I have a 1987 Barth 28ft Regal and on a average summer day (85 degrees F) the fan clutch engages and disengages quite often. My coolant levels are maintained and the fan at full engagement cools the engine but the noise is distracting. The temperature never rises above 210F. Cycling also ocurrs in traffic at an idle. The engine is a 454 chev in a P-30 chasis. Is this normal with these units or could my radiator need servicing ? Your comments are welcome.

Thanks for visiting the web site, I saw on another forum the same problem. Turned out to be a bad temperature sensing unit. Wasn't a big deal. Hopefully you'll get more replies. So check back.

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I have a 73' Barth with a 454 on a P-30 chassis. When I bought mine it was doing the same thing and was also quite annoying. I changed the fan clutch itself and that cured the problem. I hope I was some help!

I've had the same problem when slowing down through traffic. I changed my fan clutch, this helped a lot. A loose fan belt can cause the clutch to engage. Also, a coolant change can help. Make sure that you have the proper ratio of coolant to water, usually 50% water and 50% coolant. Texaco Havoline Extended Life antifreeze is the best-also called Dexcool. It last 150,000 miles or 5 years. Too much coolant can cause the engine temperature to rise. Also, Red Line makes an additive called Water Wetter--supposed to decrease engine temp. by 20 degrees. I have added an electric fan in front of the radiator-bought through Summit Racing 19" 2700 cfm. It moves a lot of air when you're sitting still. I installed a 2 way switch allowing you to switch on in traffic or switch to thermal temp sensor which turns it on at 204 degrees. I hope this helps, good luck. Ed

I HAVE A 86 31FT REGAL P-30 WITH 454 YOUR CLUTCH FAN SOUNDS NORMAL-THE CLUTCH IS MECHANICAL NO SENDING UNIT(MOST USE A BIMETALIC SWITCH BUILT INTO CLUTCH)-WHEN IT FAILS IT'S TO A NON-ENGAGMENT(YOU WILL NOT HERE THE ROAR AS IT LOCKS UP AND SHOULD NOTICE TEMP INCREASES AT IDLE IN TRAFFIC ON WARM DAYS,HILLS OR TOWING)I PREFER TO HERE IT,BUT YOU COULD TRY TO INSULATE THE ENGINE HOUSING COVER MORE.HOPE THIS IS HELPFUL!

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Originally posted by tsiero:
I have a 1987 Barth 28ft Regal and on a average summer day (85 degrees F) the fan clutch engages and disengages quite often. My coolant levels are maintained and the fan at full engagement cools the engine but the noise is distracting. The temperature never rises above 210F. Cycling also ocurrs in traffic at an idle. The engine is a 454 chev in a P-30 chasis. Is this normal with these units or could my radiator need servicing ? Your comments are welcome.