Can you remove fans without removing top rad hose? Replacing tensioner pulleys

[rowan194]

If there's a way, I'd like to know. When removing the fans, the tabs at the side of the shroud foul on the rad hose on one side, and the transmission cooler lines on the other. I shoved a bit against the rad hose, but I wasn't going to put similar strain on the trans lines.

So I ended up having to remove the top hose. Last time it wasn't a prob since I'd drained the cooling system, but this time it was full... thar she blows! A bit of bunched up paper towel shoved in there slowed it to a drip drip drip. Still, there's a fair bit of green stuff lurking in my body that I had to wash out carefully.

Also, I wonder why Ford put the bolts for the pulleys on the BACK of the tensioner assembly? If they were on the front, all you would need to do is loosen the belt and remove the bolt for each pulley; instead you have to remove the air intake, unplug and remove the fans (and top rad hose in my case), loosen the belt, then remove the whole tensioner assembly to get at the two bolts... What should be a 5 min job becomes 30-45...

[JC]

Yes you can, pull it up as far as it goes, then wiggle it a bit - driver's side higher than passenger side and it should pop out.

[rowan194]

Tried one side higher than the other, bit of wiggling force, then again tilting the other way... still no go. It's THAT close to scraping past, but just not enough. I didn't want to damage the hose or trans line. Why couldn't they make the tabs 5mm shorter on each side?

Oh well, hopefully won't need to do that again.

My Gregory's mentions unclipping the shroud as well as unbolting it, but it was free as soon as I removed the two bolts. Should there be something else holding it on?

[Rambunctious]

You must be wiggling the wong way, I had no trouble removing the fans on the sons car to do the harmonic balancer.

[T3man]

Yes, a bit more perserverence on your part may be required.

[Jastel]

They sit on a ledge thing at the bottom, halfway down the radiator, maybe thats what they mean by unclipping it, or else undoing the electrical plug.

They should come out as said, drivers side a bit higher, squeeze past the hoses and pipes with no real drama.

The only time it gets real difficult is if the car has had a prang and is not repaired quite straight.

[The Monty]

Like JC said, start at the bottom.Pull it up as far as it goes, tilt the drivers side up, lift a bit, and then lift the passengers side up and it will come out. It takes a bit of a wiggle, but you get used to it when you break lots of things, lol.

[rowan194]

Gregory's manual says: "Raise the shroud, disconnecting the clips from the bottom of the radiator and remove the shroud from the vehicle."

Maybe an early series thing?

[T3man]

heheheh - love Gregory's. Everything sounds so simple. When I ran my workshop I loved Gregory's - I got so much business from people who tried it the Gregory's Way ... and fugged it!

[tgidog13]

Removed cooling fans so many times, gives you more room to work in. Got sick of undoing top 2 retaining bolts so replaced them with lock ties, now just cut ties, unclip elec connection, slide up & out with a bit of a jiggle...done, after a few times you soon learn how much force is used when jiggling it out...I'd say you would be doing it few more times also.

[Mr Hardware]

yeah in the taxis we only ever zip tied the fans in.