VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 Fan striking radiator 1941 Coupe

I have a problem. Suddenly I heard a "tink" noise in my '41 . I finally determined the fan was striking the radiator. When I installed the reconditioned radiator some time ago there was adequate clearance between the fan and radiator. What would cause the fan to suddenly start to slightly hit the radiator? Everything is tight and looks okay. JIM

Old age and I feel like some "tinking" is going on also.

Enough entertainment. I don't know except that the radiator was too near the fan after you installed the reconditioned one. The adjustment of the bars that stabilize the top of the radiator housing would not have shifted on their own or the rubbers at the bottom of the radiator support either.

Ordinarily there is plenty of clearance between the path of the fan blades and the radiator core. Did you bump into something?

Mystery to me too. Not supposed happen without some radical adjustment of the support rods or the bottom pads. Maybe you're just hearing "tings." May want to take another look.

Good luck with finding out what is the matter. Not like a 41 to do no stinkin' shifting around all on its own.

Best,

Charlie

BTW: As we get older we tend to shrink. Not supposed to happen to metal all that much but that may be what's going on. May be a winter thing and the metal has shrunk. Just another reason to move farther south. Yep!

Failing water pump?
WL

WL:,

Yep. I hadn't thought of that. That's probably the cause right there.

Best,

Charlie

Waterpump wear is definately a possible cause of your problem.

My suggestion is to look at the water pump. Bearing wear will let the fan move forward as well as allow it to tilt at an angle due to the pull of the belt.

I had a rather nasty failure when the pulley and fan moved forward on the pump shaft. I had just rebuilt the pump and did not realize that the bore of the hub had been damaged when we pressed it off of the old pump shaft.

I agree, it almost has to be the water pump.

The only thing puzzling about the water pump being the culprit is that if it is that bad why isn't it leaking? There was no mention of it leaking when JAR41.

Best,

Charlie

Hi Charlie,

The water seal is completely separate from the self-contained sealed bearing unit.

The water seal will tolerate some in and out motion plus a little bit of an angle - for a while!

If it is not leaking now it will be soon.

Thanks Rusty. I didn't know that. I wouldn't have thought that the shaft could be so worn that it would permit the fan to strike the radiator fins without leaking to boot.

I'll file that little tidbit away in my noggin in case I'm ever faced with a problem such as the instant thread is about.

Nice to learn something new about the 41s (and others) on a continual basis.

Best and thanks again,

Charlie

Thanks to everyone that commented. I installed a new water pump "recently" meaning there are not many miles on the pump. However most of you agree that the water pump is the culprit. That sounds logical and the pump is not leaking and according to Rusty the shaft can move and the water not leak.
I will check out the water pump and Charlie the "tink" is real. I am 85 years old ( still doing good). I can't get down or up as good but can still drive and work under the hood, etc. I'll match any of you for VCCA numbers.. Mine is VCCA # 01273. One good thing about our club is that so many members are so knowledgeable about so many things and are willing to respond to problems.
I will keep you posted on my progress. Thanks again JIM

Hi JAR41
You originally posted that "everything is tight and looks okay" so I'm assuming you've given the fan/water pump a shake and it isn't too sloppy.
So... this might be a little "out there" but, how good are your motor mounts?

I would remove the tension from the fan belt and check things. The belt tension will take out all free play.

Ole I replaced the motor mounts when installed the reconditioned radiator . Rusty I loosened the fan belt but will check that again. II can feel play in the shaft that would be a lot of play. Looks like a tear down and fix it right. Thanks JIM

Hi Jim,

Try this check. With the fan belt completely loose grab the tip of one of the fan blades near where it hit the radiator. Try to pull the blade tip into the radiator. That might show how things can move.

Is the contact area near the top or the bottom of the radiator? If it is in the upper portion you might be able to make a little more room by pushing the top of the radiator forward with the adjustment at the back of the support rods. You can make some adjustment there without messing up your hood fit.

There was one interesting issue I encountered when I rebuilt my water pump. I think the seals in the bearing pack had gone bad and let dirt in while it was on the shelf. It was a NOS aftermarket kit from maybe the 40’s. The shaft did not turn smoothly so I bought another kit. My concern was early bearing failure.

I have had a few people tell me that you can buy the bearing new from most bearing supply houses. They have to order it but you can get it. I have never tried that. The limitation I see with this approach is that you still need an impeller and a seal. I cannot figure out how to press the bearing out of the housing without probably damaging the seal or possibly breaking the impeller.

Keep us updated.

Wow! This turned out longer than I intended. Sorry.

Thanks Rusty JIM

Check the fan blade in the center for cracks. If there are any cracks it will pull forward when turning.

Steve makes an EXCELLENT suggestion!
The kind of thing that stares us in the face but we don't think of it.
And if a blade lets loose it can destroy a radiator really fast so I wouldn't waste any time in implementing his suggestion.

Good point, I agree, definitely check out the fan blades!

Thanks fellows. I will check these suggestions out as soon as the weather breaks. Too cold here in the Missouri Ozarks. It was 18 degrees this morning and some days don't warm up much. Good car shed but no heat. I have a lot of good ideas to check out. Whatever it is seems odd and very serious to me. I may have to have the radiator repaired. Radiator repair shops are hard to find in this area. I had my radiator repaired last year. This was an old shop with the big tank to boil it out and then pressure check for leaks. May not still be in business. I had a modern core installed on my tanks several years ago. Just saw that Gene Schneider is doing better.. One of the good guys. Gene has helped so many people Keep safe JIM

I have been following this thread and am surprised the problem has not been found. Unless I missed it, I have not heard where the fan is striking the radiator. This would be the first and most important item in solving the problem.

I assume this problem started all at once, if so, find the place the fan hits the radiator.

Is the solution as simple as bending the fan blade that has been bent?

Will be watching for the solution to this problem.

I will add that a flying fan blade can do a lot of damage to the car, it can also cause a fatal injury to a human.

I found my "tink" noise. It was the generator. The front bearing was worn causing the metal fin on the front to strike the body of the generator. Replace the bearing. Right. Of course the bearing was wallowed (wallered) in Qzark language, out so had to replace the generator. That is much better than the fan striking the radiator which was our first thought. The water leak was a pin hole in the radiator. Put in a can of Barrs Leak since I just had the radiator boiled out and repaired not long ago. Replaced a leaking front wheel cylinder. Ready to roll. Thanks for all the helpful comments. There are so many knowledgeable people in our club that are willing to help solve problems. JIM