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I was cleaning my engine bay to day when I discovered that the engine fan's paint was bubbling and starting to chip. I've never really cleaned the fan and always assumed it was just dirty. Is this cause for concern? Will I need to get the fan repainted or have to get the fan replaced altogether?
Looks to me like a previous owner's crappy paint job flaking off. It's not the OE color, and the bubbling/corrosion on the blades is weird. You could probably pull it and have it blasted and just keep it bare (edit: don't leave it bare) or lightly spraypaint with high temp if it's square otherwise. Powdercoat can be thick enough to cause clearance issues with the fan housing, so be careful there.
What's with the black contact ring in the paint? Is it rubbing against the belts or something??
Looks to me like a previous owner's crappy paint job flaking off. It's not the OE color, and the bubbling/corrosion on the blades is weird. You could probably pull it and have it blasted and just keep it bare or lightly spraypaint with high temp if it's square otherwise. Powdercoat can be thick enough to cause clearance issues with the fan housing, so be careful there.
What's with the black contact ring in the paint? Is it rubbing against the belts or something??
Looks to me like a previous owner's crappy paint job flaking off. It's not the OE color, and the bubbling/corrosion on the blades is weird. You could probably pull it and have it blasted and just keep it bare or lightly spraypaint with high temp if it's square otherwise. Powdercoat can be thick enough to cause clearance issues with the fan housing, so be careful there.
What's with the black contact ring in the paint? Is it rubbing against the belts or something??
Iffin it were me, I would...
1. Chem strip (not media blast) the crappy paint on the fan to bare magnesium. Media blasting smears the parent material, and will mask linear indications when 2. Dye penetrating the fan for cracks and/or excessive porosity. 3. Clean with Tricholoethane or Trichloroethylene replacement. 4. Chromate coat. 5. Paint or powder coat; masking the ends of the fan blades.
Here is a video of the fan going. I don't think the fan is actually shaking as it sort of appears in the video, I think that's just dirt on different parts of it. The tips of the fan don't look to be cracked and there appears to be enough clearance between the belt and the fan so I'm not sure what the black mark is from. It is just one thing after another, was replacing the oil cooler resistor when I found one of the CV boot's was starting to crack so I replaced all the boots and regreased the axels.
Gotta remember these things are old. You might not need to replace it immediately but get it on your radar. I plan on changing mine and it looks perfect.
Was just doing some more cleaning and noticed that one of the blades is starting to split a bit. Looks like I'll be getting a new fan. Does anyone know what all parts are included in this? http://www.suncoastparts.com/product/SKU993FAN.html
Is it just the fan or does it come with the hub and bearing?
Hey Andy - my original fan looked much like yours, and I've seen several other original fans that look like yours. For some reason some fans develop that color with age. Also, the bubbling is classic corrosion of the magnesium. Check out cars with other painted magnesium engine parts and they'll start to look the same after 20+ years of use.
While you might be able to save the fan and refinish it, I agree with the others - just swap it out for a new one.
02-16-2017, 06:56 PM
Paint bubbling on engine fan
