Check your fan blades

[TJMack]

I finished putting in a new pitman arm and drag link and tie rod parts so I wanted to try it out, naturally. Everything went fine for about 10 miles or so. Then BANG!! Something broke and the car started to shake. I was going about 45 MPH.


Thinking the worst, I pulled over and got out to see what had broken in my newly completed job. I left the engine running and it idled OK. I looked things over as best I could at the side of a busy road and could find nothing.


I got back in and started down the road, and the shaking got worse as I sped up. I limped it slowly home and shut it off. Upon opening the hood I found that one of the fan blades was missing.


I must be blessed. The blade didn't go through the hood, the radiator, or anything else. It lay in the pan under the radiator hose. If it had gone in any other direction I would have had a mess on my hands.


Isn't it a bitch how things entirely unrelated to a job your working on can happen at just the right time to make you suspect of what you've done??


The moral of the story is CHECK YOUR FAN BLADES. One of them may be ready to let loose and cost you a bunch of money. Don't plan on being as luck as I was.

[TerryH]

I am assuming that must have been an original fan blade. It is known that those will almost certainly fail over time, so folks are constantly warned about them, and to replace them with a new, solid cast, one piece aluminum one. You are very lucky that did not through your hood, or worse, come apart while you were tinkering with the engine.

[FordTudor1931]

You are a lucky guy!! A "mail slot" in the hood is not an easy thing to repair.

[L-head]

I had an original generator pulley break a chunk out of it while my car was idling in the garage. It didn't hit me or my car but put a nice dent in the garage wall. I don't know if it would have killed me, but it sure would have hurt.

[duke36]

This is very timely and concur with Terry in post 2. I had a later style 4 blade fan installed by prior owner and only noticed a crack in one blade near the hub when changing water pump. The crack was under paint build up, and this should be on an inspection check list.
Have had good results with the alum. 2 blade fans on multiple cars..

[Mike V. Florida]

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Mine won't break!

[160B]

Here is a photo of the remains of a water pump that was destroyed when an original two bladed fan failed.

[Synchro909]

When I got my first Model A, the fan had been brazed up and was badly cracked again. I couldn't wait to get that thing off there so I could drive the car. I certainly wasn't even going to start the motor till it was gone.

[jquinlan]

I just received an aluminum cast one from Brattons that will replace an original on my truck. The (very interesting) 95 year old guy I bought the truck from said the originals were best and you'll be able to see the cracks before they break. I didn't really buy that and would rather be safe and replace it after hearing stories about the damage the originals can cause.

[DD931]

Back in 1959 I was driving my '30 Tudor back from Virginia up to Massachusetts. Ran most of the way at about 50 mph. On the Wilbur Cross Highway in Connecticut I felt a big bang and the car shook violently. Pulled over and shut her down. Yes, the fan (original) had shed a blade. It left a divot in the hood, took a swipe out of the radiator (but fortunately didn't actually cut any tubes), and cut the upper radiator hose. So, being an enterprising young man traveling with a full tool box, I cut off the other blade, taped up the radiator hose and finished the trip. And immediately replaced the fan with a stamped one - that's what was available at the time. I didn't know of any cast aluminum replacements back then. Bottom line - these things do indeed break. I was lucky, actually, that it happened under non-life-threatening conditions.

[WHN]

Originally Posted by 160B

Here is a photo of the remains of a water pump that was destroyed when an original two bladed fan failed.

Picture looks very familiar. I think a lot of Model A owners can tell the same story, and have seen the same results. Enjoy.

[cpf240]

Can one replace the fan without removing the water pump?

[Bob Bidonde]

On 1930 & 1931 cars it is possible to replace the fan if you detach the radiator support rods and pull the radiator forward. However, it may be necessary to do some fitting work on the fan, so I recommend that you take the pump off.

[rosenkranswa]

Been there and done that. Fan let go on my 29 Roadster several years ago and put a nice smile in my hood, in addition to scaring me to death. Having an original fan replaced on a 28 Phaeton I'm doing over for a friend to sell.

[Bob Bidonde]

The title of this post should be, "Do Not Run An Original Fan!" No matter how pretty one might look, there is no way of determining the remaining fatigue life of an original fan. Original 2-blade fans had a fatigue problem when the Model "A" was new. The 2nd generation single-thickness fan did not solve the problem. Even the 4-blade fan is dangerous because of its age.



Don't let this happen to you!

[duke36]

Originally Posted by Bob Bidonde

On 1930 & 1931 cars it is possible to replace the fan if you detach the radiator support rods and pull the radiator forward. However, it may be necessary to do some fitting work on the fan, so I recommend that you take the pump off.

Agree with Bob B's posts. The vendors sell new bolts that have nuts on them to look original so the pump is easier to remove or just buy replacement hex head bolts to replace the studs in the block if appearance isn't an issue. The new repro alum fans are within balance plus light weight. Some suggest the 4 blades provide no more cooling capacity than the 2 blades and others like the plastic multiblade repops. Put teflon or other thread sealant on the bolts.

