Every well-oiled machine needs some kind of refreshment to cool down. In this case, a powerful engine such as the one installed in a Mercedes Benz needs an efficient cooling system to prevent it from overheating. If this persists, it will retain the optimum engine performance it is expected of a Merc.

A couple of subcomponents are necessary to fill-in the cast, these are: the radiator, auxiliary fan, and the grill (which, not only for aesthetic purposes, permits air in to help cool down the engine). But a subcomponent that makes a great deal in helping the cooling system to perform above expected performance is the Mercedes fan clutch.


Before giving out the details about the fan clutch, let us first get a lowdown of things on why the Mercedes fan clutch is necessary in the functioning of the cooling system. The radiator needs a helping hand from the auxiliary fan to dissipate heat in cooling the engine. In order to draw more cool air, there are vehicles that are being installed with an additional fan in front of the radiator. This extra fan is aimed particularly during hot season or when the vehicle isn’t moving fast enough. On these situations, very small amount of cool air gets in the radiator; hence, the engine isn’t cooled properly.


This is where the Mercedes fan clutch comes in. Outfitted in the radiator, the fan clutch is a device with a small fluid mixture to control the speed of the auxiliary fan. When the engine is cool or even at normal operating temperature, the fan clutch partially disengages the auxiliary fan. This saves power since the engine does not have to fully drive the fan.


The main objective of the Mercedes fan clutch is to make sure that the auxiliary fan will run or spin at the proper speed to prevent the engine from overheating as well as to decrease drive to the fan when it is no longer needed. The fan clutch possesses a fluid mixture that’s partly made up of silicone oil that’s intended for that sole purpose. When the temperature of the air that passes through the radiator gets higher, the heart commands a bimetal coil spring to uncoil or expand. As it expands, it lets a little more oil to come into the fluid coupling before it will start to run or rotate the fan.