Viscous Fan Removal Problem - 2.5 TDI

[mystic.bertie]

ok im in the process of trying to get in and check my altenator drive belt and tensioner due to the belt coming off but still being in 1 piece. Im stuck at the viscous fan, thru some searching i read i need 2 long thin 32mm spanners, which i dont have, the best i have is a lage shifting spanner and mole grips but the jams on both are thick and i cant get both of them on there. I have also removed the 3 x small nuts on the pulley to give me more room, i have even tried 'chiseling' it roung using a hammer and long screwdriver, but no joy. Im assuming this is a left hand thead?

any tips for removing this or am i gonna have to buy a 32mm spanner and hope i can use my shifter along with the spanner to get this viscous fan off??

 

[swarcup]

i bought one from halfords around a tenner, says laser on it and has 32 on one end and 36 on the other. Then you can use a normal adjustable with it. reverse threaded i believe so it always tightens when spinning

 

[adamss24]

It's normal threaded on v6 tdi, only on beemers the viscous cupling has a reverse thread so they tighten anticlockwise.

 

[mystic.bertie]

i bought one from halfords around a tenner, says laser on it and has 32 on one end and 36 on the other. Then you can use a normal adjustable with it. reverse threaded i believe so it always tightens when spinning

my nearest halfords is 7m away, the local motor factors dont stock it but the nearest one has ordered me the draper 32mm viscous fan spanner for £7 so it will be in tomorrow.

 

[mystic.bertie]

It's normal threaded on v6 tdi, only on beemers the viscous cupling has a reverse thread so they tighten anticlockwise.

thanks mate, it helps knowing this when your trying to chisel it round, i tried it both ways but no joy, hopefully when i get my 32mm spanner tomorrow ill get it off no problem using my shifter too.

cheers

 

[mystic.bertie]

ok i bought a 32mm spanner for the viscous fan nut, it was a draper one for £7, i used that along with my big shifter and i still cant move the nut, i have tried brute force and it wont budge, i have been told its a right hand thread but no matter which way i try i cant budge it. ANy suggestions what i can do now to get it off. I have put so much force on the spanner its starting to slip off. cheers

 

[adamss24]

If it wont budge then you can cut a bit of the plastic above the viscous fan pulley and it will slide from underneath- not the most orthodox method but it works !

 

[mystic.bertie]

If it wont budge then you can cut a bit of the plastic above the viscous fan pulley and it will slide from underneath- not the most orthodox method but it works !

yeah i see what you mean, i would likely need to cut an allen key to remove the bolts holding the cover on which are behind the fan. If i got the cover off would i still be able to change the belt or tensioner and leave the fan in place. Obviously i have still to establish what the problem is. cheers matey

 

[adamss24]

You can remove the plastic fan off the viscous coupling and that will give you plenty room to maneuvre. Make a note of how the aux. belt goes as it's a right pain to fit if you dont know how it goes ! I would get 2x 32 mm long spanners from local Halfords , they are very long and good quality so you can put a lot of torque so the viscous coupling will budge eventualy ! Do not be tempted to put heat ontop the nut as it will destroy the bearings and they are 60-70 quid from decent motor factors !

 

[mystic.bertie]

You can remove the plastic fan off the viscous coupling and that will give you plenty room to maneuvre. Make a note of how the aux. belt goes as it's a right pain to fit if you dont know how it goes ! I would get 2x 32 mm long spanners from local Halfords , they are very long and good quality so you can put a lot of torque so the viscous coupling will budge eventualy ! Do not be tempted to put heat ontop the nut as it will destroy the bearings and they are 60-70 quid from decent motor factors !

cheers adam, i got it off at last yipee.


i got 2 big long 1 1/4" snap-on spanners from my work, these should be about 31.75mm but they had a bit of wear so were just shy of 32mm using the digital calipers. They were a lovely neat fit on the 2 nuts, it still took a bit of effort but i managed to crack the nut and get the viscous fan off. many thanks for your help mate


now to see whats the source of my problem, after dinner though lol

many thanks for suggesting getting 2 good strong spanners for the job, thats what made the difference here, nice one

 

[mystic.bertie]

UPDATE - i got a look in at the tensioner and the bolt is missing, so the tensioner is loose and thats why the belt came off, the tensioner roller seems to feel fine when its spun. so i think a new bolt and ill replace the 2 betls and put it back together. Any idea if i can replace the bolt with a standard metric one or is it likely to be a fitted bolt?

