Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

I did yesterday, scared the bejeebus out of me... I was driving along, someone cut me off, I moved over a lane and punched it. What followed was the most horrible sound I have ever heard, sounded like silverware hitting the floor (only worse)...

I slowed back down and pulled onto a side street. The truck was vibrating pretty bad, but all the gauges read normal, so I drove it back home, not wanting to shift out of drive or shut it off because I didn't know what broke.

Got home and after crawling under and inside everything I finally found a missing fan blade. It grazed the radiator a little (no major damage) and then blew out the bottom of the fan shroud on the way out. Put on a new fan and fan clutch and all is well again (still need to order a shroud, though).

It is amazing how a missing blade can throw off the balance in such a huge way.

Re: Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

You got lucky usually they take out the radiator. Glad to hear your back on the road.

Re: Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

Thanks, I felt very lucky after I saw what happened. The radiator has 2 small depressions in the fins, each about the size of a fingertip. Looks like the blade just nicked it and then shot out the bottom. No leaks so far, but I'm keeping an eye on it...

Re: Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

At least it went out through the bottom and not out through your hood!

Re: Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

No kidding. there's about 270 degrees of rotation where that could have been very, very bad.

Re: Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

Yes, you are very lucky it didn't rip a hole in your hood. With my luck, it would have shot straight up, after tearing up the shroud and radiator. :)

One more reason I love my electric fans.

Re: Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

In the early 80's im riddin' with my buddy in his 70.5 LT1 Z28 and he nails it at a stop light and after it hit second gear we heard the same horrible sound you did we both looked at each other and said HOLY$H!T What the Hell was that and then i saw something protruding through the hood we pulled over and saw a fan blade stuck in his hood we then opened the hood and it thru two blades the other one went thru the rad.

We limped it to the next service station and removed the fan from the water pump and the hood we left the blade in the rad cuz it would of leaked worse if we removed it we filled it up and limped it back home about 20 miles stoping at several more service stations for H2O.

That's why i'll never run a flex fan!!
Sounds like a good reason not to run a stock fan as well!
Electric is the only way to go.

Re: Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

Man I Was Laughing My Ass Off During Reading This B/c I Did It To A 90 Model But It Was My Fault Sence Then About Four Of Five Years Ago I Have Learned That A Fan While Not Be Ok With Just To Bolts In It (they Were Adjasint From One Another) Thought Wrong Luckily When I Pulled In The Driveway At Home A Buddy Next Store Was Out And I Reved The Engine Up At Him Thats When It Slung Off The Pump And Put A Huge Outwerd Dent In My Hood. So Glad To Here Your Experience Went As Smooth As Mine Did And Like You Said Keep An Eye On That Rad. For A While.

Re: Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

I removed the water pump from my truck -switched engines and then put the water pump on the new motor.
In the process I removed the fan mounting bolts but it was siezed to the pump shaft. When I reinstalled it I forgot the bolts were still out.
I'm just glad it stayed on until the test drive and didn't fly off during tuning!!

Tore up the radiator real bad and I saw the pulley rolling into the ditch but never found it:(

Re: Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

I loaned my truck to my buddy right after I put the rebuilt engine in it. New Radiator and a New Fan. Installed the fan backwards! It came apart and took out the Belts, Lower Radiator Hose, Fan Shroud and Radiator. All new parts with exception of the Shroud. Better yet I had to drive 30 miles to do a roadside repair to get him moble again. Boy did I feel like a shmuck!!!

Re: Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

I was riding with a buddy of mine once, were were in a late 80's Dakota. Cruisin down the highway we both caught a glimpse of something fly up from the front area of the truck. Since neither of us actually saw what it was, and since the truck still ran normal...we kept on driving and kind of blew it off. Once we got to his place, we got out of the truck and walked to the front to see if we perhaps hit something...everything looked normal. That was until we saw a 1" x 8" (or so, never measured it...but it was a perfect rectangle) slit in the front of the hood. To this day I wonder how high that fan flew up in the air!! :D :D

Re: Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

I never had the pleasure of it happening to me, probably wont happen in the future since I'm all electric on my rides. It did happen to my friends 72 Chevell, then to his 72 Nova two weeks later. :lol:

Re: Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

Wow, great stories! I feel even luckier now than I did before. :hm: Just ordered a new shroud from Chevy Duty (only $20, 30 bucks cheaper than LMC!!!), she'll be back in one piece soon.

Re: Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

you took the words right out of my mouth

Re: Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

lol...saw it happen to my buddies S10...blew 3 holes in the hood, destroyed the shroud, cut all the belts, cut the rad hose and destroyed his radiator!! It did more damage than the truck was worth!

Re: Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

My cousin lost one blade off his flex fan. About that time, I read in a magazine that they had recalled 2 models of them, and his was one.

Re: Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

I have a buddy that was working on the timing in his circle track car and had the fan come apart. it took the whole index finger and the top knuckle to the tip on his middle finger. i would always flip him **** about it until i was doing the same thing when the whole fan came off the pump. the only thing that save my but was the tin fan shroud that i had used. stuck the blade right through it and stopped while i was leaning down toward the marks with my left hand and head while revving it with my right hand.
talk about something that really gets you heart going. i think it was well over a half an hour before i calmed down.

Re: Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

Same here. I've seen pics of it not being so lucky. :D

Re: Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

When I was a kid the guy I was working for sent me on an errand in his friends 57 chevy stepside . It was a straight 6 banger with stick shift and Well you know how kid's are . I had it in second gear and screaming right up to the top when the fan sheared off and went thru the radiator . The owner was pi$$ed .
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Re: Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

The day I brought my 71 c20 home the first thing the fan decided to do was come apart and punch a hole in the hood. It was one of those original GM flex fans that are so dangerous. I planned to change it right away but hey it was the first day I owned the truck.

Re: Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

Same here

Re: Anyone ever lost a fan blade before?
 

I can only immagin the damage that that would do to someone if it would explode whith them in its path