Flex fan or clutch fan?

[Sport/Truck]

I have my fan off and seen some oil around the shaft of the clutch. Should I get another clutch or a flex fan?
s/t

[Longhorn Man]

clutch... hands down.
GM did a recall on factory flex fans, blades ripping off, and those aftermarket ones have been known to fly apart too. The bad thing is, when they fly apart, the blade will rip right through your hood and whatever else is in it's way.

[Aarons72s]

Im opposite. I hate clutch fans. My orange and white had a flex, factory, which is now in my green and white. My green and white had a clutch fan in it when I got it. POS! Chunked that fan almost a month after I bought it. Would never cool properly. Took me awhile but I found another factory flex fan in pull a part put back to install in my orange and white when I get around to putting her back together. I chunked my clutch fan before I knew what they were worth. just my opinion.

[Longhorn Man]

you ever tried a properly working clutch?
A flex is a band-aid fix IMO.

[68GMC454]

i got lucky with my fan,,this yr i finally got around to figuring out what wasmaking the sqeeling noise under the hood..i thouhgt it was the belts,,nope,,got to looking,,the stupid clutch fan had seezed up completly..when i pulled it out,,it had about 4 little bearings left in it..could be why my water pump went out a few months later...

[Bamm]

If it was my choice it would go in this order,

1.) Electric
2.) Clutch
3.) Driving only short distances at a time since I would never put a flex fan on my truck. My uncle has pics of the 8" gaping hole that his flex fan made in his truck hood when it came apart. I could only imagine myself checking the oil or something like that when that thing came apart. That'll leave a mark.......

To you flex fan guys, it's JMO, no flames.... ............Jerry

[Moneypit]

Originally Posted by Bamm 24

If it was my choice it would go in this order,

1.) Electric
2.) Clutch
3.) Driving only short distances at a time since I would never put a flex fan on my truck. My uncle has pics of the 8" gaping hole that his flex fan made in his truck hood when it came apart. I could only imagine myself checking the oil or something like that when that thing came apart. That'll leave a mark.......

To you flex fan guys, it's JMO, no flames.... ............Jerry

Ok, so maybe I'm ignorant, but you check your oil WHILE the engine is running? I've never heard of anyone doing this is the only reason I ask.

[Sport/Truck]

Originally Posted by Moneypit

Ok, so maybe I'm ignorant, but you check your oil WHILE the engine is running? I've never heard of anyone doing this is the only reason I ask.

That would be ATF.

[Sport/Truck]

Thanks for all the input. I’ll stay with my original clutch fan….just as soon as I get my new clutch!
I’m gland the majority wasn’t for the flex, as I jut had mine powder coated!
I’ll show pictures whenever I gather everything up.
s/t

[corn]

Ive had all three styles & never really had any problems with any of them. I dont care for the whining that aftermarket flex fans make though. Id have to say electric is the safest route.

[Purduegmc]

I had a clutch fan at first and didn't have a problem with it. I replaced it with a flex after the clutch went out of the original. I wouldn't mind having an electric fan set-up, but there is a list of other things on my list of things to do to the truck before messing with the fan set-up. I don't mind the sound of the fan, I only hear it in town when slowing down. I haven't heard of very many fans coming apart under "normal conditions".

[truckdude239]

ummm my truck dont have either mine is a soild moutn so ti spins all the time

[Long Roof]

Hate the flex fans myself. They scare the crap out of me. I have seen the damage one can do when it comes apart. The one I saw was an aftermarket fiberglass fan.

[stsalvage]

i'M IN THE HUALING BUSINESS AND I FAN ALL OF THEM BUT ELECRIC FANS BUT POWER FANS IS NOT A GOOD WAY TO GO IN A WORKING MAN TRUCK MABEY ONE YOU ONLY DRIVE TO THE HOT ROD SHOWS REASONS POWER FANS WONT LET YOU KNOW WHEN THERE GOING BAD AND SOME OF THE GUYS THAT DRIVE THESE OLD TRUCK DON'T LOOK AT THERE GUAGES EVERY 10 TO 15 MINUTES MOST ARE ON THE CELL PHONE BUT I RAN A FLEX FAN IN A 1966 3 TON BOB TAIL HAD ONE OF THEM COME APART ON A UP HILL CLIME MANNNNNNNNNN LETS JUST SAY WHEN YOU GOT IT IN LOW WITH THE SPLITER AND YOU HAVE A 283 HUMMING AT 4500 RPMS AND SEEING THEM THINGS COME THROW THE HOOD WELLL LETS JUST SAY I WAS GLADE I WAS AT THE CROWING OF THE HILL WHEN THEY WENT AND I GLAD THE RADIATOR HOSE ON THEM TALL RADIATORS ARE SOME WHAT OUT OF THE WAY IT NICKED IT BUT LUCKY IT DID NOT CCUK IT ALL 3 OF THEM CUT USE FROM A 5 FAN DEAL 2 WENT THROW THE HOOD THE OTHER STUCK IN THE THE SIDE WHEEL WELL I STILL CAN REMMBER WHEN I GOT THE A PAY HONE AND CALLED HIM HE SAID YOU MUST OF THEN FARTING WITH IT ITS NEVER GIVE HIM ANY PROBLEMS ALL 15 YEARS OF BEING IN SERVICE IT WAS A COOL TRUCK PAINTED BLUE AND WHITE WITH STAKE SIDE BORDS ON IT HE JUST HAD ALL THE WOOD REDONE IN THE FLOOR AND ON THE FRAME WISH I HAD A PIC OF IT LOVE HOW THOSE 1964--66 CHEVY 3 TON BOB TAIL LOOK

[MACO]

Electric hands down, my truck came with a flex fan that decided to come apart as soon a I got home. It put a nice hole in my hood!

[Bamm]

Good catch Moneypit..... Yeah the tranny fluid is more of what I'm talking about. You understand what I'm saying though...

And PurdueGMC, you're probably right, most of the flex fans probably won't come apart under normal conditions, but it sure seems to me that there are a lot of "stories" out there and they all end the same way, with a blade through the hood.
Good luck whichever way you go man.......... Jerry