Fan Clutch Replacement?

I have a 2011 Tacoma V6 with 95,000 miles. Just noticed some extra noise from the engine compartment. Appears to be the radiator fan that has added the noise.

The fan doesn't have any play, but it also doesn't move freely when the engine is cold. I can turn it by hand, but it will stop as soon as my hand stops pushing it. My wife's 2016 Lexus fan spins freely when the engine is cold.

I have uploaded a wav file of what it sounds like at cold startup around the fan area: Fan_Noise

Please let me know if you agree the fan clutch is the culprit.

Thanks,
Dave

 

Sounds like your on the right track. Sometimes when I see em I'll have a buddy rev up the engine while i watch the fan shroud closely. The shroud will look like it's flexing, like it wants to rip off the radiator. On some trucks I could feel the transmission taking too long to shift, like the engine didn't want to rev up.

You could remove it and drive around the block really quick, see if the noise goes away

 

Sometimes you just have to look for an easier solution when things suddenly change. I had just had the truck in for an oil change. Turns out that the tech jammed a Dunkin Donuts iced coffee cup below the oil filter to capture the oil when the filter was removed. He didn't remove the cup, so that was rubbing against the belts and pulley in that area. They wore right through the cup which also released any of the oil that he had tried to capture.

Free interior/exterior detailing coming up on Friday as compensation for the issue.

 

They should replace the belt too. It is soaked with oil now

Glad to hear it was fairly simple though..