Chink in fan. Now what?

Hetmann · 01-14-2003, 10:18 AM

I took my fan off to clean and polish it up a bit. Lo and behold there is a chink missing out of one of the blades. Never saw it from the front. Missing piece is about the size of half of a nickel. Do I need a new fan or just put this one back?

Rot 911 · 01-14-2003, 10:22 AM

Check to see if any of the blades are cracked. If they are ok, and the chip is not at the base of the blade, then I would smooth the edges of the chip with some 120 grit sandpaper and keep using the fan.

kstylianos · 01-14-2003, 10:26 AM

I dunno know Jerry, tough decision. The fan could have been previously damaged and this missing chip be signs of future fan/alternator damage. The fan IS balanced as it does spin quite fast. An unbalanced fan will cause unnecessary vibrations that will tax your alternator bearings, causing them to wear prematurely. I would:

1) see if you can get the fan balanced, posssibly taking off equal material from each blade....yucky idea.

2) source a used or new 11-blade fan.

Hetmann · 01-14-2003, 11:02 AM

The fan definately was previously damaged as this is not a new break. I am concerned because the missing piece is pretty large. No luck in finding a replacement fan locally. Does anyone have one? What's a fair price for a fan?

johnnyo200 · 01-14-2003, 11:23 AM

Have a small chink in mine too. What about some JB Weld? Put some tape on the backside of the damaged blade, slap on some JB, sand to match surrounding area. Just a thought, haven't done mine , yet. (Mine was from a alt. repair shop not having the pulley tool- That guy was a real "tool" ).

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

Those fans are on eBay all day long. Should run you around $100.

Superman · 01-14-2003, 12:22 PM

Judging by the sizes of the crank pulley and the fan pulley, I'd say my fan makes about two hundred revolutions per second at high engine rpms. That's PER SECOND. The spec book says it moves 1500 liters of air per second, at 6000 rpm.

old_skul · 01-14-2003, 12:47 PM

I'm waiting for the ethnic joke to show up. :|

Anyway, I'd get a new fan. At Ebay prices you get quite a bit of peace of mind for your money.

juanbenae · juanbenae's Garage

jerry, is that your grill on the avitar, or just some funny joke that i'm not privy to?

Early_S_Man · 01-16-2003, 07:30 AM

If you have found the broken piece/chunk ... it can be TIG welded back onto the fan, which happens to be a magnesium alloy! JB Weld would not be very likely to hold or stay in place at 9000 rpm over the operating temperatures of a 911 engine ... and flying fan parts emitted at that speed can be hazardous to other engine parts, as well!

Mike Miller · 01-16-2003, 11:52 AM

I used JB Weld on my fan to reattach a quarter size piece. Its held in 100 degree weather here in DFW for more than 3 years. I know it's not perfect on balance either but, no prob. It's not like a jet at 20,000+ rpm.

Mike Miller

lendaddy · 01-16-2003, 11:58 AM

Be careful, we all know what image comes to mind when we hear the word "chink", come on we all know what your thinking when you say that. Totally kidding, just taking a good natured jab at my buddy MMARSH. I say find a good used one and be done with it. Good luck

john walker's workshop · 01-16-2003, 12:00 PM

and who says miracles don't happen?

john walker's workshop · 01-16-2003, 12:04 PM

i had an uncle chink. i just thought that was his name. come to find out, when he was a kid, he had a certain asian appearance. no offense meant.

Hetmann · 01-16-2003, 12:06 PM

I decided not to mess with it. I found a used fan.

So is anyone interested in a very unusual clock?

masraum · 01-16-2003, 12:37 PM

Yeah, Don't call him a "chink" and get him out of there quick, not only is he very uncomfortable, but he's probably really killing your cooling efficiency.