BAC Forum
General Boards => Technical Support => Topic started by: Larry Fisk on June 05, 2012, 02:10:51 AM
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Well our 2005 Thunder is down. It looks like the bracket that holds the cooling fan motor for the Radiator broke and the fan blades got into the radiator. The fan came completely off the motor and several blades were broken off. Also lost all the coolant on the road, so I am assuming the radiator is damaged. We now have it at the International Truck repair shop. We should hear the verdict tomorrow on the total damage. I can't imagine what caused the bracket to break and allow the motor to run wild. It's a big bummer. It looks like this is going to be an expensive trip home to Alaska. I sure hope they can locate parts and get it done quickly! :(
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Does anyone know if the radiator is repairable?
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By the way, trouble in Kamloops has nothing to do with Kamloops. Everyone here has been over the top helpful and concerned. If you have to break down, Kamloops is a great place to be!
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If the blades actually got into the radiator core don't even consider repair. If I was going to replace my radiator I would go with copper. Garland Land replaced his with copper. He could give you the price he paid and where it was built. His cell is 209-234-0956
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Thanks Jim, I appreciate the advice. If it is into the core I will discuss this with the repair guys.
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This may be a dumb question but what material is the original rad made from?
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Alumimum
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Sorry didn't finish thoughts. Most are aluminum with plastic side tanks, the core is always aluminum. The only reason is the price of copper. I'm not sure but Garland's was in the $ 3k to $ 4k and did not have plastic side tanks. And it was made in Oregon.
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Hello the place that custom made the rad for my 2005 Beaver was $5200. tank, core all Alumimum, lucky for me was done be4 I bought it.
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So, what is the reason it would be better to have a copper rad over Aluminum? I should hear today what the outcome is. I have to be back at work June 12th so if it can't be repaired by Thursday we will have to drive the tow car home and come back for the Beaver when it's done. Thanks guys for the feedback!
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Contact radiator supply house in Sweet Home, Oregon. They may have yours in stock and will certainly know what will fit.
1 877 615 3002
http://www.radiatorsupplyhouse.com/
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Copper is a better conductor of heat, and more flexible than aluminum. It is also much more expensive. In the old days, most, if not all, radiators were made with copper cores and steel or copper tanks. They did not react to impurities as badly as aluminum. The tanks and cores were soldered together with lead solder and could be easily cleaned out by removing the tanks and rodding out the cores. The aluminum radiators use plastic tanks that are crimped on and are not as good.
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Larry,
Jim Nichols and I replaced the radiator on my 2004 Patriot Thunder (C12 engine) in Oct. 2011. The original radiator was all aluminum (core, tanks & even the mounting brackets) and it made by Radiator Specialties Inc. in Sacramento CA. The replacement is copper and made by Radiator Supply House, Inc in Sweet Home, OR. The model # is RS-4837 and the cost was $4380.00.
Garland
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Thanks for all the input. Still waiting to hear the final outcome from the repair shop. I am really hoping they have found the parts needed to get er done tomorrow. Thanks again!
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One thing that concerns me is how the fan motor came loose and maybe something others should check for with similar set ups. Was it a mount failure or bolts coming loose. We replaced the hydraulic motor for our fan and it took weeks to get the parts.
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The service tech. believes the mounting bracket broke and this allowed the fan to run wild. I asked him if it could be welded back together and he said it was gone. The braces were still there but the actual bracket that holds the motor in place was not there. The Rad shop said they could repair the radiator but I decided to replace the core with an 8 row core, the original was a 7 row. They also are going to dip both sides of the core in a solution that hardens the veins and the core. I have never heard of this but the said it will make it much more difficult to be punctured again. They also found my air cooler for the engine turbo was cracked and badly blowing by, so they are replacing that also. It should greatly improve the engine performance the tech said. Anyway I have not gotten the final total cost for all of this. I do know that just the new core for the rad is $3000.00. I will try to post some pictures of the damage. Everyone be sure to check your rad fan cooling brackets, the alternative is spending a lot of money needlessly!
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Finally here are the pictures of the broken radiator cooling fan motor bracket and fan. This became an expensive detour. Be sure to check yours once in a while. :(
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Hi Larry,
Sorry to hear about your rad. I live in Kamloops about 15 min from the shop. If I can be of any help or if you have to leave the motorhome in Kamloops and return home, we have room to store it after it is repaired.
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Thanks so much Harry, that's good to know. You certainly live in a great place. While we were there everyone was very nice and helpful. We should be picking it up next week after the repairs are completed. They are still waiting on the bracket for the cooling fan motor. The rad and CAC are done and I think already installed. I am at work right now on the North Slope, ALaska. I had to get back and make some money to pay for this repair. Thanks again, if it comes to the point I need this, I will keep your very generous offer in mind.
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When our coach was new in 2006, I had the same problem. Luckily I noticed something amiss during my daily walk around. Through the side radiator grill/door I saw the fan housing hanging askew. The fan had slightly damaged a few fins, but nothing radical needing major repair. An RV dealer in Boise was nearby, and their tech rebuilt the bracketing that holds the AC fan in place. The factory mounts that fasten it to the top of the radiator are pretty lousy, so everyone with side radiator and AC arrangements should unbolt the access grill, swing it up, and carefully examine theirs for immenent bracket failure. You can probably engineer a better mounting configuration than the factory used... It was pretty wimpy.
If that unit falls down and the blades are still getting 12v power and running, they can tear things up pretty good as Larry discovered. This isn't the first time I've posted a warning here, so if you didn't take heed before, please do now. I may have some pix I can post, I'll have to look.
Joel
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Thanks Joel, I am sure wishing I had read your post on this before this happened. No doubt this repair will be several thousands of dollars plus all the hassles involved in a breakdown.
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Here's a link to one of the threads I posted in, which include's the eventual fix, and a photo of the damage, clearly not as extensive as Larry's turned out to be:
http://forum.bacrallies.com/m-1253307013/s-5/highlight-fan/#num5
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Say Joel, when they talk about the charge air cooler is that the small aluminum looking radiator on the bottom in this picture with the hoses coming out of each side?
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Larry,
The small aluminum radiator at the bottom of Joel's picture is the hydraulic cooler. The charge air cooler or intercooler is the large aluminum unit behind it and the A/C condenser with the large inlet on one side and the large outlet on the other side.
Gerald
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Thanks Gerald! I'm going to have a look at mine when they get it done so I know what's what. They should be getting the fan motor bracket and fan tomorrow. Hopefully it will be ready to go Friday morning.
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Hi Joel
I don't think that your problem was the same as Larry's. Larry's failure was of the hydraulically driven main cooling fan - yours was of the electric ac condenser fan. Nevertheless, good info re: both failures.
Brad Burgess
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Yup, you're right Brad.
Joel
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Ok, final update, Beaver repairs are complete and the Thunder is rolling again! Final cost to repair was over $10,000, so beware, check your cooling fan brackets and avoid this expense.
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Hello my fellow Beaver Ambassadors, Well my wife Rhonda drove the Thunder back to our home in Sterling, AK by herself since I could not leave work. She said the Thunder performed flawlessly and the trip was uneventful. IRL International in Kamloops did a great job of getting everything repaired. They are a great bunch of people who do quality work. The final bill was a little over $12,000 but that included a recored charge air cooler. Rhonda said she noticed more get up and go from the engine when pulling hills. She sent me this photo when she arrived of our coach parked in the driveway. Have a great summer with uneventful travels!
Larry Fisk
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Here is the new set up...