Fan Clutch

[Dennis Myers]

I have read that I can have the fan clutch rebuilt on my 65, but I can't find any info on where to have this done. Any help is appreciated.

[Gary B.]

Re: Fan Clutch

Dennis,

I recommend Fred Oliva. His website is: http://www.gate.net/~foliva and you can find his contact info there. He does stellar work.

Gary

[Bill Lacy]

Re: Fan Clutch

Dennis
Fred Oliva, Coral Springs FL PH# 954-755-1161. Fred did an original 67 fan clutch for me back in 04. I thought he was a little slow, about four months, but he did a terrific job it looks great and is still working. I would use him again. Cost was $169 + S/H back in 04.
Bill

[Mark P.]

Re: Fan Clutch

Good luck in getting in touch with him. I'm still waiting after 2 months. Sent e-mails and left messages. Apparently, he isn't hurting for business.

Mark

[John H.]

Re: Fan Clutch

Fred's pretty well backed up - current turnaround for a clutch rebuild is about six months.

[James W.]

Re: Fan Clutch

Dennis,

First, are you having it rebuilt to use on a driver or for flight judging? If for flight judging you should be fine, as one of the other guys responded it looks great WHEN you get it back. As for durability, lets just say my freshly rebuilt fan clutch was on it's way to bearing failure after only 1,500 miles. Yes, it was stored properly before installation, no visible leaks and everything was tight when it was installed. I drove from Omaha to Bowling Green to a regional meet last May and when I got home and started checking all components before my trip to Park City I found when grabbing ahold of the fan blade and checking for fore to aft movement it was really loose! All emails, phone calls with messages left describing the problem to Fred went completely un-answered. I ended up buying a new GM fan clutch for the trip. I guess the $150 paper weight I now have to be just that. I sure wish he was better about his communications. Good Luck!

James West
Omaha, NE.

[Mark P.]

Re: Fan Clutch

I'm assuming that's after he gets yours to rebuild it. I'm thinking that I would have to add an additional 2-3 months (or more?) on that since I still haven't heard anything yet. I suppose that's the price of doing good work (with no guarantee against failure?...see James' response) and being popular. I guess if he was terrible, I wouldn't have any time at all to wait.

I'll wait my turn and try to be patient...and call him again in a week.....

Mark

[Dennis Myers]

Re: Fan Clutch

He may be busy but there is no excuse for not taking 2 minutes to answer an e-mail. Thats not good business I don't care how good you are.

[john daly]

Re: Fan Clutch

I keep the original bar type clutch on my 67 for judging. For driving around I use the GM p/n 3916141 service replacement clutch. Its similar in appearance to the original.
JD

[Bill Stephenson]

Re: Fan Clutch

-----I have only used my Oliva done fan clutch for points shows. I found that the currently available from the dealer unit did a much better job of keeping our 390/AC car cool in traffic. Freds job looks cool but it pretty much ends there, sorry to say!........Bill S

[Fred Oliva]

Re: Fan Clutch

Mr West,

First of all, let me apologize for not returning your (or other's) phone calls.
Every week, I'm overwhelmed with a huge volume of calls & emails. I simply cannot return them all -- even at 2 minutes per call. My intention is not to be inconsiderate.

As I stated in a post about a year ago, I've got about a huge backlog of fan clutches in my shop. Despite my best efforts, this backlog has increased to
about 8 months. This has forced me to stay focused on the work in the shop
& not return phone calls. This has not been an easy choice, but the only one
open to me if I wish to keep things going. My job only allows me to work on
clutches (a hobby/business) on the weekends.

This, however, is no excuse for not answering your concerns or the questions of others. I'm only trying to explain the circmstances of the situation.

From the description of your symptoms, it sounds as if you have a bar type clutch. Let me assure you that the play you feel is normal for this design, and NOT a bearing failure waiting to happen. With this type of clutch, the
bearing is a needle type with external seals & no inner race. What this means is that the shaft must slide freely into the bearing since there is no inner race to press it into. This accounts for the play you feel when you wiggle the fan blades.

