'94 Camry Hydraulic Radiator Fan - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

davidh5 · 08-11-2008, 12:20 PM

I have a '94 Camry V6 with the most complicated cooling system I've ever seen.

It appears to have a hydraulic fan run off the transmission?
The car is running HOT, but the temp. gauge reads normal. The fan is running all of the time, although slowly and I can stop it with my hand (50-100 rpm).
A local garage quoted a fan replacement for $450 even though the fan appears to work. No local salvage yards ever even heard of such a thing.

What determines the fan speed? Can the hydraulic pump be rebuilt?

atobe · 08-12-2008, 11:22 AM

it's called a clutch fan... how do u know it's running hot? if the guage reads normal then it's normal. engines always run hot they usually run at 200-300F.

***toyomoho*** · 08-12-2008, 11:40 AM

Thought the fan was powered by the power steering pump. The problem would be in the system that controls fluid to the pump, not the pump. There would be some kind of temp sensor installed in the coolant system, this would control the valve.

davidh5 · 08-12-2008, 05:03 PM

thanks for the reply

This is my Mother's car. She told me today that it has run hot, according to the gauge, in stop and go traffic w/ the A/C running (it was 100+ here last week).
As I said the fans runs, but never changes speed. I drove it around on a cool day and never noticed it run hot or the fan change speed, I asume it should have multiple speeds. Also, the thermostat opened normally.
What controls the fan speed and where is it located?

Barcs · 08-14-2008, 01:50 PM

It is correct that the hydraulic fan runs off of the power steering fluid (which is tranny fluid in our cars). My car used to do the same thing, and I had to replace the blade itself. There was damage on a few of the blades so it ran off balance and my car overheated and shook as a result when I was driving in traffic or slow speeds.Look for V6 gen 3 camrys in junkyards and you should be able to find the replacement blade or the whole thing. It was only $35 plus shipping for just the blade. The whole unit runs about $120 I believe. Do NOT pay $400 for that. It wasn't that hard of a job, just be careful as you may need to replace the copper U-gasket that is located where the line of PS fluid connects to the hydraulic motor. Yes, the fan should speed up when the temperature goes up. I believe it is controlled by the power steering pump, but it might have it's own separate pump (just follow the lines). Check the PS fluid level and make sure you use the proper fluid. Also inspect the fan blade for nooks and crannys.