Fan Clutch debacle, manufacture information

[Grit dog]

Converter theft is a huge problem here, or not so much right where I'm at but in the city where the shop is. We use to do maybe 3 or 4 a year, replaced because they had a problem. Now it's more like 3 or 4 a month because of theft. And the prices on those cats have gotten crazy. A newer Chev 2500 van came in this week with the cat cut off, cost for us to buy the 3 cats and Y pipe is almost $3k. No kidding.... Insurance companies don't want to pay for it. We end up having to sell it for cost + a mere 10% and 1/2 hour labor AFTER days of fighting with the insurance company to even pay that much. We don't make any money, customer pissed it's taking so long, and the only one making money..... I guess the parts company. I know it ain't us!

Question, why would you do insurance work that isn’t agreed to ahead of time? Or why do that work at all if you’re only authorized for parts at cost and basically no labor?

 

[SirRobyn0]

Question, why would you do insurance work that isn’t agreed to ahead of time? Or why do that work at all if you’re only authorized for parts at cost and basically no labor?

Gee good question. One thing is the area we are in there are a lot of other business. The shop is in a rather large warehouse district. So the main reason would be to be neighborly. We are the only auto shop in the warehouse district and a lot of the business and employees bring their cars to us for service and of course we make our normal mark up on those jobs. We wouldn't want to loose those jobs because we refused to do the low mark up insurance work.

 

[AuroraGirl]

**** thanks for reminding me to cut the cat off my buick

To be fair, its interchangeable with my oldsmobile and im pretty sure its still OKAY but then again I dont really care thatm uch to use a used one... the oldsmobile is gonna burn oil because N* its just a feature to be a 2 stroke

maybe if i decide to use it ill cut both cats off since the one is bound to fail and the other is just a heavy, large 3 way special one. i can see t he money roll in so i can fix all the other ****. joking lol we dont fix rust rust is eternal here. we die by rust.

 

[Raider L]

@AuroraGirl,
Thank, and I do understand that stuff even though I'm about as far away from using that kind of system as you can get, and don't want anything to do with it...ever, but respect the people who prefer it over gas.
@SirRobyn0
You've got to be kidding! I didn't know people were still doing that. How are thieves getting under the car with the way exhaust systems are tucked under cars these days and, what, they bring a battery powered saw and hack the cat off?? At night, or hell as gutsy as criminals are these days they wait until you've just parked your car and when you're out of sight they get under there and cut the cat off?? And it doesn't matter if someone sees them, whose going to say a word or try and do anything?? People are afraid they'll get shot, so they just keep walking...."I see nothing,nothing!!" Sergt. Shulz, Hogan's Hero's.

 

[Raider L]

@AuroraGirl,
My wife had a '77 Buick Special she bought new. I loved that car. It had the 231 V6 in it and ran good all the time. It had the same trans in it as my truck a TH350. Anyway, after some years the cat went out. So I'm talking to the mechanic and he said, " Since it was as old as it was why don't we put what's called a "test pipe" under it to, see if it's the converter that's the problem". Being part of the procedure for the car running funky. Well, when he finished he just left the "test pipe" under there and I couldn't believe the performance increase by eliminating the converter. You could look to see if there is a "test pipe" for your cars, which is nothing more than a piece of exhaust pipe but is fitted to go up in there where the cat was and you just simply clamp it in? That way you wouldn't have to piece in some chunk of pipe and it fitted or not?

 

[Grit dog]

Good job on that response. That's how I understand it. BTW, converter theft is becoming a big deal. Crazy

Mostly correct, however the addition of the SCR allows the DOC and DPF to work more efficiently than the original TierIV emissions systems, resulting in less dpf plugging and free-er flowing exhaust and less active re-gens (which use fuel to raise EGTs). That's why SCR equipped diesels are not only less problem prone and more fuel efficient.

If anyone would like to see these systems up close n personal, mine are hanging in the back of the shop, brand new, barely used, and NOT attached to the truck!

 

[Grit dog]

Gee good question. One thing is the area we are in there are a lot of other business. The shop is in a rather large warehouse district. So the main reason would be to be neighborly. We are the only auto shop in the warehouse district and a lot of the business and employees bring their cars to us for service and of course we make our normal mark up on those jobs. We wouldn't want to loose those jobs because we refused to do the low mark up insurance work.

Understand that. Goodwill goes a long ways in business. But at some point the vehicle owners have the responsibility to handle that end of the deal. Evidently your company does enough work with these clients that it is profitable to "eat" some work. Totally different with a good repeat customer vs someone off the street.

