Excessive fan noise?
 

Hey folks,

Just picked up my 83 GSL a week ago and have another (newbie) question.

About 2 seconds after a I start the car this loud fan noise comes on. I can also hear it when I'm switching gears (clutch in)... is this the rad fan?....should it be that noisy?

thanx again!

/Blair

Re: Excessive fan noise?
 

The fans are belt driven meaning the higher the RPM the faster the fan moves and it tends to sound like a quiet tornado, but at idle it shouldn't be that bad. If you have an after market electric fan, it will kick on when the car is warmed up or the A/C (if installed) is turned on. What kind of sound is it making?

Also check where your motor meets the transmission and if you can see the flywheel through a notch in the bell housing of the transmission. If so then you are missing a cover and you might be hearing the flywheel and clutch. This is not a big deal as I always take this plate off as to save weight and never had problems in all my years of owning rotaries.

Re: Excessive fan noise?
 

No, actually this just means your fan clutch is dead. Change it for a new one and it will rotate only as fast as necessary to keep the engine cool (that's why it's on the water pump shaft, so it can sense the temperature).

It's a common failure, likely all or most this age are locked up solid and spin the fan at the same speed as the pump all the time. Thankfully, it's easy to change (but don't buy another locked up used one ;^)

J.

Re: Excessive fan noise?
 

Don't bother looking for a new clutch fan. They are too expensive. Most used fans will have the same problem. Replace with electric fan. They only come on at the temp you set. This will be an after market item. the electric fan also has advantage of not taking engine power.