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Fan clutch Failed
Hey guys, about 40 miles outside atlanta this morning and fan clutch decided to fail. Engine temps shot up to 227 but I was able to get safely to the shoulder before it shut down. Smoke coming from clutch. Belts are good.
I called my local mechanic and he had me do a few things. 5am fuse or breaker popped reset and it popped again so he things/hopes that the electrical side of the clutch is toast. He has a friend in the area coming with bolts to lock it out so we can continue the trip until we can get it replaced.
If that isnt the case we might have to be towed to a w.w. williams about an hour away. Calling prevost to see if I can get a part number for the replacement clutch to see if ww has one in stock.
could have been much worse if this happened down town. Any suggestions appreciated.
Bill
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15 Replies
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Have been in contact with Bill couple hours ago and discussed options. Sounds like Bill is getting it sorted out.
AL
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I just bought and installed a rebuilt fan clutch from Huy @ ProFanDrive.com. They are near or in Atlanta. His cell ph# is 678-343-1607. I called him a minute ago and he has a rebuilt fan clutch that fits my bus in stock. I don’t know if it fit yours?
I case of an emergency I carry a relay that has been modified buy removing tabs 85 and/or 86 to ELECTRONICALLY lock up the clutch. To MECHANICALLY lock it up you’ll need two 6mm(10mm hex head) by 1/2″ long bolts.Pictured is what I’m talking about. You can see the tab and the bolt hole. There are two 180 degrees apart from each other.Don @ 210-861-4118 -
Guys, Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately, Mobile tech was not able to mechancially lock it up… fan is locked without actually be locked if that makes sense so his guess is internal failure of the bearings. Prevost Pass has been amazing and they are overnighting the part from Nashville and sending in a mobile tech to to the replacement tomorrow. It’s not going to be cheap but it will hopefully get us back on the road and save our only full family trip of the year. All in all nobody was injured, it didn’t happen in downtown atlanta. I was able to limp off the interstate to an abandoned truck stop my wife found with the car and there is an RV park 2 minutes away with one available spot. So as far as breakdowns go… not sure it could be any better. Just wondering what the normal lifespan of these are? This one was replaced by Prevost Mira Loma in 2014 when they were doing the CAC replacement.
Thanks again for all the input.
Bill
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Sounds like a bearing failure which I’m told is the most common problem.
Since our buses don’t have any ram air effect thru the CAC/Radiator, our fan clutches get worked hard. 100k miles would be a stretch. 50k miles is probably average. The newer the buses are, the harder the fan clutch works.My normal post trip checklist now includes grabbing the fan to see if it feels ok.Mine is relatively light weight bus, 41k Lbs + whatever I pull, and recently at 92k miles the low speed coil failed which left me with OFF and HIGH speed only. No big deal.Also annually I’m gonna check the ohms of both the high and low speed coils. High is 10-17 ohms, and low is 30-36 ohms. -
Are you by any chance at exit 306 north of Atlanta?
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Ditto what John said, if you’re at 306, I would be 15 miles from you, unfortunately I’m in western NY right now.
Great service from Prevost, but they sure need the work right now.
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Yep thats me exit 306 we moved to a small campground and prevost will do the work here
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Probably Harvest Moon, been there many times. Hope you get fixed up Bill, wish I was there to help if needed. Usually good fuel price at the QT, they take the TSD card, but only cash price. If you like Mexican, here’s a good one.
El Nopal Mexican Restaurant
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You’re in my neighborhood also. I’m in the Atlanta area right now and will be coming right by you tomorrow morning about 10:00. I’ll stop by and check on you. How about giving me your phone number in case I have any problem finding you and what’s the campground name. I know about where it is but can’t remember the name.
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John
great to meet ya. Thanks for stopping by to help. Jason from prevost arrived at 8:50 fedx with the parts at 9:03. So far so good
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Don, Where can I buy the relay with the tab removed to control the radiator fan clutch ? Thanks, Darrell
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Just break the tab from a good relay and keep it in your spares.
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Guys,
All fixed up. Can’t speak highly enough of the mobile prevost tech James and really the whole prevost Pass experience. James arrived at the campground at 8:57 this morning. At 9:03 fedex arrived with the new parts and James made short work of it. By noon we were on the road to HHI. James was able to remove and replace it without pulling the CAC and radiator. He was super professional and detail minded. Basically saved our trip!
Also, can’t say enough good things about PC. Having John drop by this morning and calls from others offering assistance is just amazing these days.
Thanks again!
Bill
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Made up a fan lock up kit just in case 3: 6mm bolts 1: extra in case of dropping 1 with a little lock tight on them and a 10mm wrench
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The fan locking bolts are typically in the end of the shaft on the pulley.
If you have to lock it the best is the relay because the tabs are flimsy and work in a pinch but not for a long time.
Nothing can be done if the bearings seize so spinning the fan should always be part of the pre-trip inspection to listen for noises. A growling sound is usually an early indicator of possible failure.
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