[Austin]

I’m having no luck getting my fan off to replace my timing chain, I used all kinds of tools and kept an air chisel cause I don’t have one, any suggestions, it’s on a 1998 Chevy Silverado with the 5.0.

[Jessica]

Are you positive you’re trying to turn the correct way? My 02 was a PITA to remove. Sprayed with PB blaster and a heavy dead blow on the wrench from O’Reilly.

[Tim]

Air hammer with a flat chisel.

[Allan]

I usually put a pipe wrench on it and give the wrench a smack with a big hammer if I don’t have my tool for my air hammer available. Usually works 90 % of the time.

[Steve]

In a long chisel, place the blade along the edge of one of the points at a tangent and give it a sharp rap with a dead blow steel hammer. Trying to turn it the direction it rotates.

[Mike]

Confirm if it’s left hand or right-hand thread.

[Mike]

Another way is use a 24-36″ pry bar…put the shank of the pry bar under one of the pulley bolt heads, and on the top of another, then a 36mm wrench or big adjustable wrench and give her hell….you may need a 2nd set of hands to hold the pry bar, but in most cases, I’ve been able to just pull the bar and wrench towards each other.

[Bill]

Autozone will rent you the proper tool to remove the fan. And there’s no charge for it.

[Viktour]

You can rent fan tools from your local parts store. Believe most use an air hammer though, so you’ll almost need one.

[Brianna]

I sacrificed my belt when I did mine, but I used a big c clamp and clamped the belt around the fan clutch, then used a big adjustable wrench and a mallet and broke it loose.

Belts damaged and needs replacement, but it came off for me.

I did a full cooling system on my Avalanche 5.3 and replaced the fan clutch etc

[Nicholas]

I used an air hammer on my 6.0. Popped right loose. Then tightened it back up with air hammer. Very easy and cheap at harbor freight. Can get a compressor and air hammer for $100 there and have them for future projects.

[Griffin]

Take an adjustable, or a 36mm wrench I believe, put pressure on the wrench before it starts to slip the belt. And tap the end of the wrench directly downwards, keep doing that until it comes loose, has never failed me.

[Colin]

There’s a specialty tool for it, but here is what to do in a pinch. Find a bolt that fits through a hole on the water pump pulley, add a nut to the inside if needed. Position in such a way that it jams up against a water pump fin and holds the pulley in place. Put a wrench on the fan clutch and give her a whack. It’s a left-handed thread, btw.

[George]

Left-hand thread, put the best (longest) wrench on it even if it’s an adjustable and smack it with a 3 lb hammer. worst-case scenario, remove the radiator for its protection and remove the four bolts holding the pully on. Then, worry about taking it off on a bench.

[Isaac]

Had this happen on my Powerstroke. Have the tools, but it wouldn’t budge. Ended up pulling the water pump / clutch assembly and took a cutoff wheel and totally destroyed the fan clutch.

Then had to cut n grind the nut off to reuse the pulley.

Some turd put red locking compound on the threads.

[Robin]

The screw is left hand threaded, you have to tighten to get it loose. You should be able to rent that tool from Auto Zone.

[Greg]

My water pump went on my Envoy (5.3L) 3 hours from home visiting family, had the tools to do it all except the fan, and need to take the fan clutch off of course to do the wp, I would always go to the air hammer typically, in a pinch I bought a smaller straight pry bar, pretty beefy, I had to beat the ever living piss out of it, I ended up destroying the handle despite the flat steel plate cap meant for it, but I did successfully get it undone, also may have helped too, but a large enough adjustable wrench (thumb screw adjustable style if you know what I mean) get it snugged up tight and hit the end of the wrench in the correct direction. Once it’s loose it usually spins right off, if its ignorant, wrench it the rest of the way.

[Jamie]

Put the belt back on
There are two small holes in the water pump pully and a special tool with to prongs that goes in the holes.

It keeps the water pump from moving so you can losing the nut. I use a crescent wrench on that nut. It will help if you have a friend help you.

You might be able to heat that nut with a propane touch.

[Timothy]

Spray it with some PB Blaster, but it set put your fan wrench on it facing upward tap on passenger side of wrench with a miniature 2 lb Sledge until it breaks free and screws off easy.

[Douglas]

Looking at it from the front, you should be spinning it counterclockwise to remove it. Smacking the wrench with a hammer is usually enough. However, more stubborn ones can be overcome by manually increasing the tension on the belt.

If that doesn’t work, catch a pry bar in the pulley bolts to hold the pump still.

If all that fails, fabricate a spanner to catch 1 or 2 of the pulley bolts to hokd the pump still.

Anything beyound this will require torches, sawzaws, and replacement parts.

Good luck.

[Jimmy]

Funny how everyone is saying u need this tool, u need that tool.

All I’ve ever done is leave the belt on, jam a prybar behind pull and use a big cresent with a smack from a hammer.

Also, these are NORMAL THREAD. Don’t believe it, then Google it.

I’ve owned 20 of these trucks and have done lots of water pumps of my own and others.

[John]

Take an old ratchet strap, may have to cut so it’s not so long duct tape to pulley and turn it on a few times put the hook in into somewhere to hold it in place if you don’t have the tool to hold it.

[Bill]

Remove the serpentine belt. You can use it to hold the pulley, but you’ll probably have to get a new belt when you’re done.

You’re going to have to wrap the belt around the pulley and vice grip the belt together where the sides meet.

Then rotate the pulley allowing the belt to fold over and back onto the pulley, keep turning it until the free end is short enough to hook on something.

When you turn the fan nut the wrapped belt will tighten on itself and prevent the pulley from turning.

[Jordan]

Remove the 3 or 4 bolts holding on the fan and the motor side, believe it will be a 10mm put on a angle and smack with a hammer and break them all free before to take them out.

[Ryan]

How I did this was i took one of the nuts out of the waterpump pully and put a thin chain there and put the bolt back in to hold it from spinning. Remember these are left-handed threads so put a big wrench on there and righty loosey lol

[Wayne]

I normally, put a wrench on it and smack the wrench straight up on it about 5 times then swing for the fences left or right til it comes loose. Otherwise, that air chisel works wonders since I learned it.

[Randle]

I’ve pulled the pump without removing the fan before and took it apart easier on the ground when I didn’t have the tool, and they were stuck tight.

[Author]

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