Fan noise while towing - 2006 Explorer XLT
 

Howdy...

I have a 2006 Explorer XLT V8 with the tow package

I have noticed when towing up a long hill, there is what sounds like a
'second fan' that switches on after a while. I assume this has
something to do with the transmission cooler.

My issue is that the fan intermitently squeals. My Ford dealer says
this is normal, but I have a hard time believing that becuase it's
intermitent.

I'm not sure how I can reproduce this for my dealer, as it only happens
when I tow and only on long hills, There are no hills nearby..

My questions a

1) Is this a 2nd fan coming on, or just the standard radiator fan
spinnig up to a higher speed. It is far louder than the noise the
engine makes when not towing. It sounds like turning the A/C fan on
full, but of course, it's not the A/C fan

2) Is this squeal unavoidable? It sounds like a bad fan belt, but I'm
not sure if these fans even have belts. The squeal is intermitent,
which makes me feel like there's a problem.

Again, my deal says they can't fix what they can't reproduce, and that
there is no other fan that could be making the noise, and it's normal
for the radiator fan to sound that loud when towing up a hill...

The loudness isn't what bothers me. Just the intermitent squeal...

Any help would be appreciated...

Best,

Benjamin a

Fan noise while towing - 2006 Explorer XLT
 

Does it have an electric fan or is it engine driven. If electric,
it's possible it's a two speed fan and under the extra load the engine
runs a little hotter so it kicks the fan up to a higher speed. If
it's engine driven what I've noticed often happens with viscous
clutches on these kinds of fans is that when things start to heat up
the viscous fluid thickens or some valve in the clutch opens, making
the fan turn at a higher speed and they can be quite loud when that
happens. I would not expect a good electric to squeal but if it's
engine driven with a belt it's possible that when the clutch kicks it
up in speed the extra load makes the belt slip a little causing a
squeal. Easy way to check is to buy a new belt and make sure the
tensioner still seems to have good tension.


On 15 Aug 2006 07:57:49 -0700, wrote:

>Howdy...
>
>I have a 2006 Explorer XLT V8 with the tow package
>
>I have noticed when towing up a long hill, there is what sounds like a
>'second fan' that switches on after a while. I assume this has
>something to do with the transmission cooler.
>
>My issue is that the fan intermitently squeals. My Ford dealer says
>this is normal, but I have a hard time believing that becuase it's
>intermitent.
>
>I'm not sure how I can reproduce this for my dealer, as it only happens
>when I tow and only on long hills, There are no hills nearby..
>
>My questions a
>
>1) Is this a 2nd fan coming on, or just the standard radiator fan
>spinnig up to a higher speed. It is far louder than the noise the
>engine makes when not towing. It sounds like turning the A/C fan on
>full, but of course, it's not the A/C fan
>
>2) Is this squeal unavoidable? It sounds like a bad fan belt, but I'm
>not sure if these fans even have belts. The squeal is intermitent,
>which makes me feel like there's a problem.
>
>Again, my deal says they can't fix what they can't reproduce, and that
>there is no other fan that could be making the noise, and it's normal
>for the radiator fan to sound that loud when towing up a hill...
>
>The loudness isn't what bothers me. Just the intermitent squeal...
>
>Any help would be appreciated...
>
> Best,
>
> Benjamin a

Fan noise while towing - 2006 Explorer XLT