06-12-2012, 08:56 AM
Bill N.Y.Back from the Pocono 400
Just got back from watching the Pocono 400 this weekend. What a trip...It started out ok - but right at the 380-84 split in PA my transmission appeared to downshift and the engine sounded like it revved to 8k rpms. Did I just accidentally bump into my shifter lever?
I looked down to see the tachometer at only 3,500rpms but I could still heard that roar. What could it be? Engine temps at 190 and oil psi at 40psi.
I pulled over and left the engine running. After looking under the engine I had my friend rev it up. Wow, that doesn't sound too good.
After shutting it off I put my hands on the fan blades and found it locked up. My fan clutch just seized in the full on position.
At this stage, I was pretty happy. If I was to have a fan clutch failure, this is the way to have it fail.
After arriving at the racetrack I tried to pull into my normal area. Apparently, since they remodeled the track, the dip of the pull in for my spot changed and I got hung up after my rear tires spun.
The Pocono raceway has a long standing policy of giving free tows to anyone who gets stuck in the mud - So, this little issue cost me a 20 dollar tip to the tow truck driver and a ding in my pride - not too bad.
After getting pulled out of the mud I thought a little about my fan clutch. What if it locked in and wasn't 100% straight? I popped the cover off of the engine and looked at it again.
I didn't want to risk a wobbly/off centered fan clutch causing my water pump to fail. So, I contacted my Freightliner garage and they arranged to have the part "drop shipped" to a local campground that one of their mechanics was staying at that weekend.
The part was delivered on Sunday to my Barth and after 45 minutes I had it swapped out.
The ride home was flawless and quiet. All is well and I now have another Pocono story to tell.
