VOLVO
TROPICAL COOLING FAN
CLUTCH
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TROPICAL Version - Heavy
Duty
Original Volvo Fan Clutch - Made by Aisin
240 and 740 Models
In stock NOW
Be
ready for summer.....
Upgrade the Fan Clutch in your Volvo NOW!
Has
your original 240 or
740 fan clutch
ever been
replaced? They don't last forever. Chances are, if it's
original, it's worn out.
In 2004 I purchased
a pristine '84 242 Turbo. I noticed elevated coolant temperatures
(well above the middle) in
the summer while running the
A/C or when driving up long grades on the freeway. I decided
something needed to be done. I already had a heavy-duty
3-row Nissens radiator in the car, so why was it running hot? I
fitted a 180
degree thermostat (the original was 192 deg.). I think it helped
a
little, but it was still running
hot when subjected to moderate loads during warm days, especially if I
turned on the A/C. If I drove up a grade I had to keep a constant
eye on the temp gauge. I considered going to a primary
electric puller fan, but I really wanted to keep the car
original.
I decided it was time to replace the
fan clutch, as I had heard the original ones didn't
pull air as well as when new. As far as I knew,
the
fan
clutch in my car was an original 1983 part.
I live in an area of Southern
California that easily gets over 100
degrees F in the
summer. I thought about buying a new "stock"
type
fan clutch. But what if I spent the
money and it was only a small improvement? Or no improvement? It might still run too hot and all
that money would be wasted.
I decided to
try a Volvo TROPICAL,
HEAVY DUTY FAN CLUTCH. It's an original Volvo item,
made by Aisin for
Volvos in hotter (tropical) climates. And since Aisin is the
original Volvo part
manufacturer, it should last!
I was pleasantly surprised by the result... it pulls noticeably more
air when needed. It probably
makes a
little
more "whooosh" sound as the engine revs up, but I think that
can be
expected, since it is moving more air
through the radiator. I was so impressed by its
performance
that I located a supplier and decided to start offering them
here.
Before installing this new fan clutch, my temperature gauge
would often
climb above
the middle. Now it consistently stays below
9 o'clock, even on a very hot day, AND
EVEN WITH MY AIR-CONDITIONER
GOING. I've sold dozens of these now and all reports from
customers are positive.
My
latest Tropical Fan Clutch
Story:
In
April 2008, I drove my 242 Turbo to the Davis Volvo Meet in Northern
California. It was pretty warm coming back home through
Bakersfield on Sunday afternoon (90 plus degrees) and I had the
A/C going strong... much better. When I started up the Grapevine
(a
famous, long, steep grade for probably 15 miles if you're not familiar
with it), I left the A/C on, stayed in the FAST lane, and kept my speed
up in the 70-80 mph range (boost was consistently up around 10 psi
almost the whole time). Most other 240 Turbos would see the temp
rising steadily all the way to the red in this situation (mine sure
would at one time). My temp gauge went up slightly, maybe 10
degrees, then stayed put all the way up and over the grade. I was
never more proud of the old Turbo. My passenger, who also owns
two 240 Turbos and knows well what he should have seen the gauge do,
couldn't believe his eyes.
I'm
pretty sure the fan clutch was responsible for this miracle
since it's the ONLY thing I have added to the car cooling system
(except for a new Nissens 3-row radiator when the existing one started
seeping). But keep in mind, this car DID already have a Nissens
3-row radiator (was on the car when I bought it). It used to run
hot anyway. But not any more. Adding the fan clutch made a
noticeable different in this car for sure.
-Dave
Customer
Comments:
"...the
tropical fan clutch really made a difference on my 760T...."
J.C.M., Garland, TX.
"I'm writing to tell
the story of my two 240 wagons ('83 and
'86 both stick shifts). Over the last two years, I bought
two 240 wagons for around $500 each. Needless to say they both needed a
fair amount of TLC to get them back to top-running condition.
Anyway I was pretty happy with the way they both ran with one exception
-- they ran hot. The '83 was worse than the '86 but they were
both bad. Cold thermostats didn't really help once the mercury got up
there and we wanted to use the A/C.
"Being a scientifically minded cat, I thought I'd try an experiment. On
the '83 I installed a refurbished all-metal three core radiator and one
of your tropical fan clutches.
The '86 got the same radiator setup plus an electric fan conversion as
discussed on your site. Both work pretty well now but there is no
question in my mind that the tropical
fan clutch setup is vastly superior. We drove it to San
Diego from Tucson in 100+ fahrenheit weather a month ago with the A/C
on all the way. The temp gauge didn't even make it to
halfway. The electric fan car works fine but under stress it
still creeps past the mid-line occasionally. The bottom line is
that the tropical fan clutch is the better solution. My only
issue is that under most circumstances the car hardly gets to operating
temperature. I may have to put a regular thermostat back in it
during the winter months.
