Fan Clutch Replacement - 80 Series
Replaced the fan clutch with Factory New Toyota part after noticing a strange, engine-speed dependent 'knocking' noise coming from the front end that didn't go away after an oil change - thinking it was valve noise. After looking at everything under the hood closely last weekend, I noticed that the fan blades could be wiggled slightly from side-to-side about 1-2 deg, which I suspected would be exaggerated by the random spacing of fan blades to cause a shudder, explaining the knocking.
For most here, this isn't even worth a write-up, as it's Step1 for most any belt or water pump maintenance, but in the interest of helping new members get comfortable with doing their own maintenance, here it is - truly a 1-banana job!
1. Start by disconnecting the battery. Just kidding! Start by grabbing a piece of thin cardboard cut to about the same size as your radiator fan (about 14" across, and generally round). Slide this in front of the fan blades and behind the radiator so you don't bang up the fins when removing the fan. Banged up fins will block smooth airflow and decrease radiator cooling efficiency.
2. Find a 12mm box-end wrench in your toolbox and remove the 4x12mm nuts holding the Fan Clutch Assembly onto the pulley. The threaded bolts on the pulley will keep the pulley from falling off, so don't worry about the belts getting loose or having to retension them. You may have to rotate the pulley 90deg to get to the last nut. A convenient place to store the nuts is on the lip of the air filter, and try to avoid dropping them to save time and effort.
3. With the nuts removed, you can slide the Fan Clutch base forward and off of the pulley bolts. This is where your cardboard protector comes in handy to prevent damage to the radiator fins. Pull that sucker out toward the exhaust side and finagle it past the radiator shroud. I'm sure the FSM says to remove the shroud, but it's pretty clear what needs to be done.
4. Now that the Fan and Fan Clutch is in your hands, you can remove 4x10mm nuts which hold the Fan onto the Fan Clutch assembly. That done, you're holding the fan in one hand, and the clutch in the other.
My Fan Clutch was missing the bearing grease seal and about half the ball bearings in the ball race. As I turned the shaft over, it was clicking loudly as the balls would fall within the race. I can only think I left a few of these scattered between Phoenix and Death Valley.
For most here, this isn't even worth a write-up, as it's Step1 for most any belt or water pump maintenance, but in the interest of helping new members get comfortable with doing their own maintenance, here it is - truly a 1-banana job!
1. Start by disconnecting the battery. Just kidding! Start by grabbing a piece of thin cardboard cut to about the same size as your radiator fan (about 14" across, and generally round). Slide this in front of the fan blades and behind the radiator so you don't bang up the fins when removing the fan. Banged up fins will block smooth airflow and decrease radiator cooling efficiency.
2. Find a 12mm box-end wrench in your toolbox and remove the 4x12mm nuts holding the Fan Clutch Assembly onto the pulley. The threaded bolts on the pulley will keep the pulley from falling off, so don't worry about the belts getting loose or having to retension them. You may have to rotate the pulley 90deg to get to the last nut. A convenient place to store the nuts is on the lip of the air filter, and try to avoid dropping them to save time and effort.
3. With the nuts removed, you can slide the Fan Clutch base forward and off of the pulley bolts. This is where your cardboard protector comes in handy to prevent damage to the radiator fins. Pull that sucker out toward the exhaust side and finagle it past the radiator shroud. I'm sure the FSM says to remove the shroud, but it's pretty clear what needs to be done.
4. Now that the Fan and Fan Clutch is in your hands, you can remove 4x10mm nuts which hold the Fan onto the Fan Clutch assembly. That done, you're holding the fan in one hand, and the clutch in the other.
My Fan Clutch was missing the bearing grease seal and about half the ball bearings in the ball race. As I turned the shaft over, it was clicking loudly as the balls would fall within the race. I can only think I left a few of these scattered between Phoenix and Death Valley.
5. Bolt the old Fan blades onto the new Fan Clutch assembly, and torque to spec. You don't want this coming off through vibration when driving, as it will chew a circular hole through the back of your radiator!
6. Slide the assembled Fan/Clutch back into the Radiator Shroud being careful to use the cardboard to protect your radiator fins, and line it up with the Pulley.
7. Tighten the Fan Clutch Mount to the Pulley and torque these nuts to spec, as well.
8. Lastly, remove your cardboard insert to clear the air path for the radiator. DONE!
The whole job took me about 15min to remove the old one, about 10min to take the Fan off the Clutch and wash the Fan blades, and another 15min to install the complete assembly back in the LandCruiser - it doesn't get any easier than this.
Thanks to @Saddletramp for riding Shotgun down to CBT today and to @murf (and Ritchie in Parts) for the great pricing and fast delivery of parts in less than 24hrs from when I ordered it. The original Fan Clutch lasted 211k miles, but I think it had been rebuilt by Kevin almost 10yrs agoto add thicker silicone fluid to increase airflow.
6. Slide the assembled Fan/Clutch back into the Radiator Shroud being careful to use the cardboard to protect your radiator fins, and line it up with the Pulley.
7. Tighten the Fan Clutch Mount to the Pulley and torque these nuts to spec, as well.
8. Lastly, remove your cardboard insert to clear the air path for the radiator. DONE!
The whole job took me about 15min to remove the old one, about 10min to take the Fan off the Clutch and wash the Fan blades, and another 15min to install the complete assembly back in the LandCruiser - it doesn't get any easier than this.
Thanks to @Saddletramp for riding Shotgun down to CBT today and to @murf (and Ritchie in Parts) for the great pricing and fast delivery of parts in less than 24hrs from when I ordered it. The original Fan Clutch lasted 211k miles, but I think it had been rebuilt by Kevin almost 10yrs agoto add thicker silicone fluid to increase airflow.
