Replacing the cooling fan - 1987 3.2

[RFP]

The previous owner of my car had the cooling fan powder coated. They did a very nice job, but looking at the beautifully refinished fans on this forum, I really wanted that more 'correct' look. So, I contacted FlyingJay here and was very fortunate that he had an already-refinished 3.2 fan on hand. When it arrived, I wanted to get it installed but was pretty terrified at the prospect of having to remove the entire housing, and yadda, yadda, yadda just to get the new fan swapped for the old.

On a recent trip to Ed Mayo's place, I asked Tom Petrushka if it was possible to change the fan without removing the housing. He said "sure," adding that the only challenge he could foresee was that the fan may be stuck on the shaft and we discussed how to deal with that.

Anyway, fast forward to actually doing something: I removed the fan/alternator belt and A/C best, and just kind of wiggled the fan mostly to see if it was, indeed, stuck to the shaft. Much to my delight, the fan actually seemed to be free, so, I just pulled it away from the alternator and the fan was off in about 10 seconds! Yay, Tom was right. I retrieved the new fan from inside the house and the new fan was on the shaft in about 10 seconds. Yay again!

So, if you are considering replacing the fan on your 3.2 fear not. It can be done with the housing in place. Maybe other models/years too, but my experience base is just one car.

[Flat6pac]

They’re all replaceable in the car, the cabriolet is somewhat more of a challenge.
The down side is if the fan is frozen on the alternator shaft, not fun, and if it’s an early fine thread alt. Then it’s even more challenging.
Bruce

[John W.]

You were indeed fortunate. I recently had my 89 3.2 alternator rebuilt and the fan was really attached to the shaft. It took me a bunch of drops using the John Walker technique to get it lose.

[RFP]

Originally Posted by John W.

You were indeed fortunate. I recently had my 89 3.2 alternator rebuilt and the fan was really attached to the shaft. It took me a bunch of drops using the John Walker technique to get it lose.

When I was talking to Tom Petrushka at Ed Mayo's place, he warned me that I may run into the exact situation you did. He said the first thing to try is to tap two of the opposite holes in the fan... 6mm I think he said. Then make a 'beam' from a scrap of metal bar, drill two holes corresponding to the tapped holes in the fan. Put the beam across the fan, resting on the shaft and thread two 6mm bolts into the fan. He said that was usually enough to persuade a stubborn fan off the shaft. I got lucky, mine popped off like a loose cork!

[flyingjay]

Very nice!

[ErrorMargin]

Originally Posted by John W.

You were indeed fortunate. I recently had my 89 3.2 alternator rebuilt and the fan was really attached to the shaft. It took me a bunch of drops using the John Walker technique to get it lose.

What is the John Walker technique? The fan on my 84 is stuck on and I need help getting it off

[John W.]

Here’s John Walkers method:
jeeze, somebody's still pounding on the studs! let gravity and inertia work for you. fold a shop rag and lay it on the concrete. take the housing, fan facing down, and rap the edge on the rag a couple of times, turn it 180° and rap the other side. pretty soon the alternator will be out.

Do a search on alternator fan and John Walker, there’s a thread with various methods to try.