Hi

It was all going well, got the right socket for the job, followed the article on fan removal in the magazine from last November, had the Haynes there...

got the 14mm bolt out no problem, came to 'shock' the backplate off the taper - and it WILL NOT budge....i've soaked it overnight in WD40 but does anyone know any tricks to get this off safely without buggering the thing up.

also, will the belt need slacking at the alternator prior to removal? or can you put it round the fan when you come to re-fit???

thanks alot folks

Will

Hi Will.

Might as well slacken the belt now, as it will have to be done at some point anyway.

To remove well-stuck fan...: Do you have a portbal;reblow torch?! Ok, fire her up, then back down the flame until it is a gentle, blue 'candle-like' flame around 1-2" long. Ie' no roaring at all!

Then 'play' this flame on the underside of the starting handle dog in the middle. If you heat it like this from below, then the heat from the flame won't damage the plastic fan blades.

Slowly does it - apply the heat in one spot for around, ooh, 20 seconds, and then turn the fan around so's you can heat another area - keep the actual torch steady.

Keep an eye on the surrounding areas just to make sure it ain't getting too hot - the fan blades on mine just became a little warm - no risk of damage whatsoever.

A few minutes should do it - test the dog with a wetted finger; all you should have is a very gentle sizzle.

Now try removing the fan - I bet it'll pop off.

The crank spigot will be barely luke-warm - no risk of heat damage to that either.

"portbal;reblow" = portable gas blow torch (ie the small hand-held type)

Keep turning the fan every 20 seconds or so - heat it up evenly.

The whole thing should only end up at around 80oC or so.

Thanks Devil's & Neil - i knew there would be a topic somewhere....

so you had to resort to heat Devil???

an overnight marinade in WD40 may have done it - will report back tomorrow

cheers now

Neil - D'oh!

Will - I'm talking gentle heat. Steel expands quite dramatically, and it only needs the tinniest movement to 'crack' the seal (mine had been on for 19 years...)

You can usually get the alternator belt on without having to slacken it at the alternator in my experience.

Reporting back....

I've tried a 24 hour soak in WD40
I've tried heat on it
I've tried to shock it off
I've tried to do it with the starting handle
I'm thinking I need Viking's tool
I'm worried it's been loctited as per Ken's story

I managed to clean the cooler a fair bit, working loads of carb. cleaner and a toothbrush through the gaps of the fan / where the belt enters the cowling....it's not great but it's..

....BETTER THAN IT WAS*

*my favourite motto, regarding the Ami

It just shows that all that fancy stuff you can buy from the car ''super''market is a vaste of money. If you can't get it off, apply more heat and repalce the crank shaft seal at the same time.