Fan/Generator Pulley Clearance

[Joe Flanagan]

The fan on my engine comes so close to the generator pulley that I have to believe something is off. I rotated the fan past the pulley and checked the clearance as each blade passed and in one case it looks like it's less than a sixteenth of an inch. I don't believe the pulley on the generator is too far out. All the pulleys are aligned and if I move the one on the generator, it will be off, though I might be able to sneak an eighth or so out of it. Also, the pulley is not original to the generator. The original pulley was for a narrow belt, which did not match the other two wide-belt pulleys. I got a generator pulley with a wider groove and now they all match. What kind of clearance do you guys have, on average, between the fan and the generator pulley?

[Young Ed]

Joe after my crash my replacement fan made a tinking noise each time it passed the generator. A little tug on each blade fixed it right up

[P-12 Tommy]

The fan on my engine comes so close to the generator pulley that I have to believe something is off. I rotated the fan past the pulley and checked the clearance as each blade passed and in one case it looks like it's less than a sixteenth of an inch. I don't believe the pulley on the generator is too far out. All the pulleys are aligned and if I move the one on the generator, it will be off, though I might be able to sneak an eighth or so out of it. Also, the pulley is not original to the generator. The original pulley was for a narrow belt, which did not match the other two wide-belt pulleys. I got a generator pulley with a wider groove and now they all match. What kind of clearance do you guys have, on average, between the fan and the generator pulley?

Hey Joe, I've got 3/8 of an inch clearance on mine with the wide belt and everything lined up. BTW....your pulley should 1 1/2 inches thick, which makes your generator 18 1/4 inches long.

Tom

Edited January 29, 2010 by P-12 Tommy

[Joe Flanagan]

OK, thanks for that. I'll check it out. Ed, that sounds like a good quick fix if that's all it needs. Freezing cold here and don't feel like going outside.

[Young Ed]

Joe that was one of those necessity is a mother things. It was the first weekend of nov and I had just spent 3 days of every waking minute except for work putting the car back together after the crash. Friday night about 11pm I finished and was finally able to try starting it. Ran great but ting ting ting. We were supposed to leave for 120mi trip to get her stored before winter. So little tug on each until the tinging stopped and away we went.

[Niel Hoback]

I don't think it will go on backwards because the center is not flat.

[Joe Flanagan]

Shel, I will check. It would be just like me to do something like that.

[greg g]

On mine there are a couple two three spacers between the fan and the water pump. Infact there is at least one or two too many as I have the opposite problem, in that my fan is very close to the radiator and tinks a bit under severe braking. As a mater of fact I probably would need to remove my radiator service the water pump.

Oversight in the wrong direction.

[Rodney Bullock]

Just for the sake of argument how close should te fan be to the radiator. I know that if that " turbulance" dosen't take place there is no true cooling.

These cars did not have fan shrods but they stay cool under most conditions.