Hello I noticed that the factory mechanical cooling fan is always making noise no matter whether it is hot or cold. Sounds like a vacuum cleaner or a school bus. I can spin it with my hand with the engine off but it stops as soon as I let go. Same whether hot or cold. Would a new clutch fix this issue? Was there another type of fan on these cars that depended more on engine speed than temp? Also, just curious would a fan from a 68 Pontiac 400 fit in this car? I have a spare one sitting around thx.
My best guess would be to replace the fan clutch. In the past my 74 Electra also got really loud and I oiled it and it became quiet again, BUT, 2 weeks later, I noticed an engine vibration under load and shortly after, 1 blade broke off and sliced thru the fan shroud miraculously not hitting anything mechanical, but did dent the hood from inside. Upon examining the old one, I noticed the ball bearings were mostly gone causing the fan to run off center until the stress caused a blade to detach. I ended up putting a standard non clutch fan which wasn't really that noisy at all.
It was a long while ago, but it turned out to be a bad idea. The fact it got quiet again for a while meant that the sealed bearing had failed. It shouldn’t have needed oiling. I don’t think you can replace the bearing as I believe it’s part of the fan clutch.
Thermal fan clutch. Whether or not you choose heavy duty depends on the pitch of your blades. Steep pitch, heavy duty. Shallow pitch, standard.
