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Wed Oct 10, 2018 7:14 am

I have a question, is there a better way to secure the fan nut that’s sits inside the fan shroud? Mine keeps coming loose and I’m afraid that if tighten anymore I may strip the threads. I thought about applying some “lock tight” since the fan is critical to the cooling of the engine. Any Suggestions?

Thank you in advance,

Wed Oct 10, 2018 7:28 am

I'll assume that you have the correct washer there, and that yiu are using a 36mm socket and torquing to the correct specification.

If you have been doing that, I'd try some blue Loctite thread locker and then torque correctly; not red Loctite. Permatex has similar quality products, and I no longer work for Henkel-Loctite. So I use either.

Wed Oct 10, 2018 8:26 am

It shouldn't come loose. I would check the wavy washer on it to see if it's missing or cracked.

Wed Oct 10, 2018 9:26 am

Zarzamora wrote: Mine keeps coming loose and I’m afraid that if tighten anymore I may strip the threads.
Fan nut torque spec is 45ft-lbs. Are you tightening it more than this?

Wed Oct 10, 2018 11:30 am

EverettB wrote: It shouldn't come loose. I would check the wavy washer on it to see if it's missing or cracked.

I would think the wavy washer would make the fan loosening a moot issue

Wed Oct 10, 2018 11:38 am

bhartwell59 wrote: I would think the wavy washer would make the fan loosening a moot issue
It "should".

In the early-1970s, my GF bought a home-made metal-bodied VW which looked somewhat like a Jeep or Thing. Her fan nut came loose, and because of the home-made frame there was absolutely no way to get a wrench/socket in there to simply retighten it.

So the engine had to come out just to tighten that correctly.Of course I was the labor for this, and remember fussing over the top right starter/engine nut before figuring out that it was an SAE size, not metric, why I didn't have a tool to fix that. Anyway, I did fix.

A year later, after she crashed that and had bought a regular VW beetle, and we had broken up, she needed a rebuilt engine installed after changing over all the bolt-on parts, so she called me to ask for my help. That took all day, but at least she "rewarded" me well for my efforts, but cannot elaborate as this is a family forum....

Wed Oct 10, 2018 11:57 am

I'll check to make sure the correct washer is on there, I'll also double check the torque specs.

If worse comes to worse I'll use the "blue" Loctite

I had the motor built so I have to check the washer and because in all honesty I'm not sure if it was torqued correctly the first time. I just tighten it the last couple of times not knowing that it had to be to specs.

Thank you all so much!!

Wed Oct 10, 2018 12:15 pm

In reality ALL nuts/bolts need to be within a specified torque range, to provide stretch to the bolt/screw to keep the assembly tight.

Too much torque is as bad as too little. Too much and things break, strip, or become brittle.

Harbor Freight has 3 sizes of click-type torque wrenches for $10 right now with coupon; I have all three sizes. These will be your friends.

Wed Oct 10, 2018 12:35 pm

Cusser wrote: In reality ALL nuts/bolts need to be within a specified torque range, to provide stretch to the bolt/screw to keep the assembly tight.

Too much torque is as bad as too little. Too much and things break, strip, or become brittle.

Harbor Freight has 3 sizes of click-type torque wrenches for $10 right now with coupon; I have all three sizes. These will be your friends.

Thank you!
Yes I have a torque wrench, I just hope that I didn't strip the bolt :?

Wed Oct 10, 2018 3:13 pm

The washer in question is not a wave washer it is however a locking washer with two ears that face up. Put it on wrong and it digs into the fan and can cause a crack and ruined fan. Here’s my pic

Here’s the washer notice the tits or raised portion fits towards front of car not digging into fan

This is wrong tits are facing fan

And here’s the damage caused by putting washer on wrong it will crack eventually. Do not use any Loctite it is not needed and will make the removal very difficult next time.

Thu Oct 11, 2018 7:44 am

The Bentley sez...install lock washer so it's raised periphery is towards the special nut. Torque the special nut to 40-47ft/lb...

Thu Oct 11, 2018 8:25 am

Zarzamora wrote: Cusser wrote: In reality ALL nuts/bolts need to be within a specified torque range, to provide stretch to the bolt/screw to keep the assembly tight.

Too much torque is as bad as too little. Too much and things break, strip, or become brittle.

Harbor Freight has 3 sizes of click-type torque wrenches for $10 right now with coupon; I have all three sizes. These will be your friends.

Thank you!
Yes I have a torque wrench, I just hope that I didn't strip the bolt :?

It is not a bolt! The external threads are cut into the generator armature shaft. strip them and you will need to replace the generator, or at least the armature. Do not over tighten it, do not strip it.

Also make sure the woodruff key is installed. If the key is missing, that is not good and I think that it would allow the fan to slip, and I think given the direction of rotation that could loosen the nut. but then again, I am lesdystic!

All the little bits must be in good shape and present.

Bug On!

Thu Oct 11, 2018 9:37 am

I was able to take some pictures last night ... should I be concerned of the "gap" on the left top corner?

Thu Oct 11, 2018 1:56 pm

Pull the fan. I bet the woodruff key is missing other wise there would be no back and forth movement, or you have too many shims behind the fan on the hub so not e`nuff room on the flats for the fan to hold.

Thu Oct 11, 2018 1:59 pm

Starbucket wrote: Pull the fan. I bet the woodruff key is missing other wise there would be no back and forth movement.

Do you happen to have picture of the woodruff key? Where should it be located on the shaft / fan...

Thu Oct 11, 2018 2:15 pm

The hub and the shaft is where it is.

Thu Oct 11, 2018 2:16 pm

I would get a new fan and fan hub assembly.

Thu Oct 11, 2018 2:38 pm

Zarzamora wrote: I was able to take some pictures last night ... should I be concerned of the "gap" on the left top corner?
The gap shown is where the mount hole in the fan has been hammered due to the fan being run loose. Provided it hasn't started to crack, you should be fine once you properly install the fan and torque down the nut. The woodruff key prevents the fan hub from rotating on the generator armature shaft and has nothing to do with the fan being loose on the fan hub.

Yes, the diagram shows a 6v generator and not a 12v, but the parts layout is the same other than the voltage regulator and pulley hub.

Thu Oct 11, 2018 4:08 pm

There should be spacer washers on both sides of fan, yours are all behind the fan. You put some in back and check the fan to shroud clearance 0.06-0.07in and place the remainder on the nut side then the lock washer.

Thu Oct 11, 2018 5:04 pm

mukluk wrote: Zarzamora wrote: I was able to take some pictures last night ... should I be concerned of the "gap" on the left top corner?
The gap shown is where the mount hole in the fan has been hammered due to the fan being run loose. Provided it hasn't started to crack, you should be fine once you properly install the fan and torque down the nut. The woodruff key prevents the fan hub from rotating on the generator armature shaft and has nothing to do with the fan being loose on the fan hub.

Yes, the diagram shows a 6v generator and not a 12v, but the parts layout is the same other than the voltage regulator and pulley hub.

if the key is missing, the hub will spin relative to the shaft, which might cause the nut to loosen on one end, and tighten on the other.