89 5.0 Shroud and cooling fan issue

Mike Kauntz · Sep 27, 2018

The cooling fan on my 89 LX was rubbing on the bottom of the shroud. It looks like its been going on for sometime now. The engine was swapped in 2002 (by previous owner). The fan blades are cracked in several places and the edges are worn quite a bit, hence they aren't rubbing any more but the clearance is about the thickness of a piece of paper. I was thinking the wrong motor mounts were used or doesn't that make any difference, or I may have a broken motor mount. Everything is tight on the shroud and it seems to be mounted well.

billison · Sep 27, 2018

I’d check your mounts anyway.

But a cracked fan will expand at speed, I’d replace it and the fan clutch to be safe.

Mike Kauntz · Sep 27, 2018

billison said:
I’d check your mounts anyway.

But a cracked fan will expand at speed, I’d replace it and the fan clutch to be safe.

I'm definitely going to replace the fan and clutch, I have to fix the problem first. I think when they dropped the new engine in they didn't replace the mounts and they're like 30 years old now. I was originally looking for a rapping noise under the hood and someone suggested checking the fan blade for cracks.

billison · Sep 27, 2018

Have you inspected the old ones? Sounds like you are on the right track

90sickfox · Sep 27, 2018

The engine mounts can sag and cause that issue.

Glad you're on the right track. It sucks to have a fan come apart while you're driving.

Mike Kauntz · Sep 27, 2018

Just checked the mounts. They aren't broken but may be sagging due to age like 90sickfox stated. I also notice that the radiator and shroud may no be seated properly. They look a little higher than they should be. I'm going to compare it to my brothers 87 GT and see if the measurements are the same.

90sickfox · Sep 27, 2018

Check the core support itself. It's not uncommon for someone to attempt to jack the car up from the center of the core support under the radiator. That has caused issues on several cars that I've worked on.

Mike Kauntz · Sep 27, 2018

90sickfox said:
Check the core support itself. It's not uncommon for someone to attempt to jack the car up from the center of the core support under the radiator. That has caused issues on several cars that I've worked on.

Thanks I just checked it and it's straight. I'm going to pull the radiator this weekend and see what's up. It's between the radiator not being put in properly or the engine mounts. If not it's back to the drawing board.

Dan02gt · Sep 27, 2018

I would suspect mounts. The convertible mounts are the only ones available now. They drop the motor .5" compared to the coupe mounts. When I replaced my mounts with vert mounts mine rubbed and I had to trim the fan to fit. I ultimately installed a aftermarket trans mount that allowed me to drop the rear of the trans by .25" to help counter the drop of the motor mounts. This increased the clearance quite a bit.

Mike Kauntz · Sep 30, 2018

Dan02gt said:
I would suspect mounts. The convertible mounts are the only ones available now. They drop the motor .5" compared to the coupe mounts. When I replaced my mounts with vert mounts mine rubbed and I had to trim the fan to fit. I ultimately installed a aftermarket trans mount that allowed me to drop the rear of the trans by .25" to help counter the drop of the motor mounts. This increased the clearance quite a bit.

Mine is a convertible, I'll let you know how it turns out.

Mike Kauntz · Sep 30, 2018

I ordered new engine mounts and got a new fan blade (the clutch is okay). I'll install the new mounts and if it gives me enough clearance I'll install the new fan. Thank you every one for your input. I'll let you know how it turns out. If you have any more ideas I'm still open.

jrichker · Sep 30, 2018

The fan shroud will move up & down an easy 1/2"; you may have to adjust the shroud.

While you are at it check the lower radiator mount rubber cushions. If they are missing or damaged, they will cause problems with the fan rubbing.

Blown88GT · Oct 1, 2018

Mike Kauntz said:
I ordered new engine mounts and got a new fan blade (the clutch is okay). I'll install the new mounts and if it gives me enough clearance I'll install the new fan. Thank you every one for your input. I'll let you know how it turns out. If you have any more ideas I'm still open.

Hope you got the Energy Suspension polyurethane mounts. They will last forever.

Mike Kauntz · Oct 2, 2018

jrichker said:
The fan shroud will move up & down an easy 1/2"; you may have to adjust the shroud.

While you are at it check the lower radiator mount rubber cushions. If they are missing or damaged, they will cause problems with the fan rubbing.

I looked at the shroud to see if it could be moved up or down and everything seems stationary. I can move it to the left or right a bit but that seems to be all. I will check the lower cushions if the new engine mounts don't do the trick. My mechanic friend is kind of skeptical about the engine mounts.

Mike Kauntz · Oct 9, 2018

Here's what's happening so far. I found the motor mount on the drivers side is shot. I bought motor mounts "exact fit" and the holes didn't line up on the engine block. Bought another set from a different supplier (locally) the holes on the drivers side were off a bit but can be opened up a tad to fit. Hopefully I can bring this nightmare to an end today. To top things off I found the oil dip stick is the wrong one, I thought I was a 1/2 quart down when I only had about 2 quarts in the pan. The previous owner had a rebuilt engine installed in 2001 and it has less than 20,000 miles on it but I don't think he did his homework before the install. After all is said and done I hope the fan doesn't hit the shroud, which is what started this whole fiasco.

Blown88GT · Oct 9, 2018

https://www.jegs.com/i/Energy-Suspension/355/4-1122R/10002/-1?ymm=4294829838+4294829830+4294829436

Mike Kauntz · Oct 9, 2018

Blown88GT said:
https://www.jegs.com/i/Energy-Suspension/355/4-1122R/10002/-1?ymm=4294829838+4294829830+4294829436

What didn't match was the distance between the clearance holes where it bolted to the block. All is well, thank you for your input.

Mike Kauntz · Oct 9, 2018

The new engine mounts are in, a multitude of noises were quieted and I gained about an inch and a half clearance between the fan and the
bottom of the shroud. The new fan goes on tomorrow. Thanks again everyone.

Blown88GT · Oct 10, 2018

Mike Kauntz said:
What didn't match was the distance between the clearance holes where it bolted to the block. All is well, thank you for your input.

Then engine wasn't from a Fox. For the future, you might want to figure out what it is. There are casting numbers on the block & heads.

Mike Kauntz · Oct 11, 2018

Blown88GT said:
Then engine wasn't from a Fox. For the future, you might want to figure out what it is. There are casting numbers on the block & heads.

I'm going to check the casting number on the block. I found instructions on reading Ford numbers. I want to find out for future reference.

89 5.0 Shroud and cooling fan issue

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mazing how much gas smell came from that tiny hole

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