Hi Grant

I was in a Jaguar Dealership this morning, picking up a couple of Bottom Rad hoses because I wanted those two hoses to be OEM as they are the hardest ones to replace, so wanted ones that would last.

And asked them about the difference between these Fans.

Namely: EBC 4553 for the XJS and EBC 4552 for the other models you mentioned.

They said there was a difference but were not sure what it was and even the Prices were different.

Though not far Shy of £150

 

Hi Paul

Seeing as the Cost of that Fan (£150), is near enough the same price as a Chinese Aluminum Radiator.

It might be a much better plan to take a gamble with the Fan I've got and if the worst should happen then buy another Rad.

 

.. and ignition wiring and fan belt and bonnet insulation and oil cooler hoses and rad hoses and get bonnet repaired & painted etc etc

OB,

Now that you know it's living on dangerous borrowed time, you really don't want a fan letting go under there! Whether it's a new one or better condition old one, or even a conversion to full electric, I'd still sort the fan quickly.

Just a suggestion.....

Paul

 

As I was just saying Paul, getting a Fan is going to be a priority.

 

An alternative fan , also listed as EBC4553 is available for £36
Saving approximately £100!

Fan Blade - EBC4553 | Jaguar XJS | Jaguar | British Parts UK

 

Hi it comes up at £42.50 not sure where you got £36 from but it is still £100 cheaper, so thanks for that.

 

Although I was tempted to leave the old fan, I felt I had to take it off to have a proper look at its condition.

As in the event that it shattered, then it could take out not only the Rad but put a big dent in the Bonnet/hood.

How hard can it be?

The truth is a whole lot easier, than I could have ever imagined, its only held on by 4 bolts, where the only mistake that I made was undoing the wrong ones!

I should have undone the bolts that were close to the pulley but mistakenly thought that the Yellow blade bolts would have to be undone first.

I also thought the Fan housing would be on a shaft and need some sort of puller to be able to get it off, or may even need to be drifted with a FBH.

But not so! its only 4 Bolts.

The Technique I used@Grant@Greg, was first to back the nuts off as far as I could and while I managed to get 3 of them, I couldn't get to the fourth one, which was underneath and out of reach of a spanner.

As I had the Car on my lifter, I also tried to get it from underneath.

'Nice Try but No Cigar' I couldn't reach it.

Plan 'B' was to slack the Pulley Belt off, so I could turn the Fan Blade Boss, to a much better position, but as the adjusters were very tight and also very little room for me to try and undo them.

I ended up giving the Engine a Spin on the Key, as with so many wires disconnected, I knew She wouldn't Start.

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TRY THIS ON AN ENGINE THAT WILL START, OR THE LOOSE FAN WILL WRECK THE RADIATOR AND DO SOME SERIOUS DAMAGE TO EVERYTHING UNDER THE BONNET/HOOD

Once I got to the last nut and backed it off just like the rest, all it then took was a tap with my hands at the top and the bottom, then it virtually fell off and eventually did just that once the nuts had been fully undone.

Put a big sheet of rag underneath the Car, to catch any nut that may fall.

As you will see from the Photos, the Fan was much worse than I thought, as there were Stress Cracks all over the place and it was very clearly just about to shatter.

The Clutch itself felt very OK, and so I will use that again.

And this is also a really good time to slacken off and Copper Grease all the Adjusters, in case you need to change any belts in the future.

If you still have the Rad in, protect it with a nice big sheet of Cardboard@PTJS.

Backing Off the Nuts



Stress Cracks all over the Fan



A good time to grease the Adjusters

 

My fan much like yours, serious cracks across it. Glad I spotted them in the spring insepction (I was actually getting the fan shrouds off for shot blasting and enamel). Purchased the aftermarket EBC4553# from Martin Robey for £40.65. Black not white but great. Fitted on fine and does the business.

Looks like all the white ones are now past their "last use by" date.