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Cousin Pierre Hedary on M117 (and M119) Fan Clutches
- Thread starter gerryvz
- Start date
I opened up an M119 clutch many years ago. The M119 clutch design is nearly identical to the M117 with the exception of the mounting flange.
These clutches are extremely robust and almost NEVER leak silicone fluid, and should never have silicone fluid added, unless there is clear evidence of leakage / fluid loss. These V8 clutches are a totally different design vs the thin/skinny 4/5/6-cylinder clutches found on the M102/M103/M104 and OM60x diesels. The skinny clutches are notorious for leaking fluid and can be resurrected by re-filling, if the bearing is good.
Anyone ever seen an M119 "thick" clutch coated with silicone oil that has become saturated with dirt & dust? Me neither. But it happens all the time on the "skinny" clutches - they leak, don't engage, and the face gets full of oily dirt. (Disclaimer: If this does happen on an M117/M119 clutch, I'd recommend replacing with a good used one, rather than refilling - YMMV etc.)
If the M119 clutch is not engaging, the issue is almost never, ever a lack of silicone fluid. 99.9999% of the time it's a calibration issue, not fluid loss. Years ago I spent many hours analysing this with two brand-new Sachs clutches and many used clutches, swapping them out in 90F+ summer heat so I could test them. I also measured fan blade speed with an optical tachometer at various engine RPM's.
Anyway - please don't add fluid to a "thick" clutch.
More information can be found in this PDF file from W124performance.
These clutches are extremely robust and almost NEVER leak silicone fluid, and should never have silicone fluid added, unless there is clear evidence of leakage / fluid loss. These V8 clutches are a totally different design vs the thin/skinny 4/5/6-cylinder clutches found on the M102/M103/M104 and OM60x diesels. The skinny clutches are notorious for leaking fluid and can be resurrected by re-filling, if the bearing is good.
Anyone ever seen an M119 "thick" clutch coated with silicone oil that has become saturated with dirt & dust? Me neither. But it happens all the time on the "skinny" clutches - they leak, don't engage, and the face gets full of oily dirt. (Disclaimer: If this does happen on an M117/M119 clutch, I'd recommend replacing with a good used one, rather than refilling - YMMV etc.)
If the M119 clutch is not engaging, the issue is almost never, ever a lack of silicone fluid. 99.9999% of the time it's a calibration issue, not fluid loss. Years ago I spent many hours analysing this with two brand-new Sachs clutches and many used clutches, swapping them out in 90F+ summer heat so I could test them. I also measured fan blade speed with an optical tachometer at various engine RPM's.
Anyway - please don't add fluid to a "thick" clutch.
More information can be found in this PDF file from W124performance.
Last edited:
@gerryvz @gsxr,
It’s irrelevant at this point since you can’t purchase a new fan clutch from Mercedes and no one that I’m aware of can fix them. I have a perfectly good looking useless fan clutch in storage in the garage. I waiting for the day a legitimate repair source comes available.
Meanwhile, I’m very happy to have an ACM fan clutch that works keeping my engine cooler albeit a little noisier.
BTW, I thought Jono was working on some kind of solution for fixing MB fan clutches.
It’s irrelevant at this point since you can’t purchase a new fan clutch from Mercedes and no one that I’m aware of can fix them. I have a perfectly good looking useless fan clutch in storage in the garage. I waiting for the day a legitimate repair source comes available.
Meanwhile, I’m very happy to have an ACM fan clutch that works keeping my engine cooler albeit a little noisier.
BTW, I thought Jono was working on some kind of solution for fixing MB fan clutches.
