Thermo Fan Squealing - Fixable??

[Zeussy]

Hey guys and girls,

As the thread title suggests, my thermo fan is making a bit of an annoying squeal.
Its the secondary fan - smaller one on the drivers side, not the bigger one that comes on first - passenger side.

Normally notice it when you stop after a drive, and while its idling away for a while (when it gets upto the secondary fan cut-in temp). Its really bugging me

Now, just want to know if they are service-able, as in can you grease the shaft of the motor, or replace the bearings or just buy an aftermarket/genuine fan motor and install it into my existing shroud???

Any info would be greatly appreciated, as I don't really want to fork out a ridiculous price at Holden for the whole shebang, if I don't need to.

Would I be better just getting a set off something from the wreckers - in unknown condition and hope for the best, or one of the methods mentioned above? etc..

Cheers!



EDIT: It started a little while back when we had all the rains and I needed to drive through some deep puddles, or streams but not straight away, probly a week after. I thought it's probably just wet so have been waiting to see if it was going to dry out or not, but its not looking like it is. :/

[Calaber]

Zeussy

Remove the fan motor and try spraying each end of the shaft with WD40 or similar. It might cure the noise permanently, or at least for some time. The bearings in those motors are usually sintered bronze, not races, and the bronze can tend to dry out with age.

[Zeussy]

Thanks Calaber, you seem like a handy bloke to have around the forums
I'll give it a try tomorrow if I get a chance, hopefully will be able to get some thin oil/WD40 etc in there to help make it a shut up!

I figured I should do something as it sounds like it could be chewing whatever it is (now know it to be a sintered bronze bush/bearing) out and effectively making it worse/shortening the life of the motor itself.
Still works fine just an annoying squeal!

[Calaber]

I used to make my own thermo fans back in the 70's, when they weren't fitted to cars as standard, by buying a new fan blade and fitting it to a heater motor, then making up the brackets. Heater motors were tough, free (found them on wrecks everywhere) and simple to adapt and the spindle size was the same as the centre hole in the fan blade. It was usually a job that took a couple of hours, cost around $5-$10 bucks for the fan blade and thermo switch, and cut the noise on the V8's enormously because they ran huge manual fans on the water pump that really kicked up a racket.

[Zeussy]

LOL, good effort with the backyard engineering, if it works then why not hey?!

I know what you mean when you say the V8's were noisy, I remember hearing a few thinking they sounded like they were going to take off, lol
Probably would've free'd up a couple of Hp too not having to turn that heavy fan all the time, free power is always WIN!