radiator (long)

[Mike Mulholland <meyeke@netinc.ca>]

many thanks to all of the individuals who offered me help in the removal of
my rad. it was definitely a great response from this great list.
        i couldn't see how to disconnect the condenser from the rad because
of all of the insect parts and accumulated crud that totally blocked the rad
and also had fallen down to fill the area at the bottom between the rad and
the condenser. once i had the rad out i removed the fan and shroud assembly
and set about cleaning the rad. i first doused it with a detergent mix and
let it soak then i attacked it in earnest with 125 lbs of air pressure
siphoning detergent -filled water and sprayed it over the rad...it took
three passes to clear the fins and two more to clean it properly. when i was
finished the insect parts and crud could probably have filled a half quart
container. it was really unbelievable that the car didn't overheat. when i
disconnected the battery i noticed that the pos terminal and cable were
corroded...so i fixed that with some baking soda and water followed with
boiling water. next job was the cooling fan which had been drawing way too
much power when hot. i removed it from the shroud and then removed the fan.
the shaft was really stiff to turn and worst of all the visible part of the
outer shaft bearing did _not_turn when i rotated the shaft. i initially
tried oiling it and although i could lift the seal slightly, this wouldn't
help with the totally covered internal bearing at the rear of the fan.
examination of the fan motor showed that the two end plates were held on by
crimped pieces. i figgered i had nuttin to lose so i raised the crimps with
a punch and chisel and removed first of all the outer end which had been
behind the fan. i could now see that the bearing was held captive behind a
rivetted plate and it was easy to tell that the bearing was was shot. i had
gone this far so i drilled out the 6 rivets (after centre punching them) and
pried off the cover plate. what a laugh..the bearing was a regular 6001.
nothing special and i just happen to keep them in stock for disc bicycle
wheels. i even stock the small rivets required to fasten the cover plate.
one change i made was to add a couple of drops of militec 1 to the bearing
before assembly. the rear plate removal was similar to the first except that
the rear-most bearing was not captive behind a rivetted plate. changing it
was easier and once again i used militec 1...they certainly spin better with
that added. after reassembly of the fan motor and a trial spin by hand, i
cleaned up the now easy to get at engine compartment and reinstalled
everything. i also checked the resistance of the block resistor by measuring
the voltages at the terminals...all seemed well. started the car... added
more antifreeze, and let it warm up. unfortunately my now _quieter_ fan
still came on to max mode. bummer. i checked the underhood fan relay and it
worked fine so now i must look elsewhere. thanks again for all of the help.

mike

86 5kcdtq