"I've
already sold several of the guys around here on your fan
clutches. Oddly it wasn't well known information around here;
only one of the mechanics who had worked Volvos in New Mexico had heard
of the heavy duty clutches." N.S., Tucson, AZ
"Tonight I took my teenage son on a driving lesson. We spent an
hour and a half doing parallel parking. The ambient temps were 85
degrees F, and the A/C was on. The temp gauge never went above about
9:30... and in the past, when I've done a lot of stop and go, the
needle would almost go into the red. The thing should have melted
down. It didn't. Verdict: The fan clutch works." T.A., Saint Paul, MN
THERMOSTATS:
There are a number of thermostats available for Volvo 240 and 700
models. In most parts of the U.S., your Volvo will likely have a
92 degree Celcius (197.6 F) thermostat or an 87 degree Celcius (188.6
F) from the factory. I think the hotter thermostat was used in
many parts to help reduce emissions. In most places, the 92C will
be way too hot. My preference has been to switch to the 82C
(179.6 F). It seems to permit good warm ups and the needle sits
just below 9 o'clock when fully warm. In southern
California in the summer, the 87C (188.6 F) I tried usually had the
needle just above 9 o'clock. Your area may be different.
And in areas that get extra cold in the winter, an 82C might promote
slower warm-ups. I don't recommend the 71C thermostat anywhere,
unless you're in Iraq in the summer.
Here are some
Volvo thermostat part numbers:
273459/71:
71C (159.8 F)
273459/82:
82C (179.6 F)
273459/87:
87C (188.6 F)
273307/92:
92C (197.6 F)
NOTE Regarding testing your old fan
clutch and useless internet articles:
I have received a number of emails from people who want to find
a way to positively determine if their old fan clutch is worn
out before they commit to buying another. For most fan
clutches, it's very difficult to
measure any function or efficiency, since fan clutches are pretty
mysterious. A search through
the internet doesn't help much at all, because you will find articles
that tell you, "...if the fan
can be spun by hand... if it makes more than 5 turns after the engine
is off.... etc., then it's worn
out." Most of these articles
are crap.
I have also had
some determined customers, who have
installed this new fan clutch and, after reading some of these
misleading articles (or after talking to a "mechanic friend" who read
an
article) come to the conclusion the new tropical clutch must be
defective because it spins a certain way after revving or idling, as
mentioned in some article. What I always tell these people to do
is go out and drive the car and see if it does it's job. This
always results
in a change of attitude, because these fan clutches do work well,
regardless of the mysteries behind them.
But if you must read an internet article on the subject and must know
how to test a fan clutch... the below link has an
excellent and accurate article on fan clutch function and includes
methods of testing
fan clutches the proper way using a temperature probe and
photo-tachometer.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/how_to_central/automotive/1772922.html
OLDER
240's:
Some 1976-1979 240 models were equipped with a one-piece clutch/fan
unit, identified by a fan with aluminum blades. These parts are no
longer available. To upgrade to the later type of fan clutch
(such as this tropical version), you will need to locate the plastic
fan and four 6mm studs with nuts for mounting the clutch to the water
pump flange. IPD has these parts: www.IPDUSA.com.
1357433 Aisin Fan
Clutch,
Tropical/Heavy
Duty, 240/740 all years.
This is an original Volvo part for your 240 or 740.
Don't pay Volvo retail:
$256.00. This part is AFFORDABLE!
Your price: $99.00
plus shipping
(shipping
weight is 4
lbs... or about $8 to $12 using Priority Mail in the U.S.A depending on
your ZIP Code.)
Money Orders
also
accepted... please email for address.
Please EMAIL me if
you have any questions at all.
Thanks, Dave Barton
INSTRUCTIONS FOR REPLACING FAN
CLUTCH
1. Disconnect the negative
(-) battery cable from the battery.
2. Remove the
screws securing the top of the plastic fan shroud
to the radiator.
3. Push or lift the fan shroud out of the way.
4. Remove the four (4) mounting nuts holding the fan
clutch to the
fan pulley. These are typically 10 mm nuts and will require a
10 mm combination wrench.
5. Separate the fan from the fan clutch. There are four (4)
mounting nuts holding the fan to the fan clutch. These are
typically 10 mm nuts and will require a 10 mm socket wrench.
6. Installation is reverse of removal.
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