replacing fan clutch

Have any of you replaced this bastardo? The truck has been running hot every weekend & I took the thermostat out last weekend. The only difference that made is that it stays a little cooler for a couple minutes on the highway. The nuts holding the clutch on are 10mm correct? It seemed to be the right size but they tried to round off. And of course I can't find my can of Kroil. Any tips guys?

i believe that your right 10mm, try some pb's blaster it has broken stuff loose that i didn't think a torch would!!
first are you sure it's just the fan causing it to heat up?
my suggestion would be drop the belt driven fan setup & get an electric setup with a lower temp thermostat.....plus it will freeup some extra ponies from an already weak motor!!

NYTRDR24, no I'm not sure the fan is responsible. I was able to afford the $65 clutch for the fan because cup-o-noodles is going to be my friend for the rest of the month. Anything else you know?

i would try flushing the coolant system out, & putting in some new instead of the $65 fan clutch & save a few ducs so you & cup-o-noodles are more like distant friends. you have taken out the thermostat & aren't running one? radiator cap could be bad, if flushing & new rad cap & fan clutch don't do the trick, then you may be having head gasket issues, or if the truck still has the cats one of those could be stopped up causing all the exhaust to be routed through the egr valve, then raising the temp of the engine....

good luck!

wow that's an informative reply. thank you! And yea, no thermostat. Should I get the 170 or the 180? Yesterday it had some white smoke when I started it and it was hard to start. Nothing has ever came out of the radiator cap, any way to know if it's bad? I think the whole exhaust is factory except the muffer. I think the head gasket is probably messed up because I've had to drive it with it running hot. Like 700 miles of driving. Thanks again for the help! I'll check everything you said and get back on here.

Uh-oh.700 miles with the truck running hot?At best u have fried the head gasket,at worst u have fried the head.Mazda's use a 2 stage thermostat,1st stage opens at 160 deg.,2nd at 180.They dont do well with non-factory thermos so spend a little more and get a good one.When u put it in,it has a small air bleed hole that should be mounted at the 12 oclock position.I dont think u have fan clutch problems u have engine problems.BJ

Ok I got the fan back on tonight with the new clutch and took it for a test drive. It idles a little rough & low and is a little hesitant when I get on the pedal. Ran great on the highway though. No white smoke like yesterday. I've got a "premium" head gasket kit comming in the morning & a date with the garage for the rest of the weekend. I'll let everyone know progress. And hocbj23 I was quoted today $10 for a 180deg replacement from Oriely's. Would that be alright or should I go to the dealership?

yeah the white puff of smoke & running hot for 700 miles is no good sign of head gasket or head problems....just ask the peps @ orileys if it is a oem two stage thermostat or just an aftermarket piece...good luck changing the head gasket, hopefully the head didnt get damaged.....

what the man said.Good luck,hope it is just the gasket.180 is ok in summer,in winter it will take truck longer to warm up so heater will function.BJ

Hey guys good news! It was just the gasket. The new fan clutch held the temp gauge down about a 1/4 so I made it ok to the parents garage. I'll post a pic sometime of the hole in the gasket. It's going to be down until next weekend though so I can put the new valve seals in next weekend. Thanks for all the help on this so far!