MTFCA Forum

Sometimes, you get lucky and unlucky.
On my way to the brass era show at gilmore this morning my fan belt fell off. I put it back on at the show and driving home it fell off again. This is the first time I've had issues with the fan belt. Nothing was noticeably loose or wobbly when I put the belt on, but it did have some oil on it.

When I got home I took the hood off to work on it to see what I can do to make the belt behave. Got it working nicely and reved it up in the garage a few times and all was well, took it for a quick spin with the hood off and.... BANG a fan blade went into orbit.

The radiator is completely untouched, and because I had the hood off the hood was spared being mangled.

So unlucky, but lucky.

Im going to a 80 mile tour on sunday, and going try and make it fanless. Should be ok so long as I don't leave it idling. Hopefully.

Has anyone else managed with no fan for a short time?

You are the most lucky of all, to avoid having been hit by the flying blade. So many times, people gather around an open hood while someone is revving their engine. NEVER stand in line with a spinning fan blade. On the MTFCI Int'l. Tour, just concluded today, an individual had a blade come off and puncture his hood.

For years i had a belt that would not stsy in place at rpad speed, but was gine in town. If i had to go through a larger town i eould stop and put it on. Otherwise i run for years without it

Jerry VanOoteghem wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 19, 2024 10:24 pm

You are the most lucky of all, to avoid having been hit by the flying blade. So many times, people gather around an open hood while someone is revving their engine. NEVER stand in line with a spinning fan blade. On the MTFCI Int'l. Tour, just concluded today, an individual had a blade come off and puncture his hood.

Ah, ya force of habit from being a pilot is never hang out in the prop arc. Ever. Sam with any kind of fan blades!

My 26 speedster came with a hood that had an extra louver from a fan blade that stuck into it at one point.

You might consider breaking off the opposite blade so the fan is balanced. A two-blade fan is better then no fan.

And while you're at it, check the remaining blades for cracks!

The opposite blade already has a crack at the top rivet.

I've been advised by the local national vendor to replace old original fans with the new modern repro.
A friend has experimented with a new plastic multiblade sold for the model A. That fan is an excellent performer that cools well. It moves a lot of air.

How much air do you need to move?
With only 22 horsepower to begin with, the more air a fan moves, the more horsepower it robs from the engine.

I have never set up a model T intentionally to run without a fan. However, I have on a few occasions broken belts, thrown belts, thrown a fan bearing, (never broke a blade however?), and driven considerable distances without a fan. I just never worried about it. Most of my Ts I have run Motometers, so as long as the temperature is in the right area and everything sounds good I am a happy driver.

You can run without a fan with no problems under most conditions if your cooling system is in good shape. Avoid idling and stop and go traffic, and keep an eye on spark timing and engine temperature. Park into the wind when possible. Very hot weather and calm conditions require extra attention. Keep in mind that air needs to be moving through the radiator for effective cooling, and handle the car accordingly. Any old fan needs to be checked carefully or replaced. They can be deadly dangerous, and besides that, a bent or out of balance fan will cause needless wear on the fan assembly and belt.

I inspect my fan during my spring cleaning. Seen too many failures.

Andy

A few months back I tossed my belt, Drove it 60 miles in 90 degree heat and it never got any warmer than what she normally runs driving. I'm using a thin core rad. So no, as long as your rad is flowing right and your block is clear it should not mater to much. Of course keep an eye on your moto meter.

Going at a moderate speed on flat land it should work well, but climbing mountains with lower speeds and more fuel consumption will make it run hotter. Even with a fan it will go higher on the motometer than on flat land. Just keep an eye and do not let it go all the way up. When they go up all the way many times they won't come down even if you put it in the freezer. So the motometer is ruined and also can cause the engine to seize especially with aluminum pistons which expand at a greater rate than iron.
Norm

Drove about 60 miles today, with no fan. Stayed nice and cool cruising at just shy of 40.

Could always try some "water wetter"
A friend that has helped me on many occasions says it works well.

Dean Yoder never uses his fan. It's just "there" is all. Saw it with my own eyes last May when he was at Joe Bells for a visit.

About 100 miles today and zero issues.