...this weekend.

Shouldn't be too horrible, I don't think.

 

[mckellyb]

Did it, today. Not as bad as I expected. Some tips.

1. You don't need any special tools.
2. The radiator shroud does not need to be touched.
3. The fan doesn't have to come out of the car.
4. You need the belt routing diagram for the main serpentine one. There's a thread here with the picture.
5. All you need for tools is a 1/2 socket wrench, a stubby 3/8" socket wrench, a 13 mm socket, a short extension, and a small flashlight.
6. A longer 3/8" socket wrench is handy to make the bottom one go faster, 'cause it's not pleasant.

Unfortunately, all three bolts must be removed, but if you don't forcefully bang the fan and attached tripod mount around in there, you're not going to hurt the radiator. I thought I could leave the bottom mounting bolt installed, merely loosened, so the top mounts would tilt away from the engine and the belts could come out.

No. To get the alternator belt tensioner moved far enough away to actually get the new belt in-place, the bottom bolt and bottom leg of the tripod can't be in their mounting place. 10 minutes of engineering at the design stage would have very easily prevented this. The interference is minimal, but just enough to prevent it from working.

I think the serpentine belt actually goes around the bottom mounting leg, too.

While it shouldn't be this involved, it is quite nice to have both belts with dedicated auto-tensioners.

It wasn't all that long ago, belts & hoses were a once every 3-4 year thing, which was a drag. And you'd have to re-tension at least one belt a couple of times over it's usable life.

I don't expect to change these again, so I'm happy.

 

[Ludacrisvp]

So ... What made you decide you wanted to change them now?