[Werner]

Hello,


because I readed this posts, I buyed a new aluminium-fan. It is not possible, to loosen the old pulley.


Must I loosen the water pump housing or what can I try?


Thanks in advance!

[kimeccles]

When I got my car it had a two blade fan... Actually it was a four blade fan with two blades hacksawed off. LOL. It was also micro cracked on some rivets. Needless to say I use a new aluminum two blade now.

[kimeccles]

Werner,

Try something like this.


https://www.brattons.com/fan-knock-off-tool.html

[Werner]

Hi,

I know this tool. But there is too less room between Radiator and pump shaft.

[Fred S]

Werner,
You need to remove the water pump and fan from the engine. Sit down, and place the fan blades on your thighs with the water pump hanging down. Screw on the tool and give it a few sharp whacks while holding the water pump so it doesn't hit the floor when the fan comes off.

[Synchro909]

I made a puller for the job. It's crude but effective. It also will pull the steering wheel. That tool from Brattons work well too.

[TJMack]

I got my new fan from Mike's A-Ford-Able parts today. I had already ordered a 4 blade by the time I started this thread or I would have tried a cast one. Oh well, I'm sure the new one will outlast me.


This is the first time I ever had to take the head lights off a car to change a fan blade. :-)

[Fordfan29]

You can also use the locking nut for the pin through the axle that locks your king pins in place. In an emergency you are always carrying two of them. Just put it back when you are done!

[Werner]

Good morning Fordfan29,

sorry, I have not understod this. What is a "king pins"? Two peeces?

[TJMack]

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As it turns out I wasn't as blessed as I thought. I had no leak in the radiator after the incident. I even cut off the opposing blade on the broken 4 blade fan and drove the car to a cruise-in that is about 10 miles away with no problems. When my new fan came I put it on yesterday along with a new water pump.


Today when I went to refill the radiator the water was running out onto the floor as I poured it in. Upon closer inspection I found where the broken blade had grazed the radiator just enough to break one of the tubes. Aapparently something was plugging the hole enough to keep it from leaking but was dislodged when I drained the radiator.


Looks like the radiator will have to come out and go to a repair shop if I can find one.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by TJMack

As it turns out I wasn't as blessed as I thought. I had no leak in the radiator after the incident. I even cut off the opposing blade on the broken 4 blade fan and drove the car to a cruise-in that is about 10 miles away with no problems. When my new fan came I put it on yesterday along with a new water pump.


Today when I went to refill the radiator the water was running out onto the floor as I poured it in. Upon closer inspection I found where the broken blade had grazed the radiator just enough to break one of the tubes. Aapparently something was plugging the hole enough to keep it from leaking but was dislodged when I drained the radiator.


Looks like the radiator will have to come out and go to a repair shop if I can find one.

Old farmers fix. Put in ground black pepper.

[Lona]

Go with plastic and sleep well. Just MHO.

Glen

[Werner]

Hello,


I want to repeat my qustion, because I does not unterstand the sentence:


"You can also use the locking nut for the pin through the axle that locks your king pins in place. In an emergency you are always carrying two of them. Just put it back when you are done!"


Thanks in advance!

[TJMack]

I think that message got posted in the wrong thread. It doesn't make any sense to what we are talking about.

[TJMack]

The saga continues on my fan blade story. Sometimes I do the stupidest things. It seems to get worse the older I get. This one is titled "Jumping to Conclusions."


I got the radiator out with no problems, but it kept bugging me why it would start leaking after I put everything back together but had not leaked a drop in over 30 miles of driving. I was trying to get my moto-meter off but wasn't having much luck. The same heavy-handed ham that stripped the threads on both front spindles plus one of the lug bolts must have put the moto-meter on. I guess he didn't trust the little set screw.


While I was waiting for some penetrating oil to work (which it did not) I was straightening out some of the fins that had gotten bent before I bought the car. I also inspected the radiator at the point where I could see that the errant fan blade had struck. The bare metal that I thought was from one of the tubes turned out to be the overflow tube. The cooling tubes were undamaged.


At this point I decided to put water in the radiator again to check for the leak. As I put water in it started to come out like it did when in the car. BUT, it was coming out the overflow tube, not a hole in the radiator.


I find it interesting that you can't put water into the radiator without some of it coming out the over flow tube. Not a big deal if you're just using plain water, but I don't want my antifreeze/anticorrosion solution going to the floor. When I refill it I'm going to put a piece of hose on the overflow tube as I pour in the coolant.

[Kurt in NJ]

Originally Posted by Lona

Go with plastic and sleep well. Just MHO.

Glen

I have replaced broken plastic fans, and have seen them come through radiators and hoods, they aren't breakage proof either

[Mike V. Florida]

Glad you "fixed" the problem.