Also, the internal clearance between the clutch plate and the
casting was designed to be loose so that the fluid can circulate between the clutch plate and the inner casting surface, and not excessively wear the friction surfaces. This play was a design decision made by Schwitzer, the manufacturer, not by me.

Most people test the fan clutch by wiggling the fan as you have done. This is
a good test for a water pump bearing, which has an inner race and a press-fit
shaft, but it is not a good test for a slip-fit bearing & shaft. All coil type fan clutches have a bearing with an inner race & a press-fit shaft. This
is why these have less play than their bar type counterparts. It also explains why this design has survived in it present over-the-counter incarnation.

I have NOS bar type clutches that show the play that you describe.

If you're still not satisfied, I'll be happy to refund your money. No problem!
This also applies to the other gentleman who stated that his clutch is not cooling his car.

In this case, it sounds like the fluid could have leaked out of the clutch.
I had a problem with a few defective seals on coil clutches a while back. The problem has since been sorted out. Anyone who has a problem with a leaking seal, I'll fix it if you wish.

Finally, the best time to reach me is after 8:00 PM weekdays, when I get home from work, or during the weekends - if the compressor in the shop is not on & making too much noise

Hope this helps -- sorry for your frustration.
Fred Oliva
954-755-161

[Zachary K.]

Re: Fan Clutch

I'll come to the defense of Fred. I have had 3 personal clutches done by him and all are in fine working order. I have also sent him other business from numerous friends that have been looking to have an original clutch done. I must say there has only been one problem and this clutch was sent back and redone by Fred without any problems. I think anyone that is lucky enough to have original fan clutch after all these years that can have it rebuilt by Fred no matter how long it takes him should pretty happy. As for all my years in this hobby, Fred is the only one that I know of doing them. From one phone call with him many years ago he told me it was just him and his Dad and it was a secondary job for them. For what it takes to replace one of these, all of 15 minutes with a 1/2 inch wrench, especially if my car were a driver, I would be mounting a new over the counter unit on my car for driving and saving my original for shows. Thanks Fred, for your excellent work over the years, don't sacrafice your quality for a few unhappy guys that can't or won't take the time to understand your situation.

[James W.]

Re: Fan Clutch

Fred,

Thanks you for the response, it is greatly appreciated and I understand how busy you must be. The fan clutch in question is on my '64 with a 327/300 engine and it is the coiled spring type clutch. Is this "play" you describe typical of those also? Why I ask is because when I sent the clutch to you to be restored, it did not have the fore-to-aft play, but was leaking fluid and would not pass the NCRS Operations check for free wheel operation as described in the judging manual, hence the need for a rebuild.

Sincerely,

James West
Omaha, Nebraska

[Fred Oliva]

Re: Fan Clutch

Mr West,

There will be some play in a coil clutch, however it should not be as much as
a bar type.

The important thing to remember is that the bearings used in the coil type
clutch need SOME play, or else they run hot & ruin the seals. This play can be magnified when you rock edges of the fan blade, which is several inches away from the center of the clutch.

It's hard in to describe how much play is normal. I would recommend watching
the clutch for leakage around the seals. This would be the most important
indicator of something going wrong.

Also, I have observed some variation in play from clutch to clutch. With all this said, I've never seen a bearing failure in one of my clutches aside from the seal leakage issue I described earlier (subsequently resolved).

My recommendation is to watch it carefully for any changes. If you're uncomfortable with this, then send it back & I'll replace the bearing (yes, I'm PAINFULLY aware of the wait -- sorry).

Hope this helps
Fred O

[James W.]

Re: Fan Clutch

Fred,

Again, thank you for your response. I guess I don't know what to do, I had others, even seasoned NCRS Ops Judges say that it was excessivly loose, hence the reason for putting a new one on for the trip to the National Convention. The last thing I wanted to have happen on the road tour was to have it possibly fail at speed and take out the radiator in the middle of nowhere.

If you don't mind, I'd like to send it back to you for your evaluation.

Sincerely,

James West
Omaha, NE.