My fan started rubbing the radiator at bottom of its swing

[Mike V. Florida]

Double check the water pump for damage from the belt being too tight. Don't wait for the garage change the fan now before you reach the 10th life of that radiator.

You can change the whole fan out from the time you park the car to restarting it, in an hour tops.

[Steve Wastler]

I'm confused, you say your fan broke a coule of weeks ago, are you using the same broken fan as a few weeks ago?

[jimvette59]

Belt to tight.

[Ron Lowe]

Same thing happened to me. I'll bet the keyway in the pulley hub is destroyed, but if like mine the WP shaft is fine. You'll need a new key.with that new fan. It's not much trouble to take the radiator out while you're at it. After it's out you can have a good look at the rubber pads and the bolts for the radiator. I was told recently that once you put the new fan on that tapered shaft, take a deep socket and tap it with a rubber mallet to seat the fan on the shaft before installing the thin flat washer and nut. Don't give up! Trust me it will get better. Ron

[joltesvig]

Thanks all. I agree and if anybody else has a stamped-steel fan hub pulley or a stamped-steel fan, please take them off and chuck them asap! They could be 60 or 70 years old I guess and are timebombs waiting to take out your radiator. Yes, this radiator, I just learned from TinCup, is a really nice 10 fin/inch 3 row model and I, in my ingnorance, have been very fortunate. All need need to fix on it is straighten the fins back up (anybody have a fin comb I can borrow?) and spray a little matching paint on it. I'm safely grounded until I have time to tear her apart and get her right. Thanks all!

[Steve Wastler]

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Ok just for the record, the fan in your pictures is NOT an original fan, I do agree with most in that in many cases an original fan can be disastrous, I am running and have been running a very nice original fan for 30 years. I inspect it before every start, during and after all runs. Until the clubs give a pass to the aluminum fans, I'll continue to use the original.

[700rpm]

As you straighten those fins, be careful not to separate them from the tubes. Separation will render them ineffective.

[Milton]

Rivets

[James Rogers]

Originally Posted by joltesvig

Thanks all. I agree and if anybody else has a stamped-steel fan hub pulley or a stamped-steel fan, please take them off and chuck them asap! They could be 60 or 70 years old I guess and are timebombs waiting to take out your radiator. Yes, this radiator, I just learned from TinCup, is a really nice 10 fin/inch 3 row model and I, in my ingnorance, have been very fortunate. All need need to fix on it is straighten the fins back up (anybody have a fin comb I can borrow?) and spray a little matching paint on it. I'm safely grounded until I have time to tear her apart and get her right. Thanks all!

So, because of one failure, all these type fans are suspect and should be destroyed? I have run this type for years and never a failure or problem. What will you do when the new aluminum fan fails because of an incorrect taper on either the fan or the shaft? This has been a problem in the past and still is in some cases. I would look for the underlying problem since you have had 2 fan failures in such a short time. I agree with Tom, the fan belt should only be tight enough to turn the fan and charging system.

[1931 flamingo]

Steve Wastler: If his fan is NOT original, what is it? I've been under the impression that there were original, later model 4-blade (that could be used), the plastic one, and the aluminum replacement. Could you please clarify?
Thanks.
Paul in CT

[A440cuda1]

Mine broke in the same way, the center of the cast hub that the fan/pulley attach to broke and my fan was wobbleing like that, hit my radiator in the same way. Mine was caused by the prevous owners homemade alternator kit that had no fan belt adjustment. Issue was fixed with a new fan and an adjustable bracket, only took a couple of hours to make it all right again.

Here is a link to my post on the same subject. https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41432

[Steve Wastler]

Paul,

I was refering to it not being an original 27-31 ford produced 2 blade fan. It is most definately an inferior replacemnet of some sort, the fan in his pictures, is a thin stamped blade bolted to the pulley. I agree the belt was most likely too tight.

As in my previous post, as with James, I run an original fan on my A's and in the 30 years of owning them, have never had a failure, but i visually inspect before taking out, durring an outing and after. The key is to get ahold of a GOOD original balanced fan.

The fan my roadster had on it when i purchased it, was a later 4 blade fan, that had no keyway. I promtly put the Henry ford steel 2 blade fan back on, that was in a box in the trunck.

Hope this clarifies my post.
Steve

[Modelakid31]

Never move or turn the fan when the belt is on. You will bend your fan. And never bend the blades back. It puts it out of balance. Plus some of the originals are 2 pieces.

[joltesvig]

Spring has sprung in North Carolina and I was dying to get Old Sweet Thing back on the road. So I finally got put the new aluminum fan on. I removed the old stamped steel fan and hub. When I examined the hub I found that there was a flanged washer behind the pully. The hub was spinning on the water pump shaft because someone never installed a woodruff key! So the flanged washer dug a groove in the pulley so the torque on the castellated nut went to zero. There was so much slop in there that the fan rubbed on my beautiful 10 fin radiator. I went to NAPA and got a woodruff key, put the alum fan on, torqued the nut and now everything is jake. Thanks for all the helpful suggestions! I went joy riding today three times and I'm as happy as a clam once again! These Model As are thousands of times more fun when you're driving them than just sittin' in the shop!

[30modelA]

was there really a need to post this? you see the pulley is about to fall off, kinda obvious what it is. you can learn a lot by trying stuff yourself first. then if you need help feel free to ask. as one of the intelligent members signature says if its already broke you cant break it. you have to take the light bar off, loosen the radiator and lean it forward and the fan will come off. mines a 4 blade that's what i had to do. you may not have to w/ a 2 blade

[30modelA]

please dont take this as a sign of disrespect

[Rusty Homestead Fl]

Thanks for posting John. Glad you're back on the road enjoying your A. I personally enjoy posts that explain what the cure to a problem was and share your happiness in fixing it yourself. Best to you.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by 30modelA

please dont take this as a sign of disrespect

30modelA,
He knows you meant no disrespect, after all, this is a blog where we say our stuff and we are all grown men, aren't we?? Bill W.

JOLTESVIG,
If you know anyone that does refrigeration or air conditioning, they have great fin combs that can make your 10 fin radiator look like new. Bill W.

[dumb person]

Do you even need a fan with blades? What if you only had the pump pulley? it might not be a problem if the car was moving most of the time. Has anyone tried this & did it work?

[1931 flamingo]

I believe there have been "stories" here about fan failures and having been driven home at 'speed' w/out overheating.
paul in CT