 

[SirRobyn0]

@AuroraGirl,
Thank, and I do understand that stuff even though I'm about as far away from using that kind of system as you can get, and don't want anything to do with it...ever, but respect the people who prefer it over gas.
@SirRobyn0
You've got to be kidding! I didn't know people were still doing that. How are thieves getting under the car with the way exhaust systems are tucked under cars these days and, what, they bring a battery powered saw and hack the cat off?? At night, or hell as gutsy as criminals are these days they wait until you've just parked your car and when you're out of sight they get under there and cut the cat off?? And it doesn't matter if someone sees them, whose going to say a word or try and do anything?? People are afraid they'll get shot, so they just keep walking...."I see nothing,nothing!!" Sergt. Shulz, Hogan's Hero's.

So this is one of the reasons that the warehouse district gets hit a lot. They seem to come in with battery powered saws and look for work vans parked outside unsecured. Most of the warehouses in this area were built in the 70's and are tucked in behind aborative cedar trees, again planted in the 70's they now create a huge street barrier. It's an idea situation for the thieves. Eventually they hit someone with cameras and / or get caught by patrols. It'll stop for a month or two and then someone else comes in and cycle continues. Scraping cats is still unregulated so these guys will never get caught on that end.

 

[SirRobyn0]

Understand that. Goodwill goes a long ways in business. But at some point the vehicle owners have the responsibility to handle that end of the deal. Evidently your company does enough work with these clients that it is profitable to "eat" some work. Totally different with a good repeat customer vs someone off the street.

Exactly. And yes there have been times for sure where I've had to make the call to a client to tell them their deductible is $1000 and there is another $800 gap in what the insurance company will pay out.

 

[AuroraGirl]

Mostly correct, however the addition of the SCR allows the DOC and DPF to work more efficiently than the original TierIV emissions systems, resulting in less dpf plugging and free-er flowing exhaust and less active re-gens (which use fuel to raise EGTs). That's why SCR equipped diesels are not only less problem prone and more fuel efficient.

If anyone would like to see these systems up close n personal, mine are hanging in the back of the shop, brand new, barely used, and NOT attached to the truck!

youre bold saying that where the CARB can watch quietly waiting till the annexation of washington state by sacremento burecrats

 

[Grit dog]

youre bold saying that where the CARB can watch quietly waiting till the annexation of washington state by sacremento burecrats

My tinfoil hat blew off some time ago and I forgot to put it back on. The phrase IDGAF comes to mind!

 

[AuroraGirl]

My tinfoil hat blew off some time ago and I forgot to put it back on. The phrase IDGAF comes to mind!

its all fun and games till the ATF decides the IDGAF militia is about to go

i dont know why you upset lol it was obviously a joke because that made no sense and CARB cant touch you since even if the state made it into the constituion that CARB had authority it would be disallowed by the supreme court on simple matters of supremacy clause, article 7 (maybe 6.. who remembers each article these days), and would probably have a long essay of opinion of judges who think its not in spirit of america to do that but thats another matter of judges creating meaning and interpretation as they go

 

[Goldie Driver]

Mostly correct, however the addition of the SCR allows the DOC and DPF to work more efficiently than the original TierIV emissions systems, resulting in less dpf plugging and free-er flowing exhaust and less active re-gens (which use fuel to raise EGTs). That's why SCR equipped diesels are not only less problem prone and more fuel efficient.

If anyone would like to see these systems up close n personal, mine are hanging in the back of the shop, brand new, barely used, and NOT attached to the truck!

Good, gawd - I had to look up what those meant !

Diesel Technology Forum (dieselforum.org)

SCR = Selective Catalyic Reduction

DOC = Diesel Oxidation Catalysts

DPF = Diesel Particulate Filter

Oof.

 

[Raider L]

Most of the time I've gone to Pep Boys to get fan clutches. They have a better choice of better quality stuff there. But, my heart is broken because they went out of business and there was no one to take their place here in this two horse burg. So I'm left to getting stuff at Advance Auto Parts. But more than likely I'll buy off the web from some speed shop than auto parts store. I'd rather pay a little extra to get good American made parts I know are built to hold up as they are more than likely are race quality parts.

And I've always gotten both the thermal and the rpm actuated fan clutches. Since our Summers are so hot I'd rather the fan break loose when it gets hot than it just keep pulling slow traffic. Wait...I think I've got that mixed up some how. Let's see...I forget what's the temp clutch do? I know the viscus fluid will allow the fan to break loose at about 45 mph so it doesn't keep pulling when it doesn't need to. what does the temp spring do? damn.

 

[Bennyt]

I know this sounds dumb but if you haven't already...I would verify that you have the correct fan and clutch. The fan should have GM part# on it. Serpentine systems that are reverse rotation started appearing in the 80's on these trucks and I've seen many people swap parts from other trucks not realizing they are using a reverse rotation fan/ clutch in place of the standard one.