Fan noise while towing - 2006 Explorer XLT

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- ben
  
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posted
17 years ago

Tue, Aug 15, 2006 2:57 PM

Howdy...

I have a 2006 Explorer XLT V8 with the tow package

I have noticed when towing up a long hill, there is what sounds like a 'second fan' that switches on after a while. I assume this has something to do with the transmission cooler.

My issue is that the fan intermitently squeals. My Ford dealer says this is normal, but I have a hard time believing that becuase it's intermitent.

I'm not sure how I can reproduce this for my dealer, as it only happens when I tow and only on long hills, There are no hills nearby..

My questions are:

1) Is this a 2nd fan coming on, or just the standard radiator fan spinnig up to a higher speed. It is far louder than the noise the engine makes when not towing. It sounds like turning the A/C fan on full, but of course, it's not the A/C fan

2) Is this squeal unavoidable? It sounds like a bad fan belt, but I'm not sure if these fans even have belts. The squeal is intermitent, which makes me feel like there's a problem.

Again, my deal says they can't fix what they can't reproduce, and that there is no other fan that could be making the noise, and it's normal for the radiator fan to sound that loud when towing up a hill...

The loudness isn't what bothers me. Just the intermitent squeal...

Any help would be appreciated...

Best,

Benjamin a

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- Ashton Crusher
  
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posted
17 years ago

Fri, Aug 18, 2006 6:37 AM

Does it have an electric fan or is it engine driven. If electric, it's possible it's a two speed fan and under the extra load the engine runs a little hotter so it kicks the fan up to a higher speed. If it's engine driven what I've noticed often happens with viscous clutches on these kinds of fans is that when things start to heat up the viscous fluid thickens or some valve in the clutch opens, making the fan turn at a higher speed and they can be quite loud when that happens. I would not expect a good electric to squeal but if it's engine driven with a belt it's possible that when the clutch kicks it up in speed the extra load makes the belt slip a little causing a squeal. Easy way to check is to buy a new belt and make sure the tensioner still seems to have good tension.

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- Ron B.
  
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posted
17 years ago

Sat, Aug 19, 2006 4:39 PM

You are lucky, I have been to two Ford and two Lincoln dealers and also talked to a tech on Ford's factory hot line and was told this is normal. I have the same fan clutch as in your 06 and mine sounds like a jet aircraft when starting out in the morning, it will go away in about 30 seconds and this is on a cold engine. Lately our temps have been in the high 90's to over a 100 degrees and that fan just drives me nuts. My neighbor has a Chevy 4X4 SUV and it makes the same noise only louder. The new engines run hotter and need larger fans and fan clutches.

Ron