87 FA Belts

[Justwondering]

Very basic question... I'm halfway there but want to be sure I do this right ... first time.

Background:
1987 Fifth Avenue is overheating.
Checked the thermostat and it was toast. Replaced it and upper radiator hose. Burped it.
Runs fine til you get to about 40-50 miles from the house, then it overheats.

Diagnosis:
Seemed to be a great deal of play in the Fan Clutch. So I believe (after verbal discussion with Darth Car, my husband, my brother-in-law) and after listening to the tapping sound that starts after it gets up to temperature, that I have a fan clutch or water pump issue.

Problem:
Belt removal. I've loosened the alternator and moved it to release the tension on those two belts. I've loosened one of the bolts/brackets (outside driver side) of the smog pump. But now it seems like there are many more bolts I need to deal with before the last two belts will loosen.

I'm operating under the assumption that a replacement fan clutch, water pump, or both will be needed. Radiator is draining bright neon green with no sludge so I'm not thinking it is a clogged radiator.

Reading my manual, doesn't give great specifics.
Page 19-15 says (1) Loosen pump mounting and locking bolts and remove belt.

Does that mean I remove all the bolts holding the powersteering pump on or just some of them?
I think I can do everything I need to do without removing the powersteering belt, but there is that pesky smog pump above it. I'm thinking that page 7-12 should give me some help, but I don't get what the pictures are telling me.

And what is a fluid fan drive? How do I know if I have that. I think I do from the picture -- all those little fins.

Its sitting under the carport at the estate, so I can work without the sun beating me to death.

What do I do with all this used coolant?

DONE SO FAR:
I've disconnected the battery.
I've removed 3 of the 5 bolts from the fan.
I've removed 2 of the 4 bolts from the fluid fan drive, I think.
I've got the upper radiator hose off.
I've got the thermostat out (looks okay).
Ordered heavy duty fan clutch and water pump.
Asked for help here... lol

Would somebody hold my hand?

JW

 

[Oldiron440]

If you have someone holding one hand wrenching gets tougher.

 

[Justwondering]

You should come down and I'll watch you wrench ...lol

 

[Oldiron440]

Now thats not going to work.

 

[volare 77]

Old anti freeze should be discarded of properly. Where I live the local landfill takes it. The fan clutch has fluid in it. Some have a thermostatic spring on them. The water pump should come off if you can get the p/s brackets out of the way without completely removing but the belt will come off when you loosen the p/s brackets. Make sure you put the bolts back in the correct holes because a long bolt in the wrong spot can cause a big problem.

 

[Justwondering]

I live in nearly the poorest county in Texas... not quite, but definitely in the bottom 10.
There be no recycling here.
Everyone has told me to 'just poor it on the fence line -- keeps the weeds down'... shaking my head in amazement.
JW

 

[volare 77]

Maybe a auto repair shop will take it???

 

[Oldiron440]

It does work for weed control it will remove dogs from the area also.

 

[GregG48213]

clogged radiator

It's hard to judge the health of a cooling system just from the condition of the coolant. The radiator tubes may still be blocked from corrosion. Here in Michigan, the road salt can attack the radiator from the outside and corrode the cooling fins. I would be tempted to look on youtube and see if there are any videos of people replacing water pumps on small-block Chryslers.

 

[Justwondering]

I spent quite a bit of time reviewing my manual again.
Asked lots of questions from folks (my uncle, darth car, my neighbor, etc).
Found some info on dippy.org etc.

It appears there are two bolts on the smog pump
and
two bolts on the power steering that need to be loosened or released.

Then you can swing each of these towards the driver's side fender and one of the bolts will 'ride' in a slot to keep the pump in place but in a different orientation.

That should let me get the belts loose since there is no tensioner.

Spent the day waiting on the a/c guy not to show up today, so I put it off another day.

Will post the solution/pictures when I get the a/c at the house looked at.

JW

 

[BudW]

The best way to tell if a radiator is getting (or is) clogged is to remove cap, look down towards the tubes and look. Most Mopar radiators (99%) with cap on top and center of the radiator, you can see at least a few tube tops.
Corrosion will build up at the very edges of tubes. Corrosion will also be about the same side to side as well as top and bottom. If you look and you don’t see any corrosion or very little – then that is not your problem.
If you do see a lot of corrosion – then you have a problem.
Top picture shows one that has a lot of corrosion.

This one has a mild case of corrosion – keep coolant changed every couple of years and yours will not become a problem like either of the above examples.
A person might debate if this one will need to be cleaned, or not - but if radiator is already removed from car, you might as well get it cleaned.

Corrosion is about the same if using a brass or an aluminum radiator.

If you have a radiator that is not leaking – but looks like the top or bottom picture – a radiator shop can perform a procedure called rodding. They will remove both tanks and will use a rod the approximate shape of the core tube and insert it into each tube – manually removing any corrosion or other debris.
This can be less expensive than a replacement – sometimes ( . . . but sometimes not).

Here is another picture. You don’t even need to see the condition of the tubes – to know that corrosion is an issue.

Water pumps rarely cause an overheating condition – except if leaking.

The fan clutch can and will cause overheating – as well as having radiator (or A/C condenser) stopped up with bugs, grass, mud daubers, etc.

The fan clutch should not have any front to rear play in it (when touching the top of the blade). It should be able to spin/rotate (with engine OFF!) by hand with some drag, when cold and a lot of drag when hot. If it has any front to rear play, then the fluid inside leaks out rendering the fan clutch defective.

Generally, it takes three hands to remove the fan clutch/blade assembly along with the fan shroud - at the same time. Inserting some cardboard between fan blade and radiator is advisable to prevent damage to either.
BudW

 

[Dr Lebaron]

If you open the rad and see that in your own car, you are neglecting the car.

Open my rads and there are all clean and green.
I use distilled water so I don't get mineral build up like that.

And after I left 2 jugs in the garage in -30C cold, I discovered distilled water doesn't freeze.
I thought the jugs would have frozen and exploded, but they looked normal, not even slush.

 

[Justwondering]

Mine has a very minimal amount of buildup.
I'm thinking the radiator is fine.

 

[BudW]

I use distilled water so I don't get mineral build up like that.

Thank you, Dr Lebaron!

NEVER use any kind water - except for distilled water. You can get it at Wal-Mart for about $1 (US) per gallon or other grocery stores.

Distilled water is 100% water (H2O). Everything else, spring, drinking, tap, etc. is not 100% water and often has other “stuff” added. It is the minerals and other “stuff” in water that promotes corrosion.

I have friends who will purchase pre-mix coolant – which is fine.
I prefer to go as cost effective as possible, so gallon size of normal (green) coolant and gallon sized distilled water is what I get (and cheapest long run). Matter of fact, when performing a repair which requires draining the cooling system, I will often purchase two gallons of each so no risk of running out.
BudW