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Old 10-20-2015, 10:39 PM   #1
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Year: 1990
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Engine: Cummins 6CTA 8.3
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Fan clutch wrong temperature range

My bus is running hot.

The fan doesn't kick on until 240ish* and it kicks back off at 215ish*! Gauges are accurate according to an IR thermometer...

Is the fan clutch bad or can something else cause this condition?

Engine is a mechanical 8.3 in an RE bus.

Definitely not driving this this anymore until I get this heat situation under control! Well, I'm not driving it anymore anyway until its converted over to RV...

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Old 10-20-2015, 10:50 PM   #2
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That's not a clutch fan in a RE bus.

The fan is driven by a hydraulic motor driven by pressurized oil. The motor is triggered by a heat sensor in the coolant piping. Depending on the year it can be in a few different places.

Start tracing cooling lines, and rad hoses. Some of the sensors are in ports on the top of the engine head. There is also a port down under the top rad hose that is sometimes used.

Nat
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Old 10-20-2015, 11:04 PM   #3
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Thanks nat.
I did know it wasn't actually the clutch type but I didn't know what else to call it.
What I did not know is how it was triggered. This will help me, thank you!
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Old 08-07-2016, 06:22 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nat_ster View Post
That's not a clutch fan in a RE bus.

The fan is driven by a hydraulic motor driven by pressurized oil. The motor is triggered by a heat sensor in the coolant piping. Depending on the year it can be in a few different places.

Start tracing cooling lines, and rad hoses. Some of the sensors are in ports on the top of the engine head. There is also a port down under the top rad hose that is sometimes used.

Nat
Hey Nat. If the fan motor is leaking oil... Would this be a pressure issue, gasket issue and would this cause over heating?

Thanks

Ben
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Old 08-07-2016, 06:25 PM   #5
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is this bus using an air-controlled solenoid or is it a mechanical Viscous type clutch? a viscous clutch leaking will definitely be failing...

a viscous clutch running at the wrong temperature range can sometimes be adjusted..
-Christopher
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Old 08-07-2016, 06:42 PM   #6
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Thanks for responding Chris.

I'm going to say mechanical. It's a 1997 bluebird cummins 8.3. I needed to add about 1qt of oil every couple hundred miles to the cooling reservoir. Here is the catch. My temp gage is not working. I continued to replace oil for about 2500 miles. Drove it home to MD from AZ. It was strong and felt fine all the way. A faint beeping started up and I unplugged the temp sensor and let the fan run full speed. How would I adjust the fan to run at the correct temp. Of course, getting the temp gage working is first thing.

Ben
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Old 08-07-2016, 06:55 PM   #7
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I stopped and had some guy named "Big Rig" just look at it and he claimed the motor just needed a new gasket /seal. I figure the motor just needs replacement but I'm not sure that will remedy the overheating issue. Will the engine shut off automatically if it reaches a certain temp?
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Old 08-07-2016, 10:23 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben Alth View Post
I stopped and had some guy named "Big Rig" just look at it and he claimed the motor just needed a new gasket /seal. I figure the motor just needs replacement but I'm not sure that will remedy the overheating issue. Will the engine shut off automatically if it reaches a certain temp?
Not usually. It will nicely destroy itself in different fun and exciting ways as it reaches different temperatures, however.
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Old 08-08-2016, 07:48 AM   #9
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good thing its a cummins... if it was a DT360/DT466 it wouldve been destroyed likely by that 240!! or at least the coolant wouldve all been in the oil....

im not familiar with the oil filled clutches that can have oil added.. im only familiar with the sealed ones that are simply temperature and hub driven...

I didnt realize it was an RE bus.. all my experience is on conventionals..

-Christopher
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Old 08-08-2016, 02:03 PM   #10
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Having the same problem. Looking for a new clutch fan. This one is a Horton. Website says not being manufactured anymore. 1981 bluebird with 3.8 L Cummins. Any ideas?
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Old 08-08-2016, 02:39 PM   #11
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kit-masters can match up about anything... there are a lot of reman older units out there... borg-warner has picked up a lot of the old horton part numbers...

I used kit-masters for even my unusual viscous fan clutch and had one in a couple days..

-Christopher
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Old 08-08-2016, 03:33 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JimW View Post
Having the same problem. Looking for a new clutch fan. This one is a Horton. Website says not being manufactured anymore. 1981 bluebird with 3.8 L Cummins. Any ideas?
I bet you get great mileage.
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Old 08-08-2016, 03:40 PM   #13
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Fan Motor

My 1996 Bluebird rear engine with the 8.3 Cummins has the
radiator and fan setting on the drivers side of the engine bay.
The fan is driven by hydraulic pressure from the power steering
pump. The fan is attached to the hydraulic fan motor and is
supplied with oil by two hoses. The temperature is controlled by
a temperature switch on the engine. If I remember correctly the
switch is electrical and controls a solenoid in the pressure line to
activate the fan at the proper time. Prior to my getting the bus
the state repair facility logged a similar complaint to what you
are describing with my bus (ie Using coolant and running hot).
After removing the head to check for head gasket failure they
found a cracked head which they subsequently repaired.
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Old 08-08-2016, 08:49 PM   #14
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Same here. Replacement head and labor $7720.02. Out of town on vacation replacement. But still running hot.
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Old 08-08-2016, 08:53 PM   #15
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Mileage around 8 mpg. Hard to guess. My gauges aren't working either.
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Old 08-08-2016, 09:00 PM   #16
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Quote:
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Replacement head and labor $7720.02. Out of town on vacation replacement.
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Old 08-08-2016, 11:53 PM   #17
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You have heard the stories that skoolies can get expensive for what seems like somewhat basic fixes? They're true stories...


Quote:
Originally Posted by milkmania View Post
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Old 08-09-2016, 10:01 AM   #18
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Year: 1991
Chassis: Bluebird
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Quoted price for repair kit for clutch fan $450. Plus $80 per hour labor to do the repair.
I'll take it apart and see what's up. Watching YouTube for tips.
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Old 08-09-2016, 10:25 AM   #19
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alomost 8k for a head?? I was told i could replace my whole engine for less than that if I needed to...

-Christopher
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Old 08-09-2016, 12:16 PM   #20
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Labor charges. Wisconsin
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