 

[mystic.bertie]

disaster - i got 2 new belts today and a replacement bolt, went to fit them today and i discovered the hole for the bolt still has a bit of the old bolt in there, so it must have broke off, ill now need to remove the service carrier at one side, swing it open and get in and try to remove the broken bolt, im not sure if i will get away with drilling it out and tapping it m10 (originally m8) that would be the quickest way.

is there any reason why i cant open it up to m10?

a guy at work suggested that maybe the damper is worn and causing extra vibration and thus causing the bolt to come out but in this case its broke off.

here is a pic of the part, the item 23 is listed as a socket, but it does not look like that on my car, its more like a boss sticking out of the cast bracket

 

[adamss24]

The nr 23 on the drawing is a bush which fits in the boss/sleeve on the aux. bracket and you need 2 of them. Make sure the bracket 28 is not worn otherwise you need to buy a new one...

 

[mystic.bertie]

The nr 23 on the drawing is a bush which fits in the boss/sleeve on the aux. bracket and you need 2 of them. Make sure the bracket 28 is not worn otherwise you need to buy a new one...

cheers adam, which part of the bracket 28 should i be checking for wear?

would i be right in thinking the bolt 22 is broken inside sleeve 25 ? should i try and remove the broken bolt or should i replace the sleeve 25 ?

whats the easiest option here, i have experience at taking broken bolts out .

should i be replacing the damper or is it possible its not the cause here?

 

[adamss24]

You will need to replace the sleeve/bush and check the side of machined boss on the bracket 28 for wear. The pivoting bracket rubs onto the bush when it's at the odd angle and it starts to cut into the bush (soft alloy)- it's machined into the bracket and cannot be replaced separately.
Most likely the 2 trust washers/bushes will need replacing (they are there to prevent the 2 alloy parts rubbing toghether and the new improved version are teflon coated !) and check the pivoting bracket for scoring marks on the inside (replace that as well if any circular wear marks are present on the inside). I suggest you buy the entire assembly for peace of mind- they don't last more than 150-170k ! As i minimum i would replace item 23x 2, 24x 2, 25, 22, 27 and 21. The stainless washer can be reused (it wont rust) but if the bush on which the assmbly mounts is worn on the side (it should be nice and round) then a new cast bracket is required which is a pain to remove as the oil cooler mounts onto it so it will require a set of oil cooler seals as well + the bracket is about 115-120 quid on it's own...all just shy of 200 quid just in parts !

 

[mystic.bertie]

You will need to replace the sleeve/bush and check the side of machined boss on the bracket 28 for wear. The pivoting bracket rubs onto the bush when it's at the odd angle and it starts to cut into the bush (soft alloy)- it's machined into the bracket and cannot be replaced separately.
Most likely the 2 trust washers/bushes will need replacing (they are there to prevent the 2 alloy parts rubbing toghether and the new improved version are teflon coated !) and check the pivoting bracket for scoring marks on the inside (replace that as well if any circular wear marks are present on the inside). I suggest you buy the entire assembly for peace of mind- they don't last more than 150-170k ! As i minimum i would replace item 23x 2, 24x 2, 25, 22, 27 and 21. The stainless washer can be reused (it wont rust) but if the bush on which the assmbly mounts is worn on the side (it should be nice and round) then a new cast bracket is required which is a pain to remove as the oil cooler mounts onto it so it will require a set of oil cooler seals as well + the bracket is about 115-120 quid on it's own...all just shy of 200 quid just in parts !

hi mate many thanks for all the great info i really appreciate it, i have not been able to get back to it this weekend but i hope to get working on it tomorrow, i just thought i would let you know i have not abandoned the thread, ill report back with my progress soon . Have a good weekend lol

 

[adamss24]

You too mate !

 

[mystic.bertie]

oh no i could shoot myself. i was a bit fed up today as i had not been working on the car and could not be bothered, i did not know how to remove the pin and bushes, so i tried to hammer them thru the back of the big bracket, it the process the wall of the locating boss split so i have made thing even worse.

tonight i finally got elsawin installed and i got to see how the thing should be removed with special tooling, i could not use that method anyway without removing the broken bolt first.

so it lots more work not to get that main bracket off and a costly mistake too.