1994 Lexus Ls 400 Fan Clutch?

[Larry W]

After replacing the defective overflow coolant container I did a test drive for about 5 miles. The system was only filled with water for the test. I noticed when I shut the engine off I was losing water from the discharge hose on the drivers side. I also noticed at idle the temperature gauge was climbing and would settle down while driving at 35-40 mph. I checked the fan clutch when I got home and found little resistance when turning it by hand. I am changing out the

t-stat and was wondering if you guys feel its the clutch. If so, is there a link you could share for the installation? Thanks in advance.

[landar]

I would suspect that you had air in the cooling system which caused hot spots and high temp readings. I really hesitate to use straight H2O in a system, even for a test. Water has a lower boiling point than antifreeze and "could" result in some overflow initially. You might want to replace the reservoir cap as well. The pressure on the system also raises the boiling point and your cap may be old and not maintaining proper pressure.

So, I would drain the water and start with a correct mixture of coolant and distilled water (not tap due to impurities). BTW, I use and recommend only Toyota coolant. Then make sure the system is properly burped. I would bet your fan clutch is fine.