clewis@mnetor.UUCP (Chris Lewis) (06/03/85)
I wouldn't normally post something like this, but it seems a useful
reminder of how careful you gotta be while working on your car:
Last night a friend of my mother's lost her husband while he was
working on his car. Somehow a fan blade came off and slashed him
across the throat severing the jugular vein and carotid arteries.
This sort of injury is usually fatal unless drastic action is taken
within seconds. He died very quickly.
I know very few details of exactly what happened. I assume that
the engine was being revved up and a tool fell into the fan causing
a blade to shear.
Let this be a reminder to all you do-it-yourself mechanics out there
(including me!) to be really careful while working on cars. I've
had my own warning earlier when a car I was working on fell off its
jack. Also, eye injuries are quite easy to come by even if you
do wear goggles.
Take every precaution you can - even if it seems silly. It's a small
price to pay to avoid something that will effect the rest of your
(possibly dramatically shortened) life.
--
Chris Lewis,
UUCP: {allegra, linus, ihnp4}!utzoo!mnetor!clewis
BELL: (416)-475-8980 ext. 321dbp@dataio.UUCP (Dave Pellerin) (06/06/85)
(Finally, a new topic!) >I wouldn't normally post something like this, but it seems a useful >reminder of how careful you gotta be while working on your car: > ... etc. > >Chris Lewis This reminded me of another 'freak' accident to live and learn by. Someone I knew (who new someone who was related to...) told me of a guy who was killed when he attempted to remove a bent front bumper. It seems that when the bolts on one side were removed, the bumper sprung out with tremendous force, smacking the poor guy in the head. - Dave Pellerin (Mr. BadWrench)
dhk@hp-pcd.UUCP (dhk) (06/11/85)
Re: Fan blade coming off Was the car a Ford? In the mid-70s when I worked at a service station there were warnings out that certain Fords had problems with fan blades shearing. I am sorry that I cannot remember which models or if there was a recall, etc. Dustin Kassman !hplabs!hp-pcd!dhk
clewis@mnetor.UUCP (Chris Lewis) (06/13/85)
In article <2400060@hp-pcd.UUCP> dhk@hp-pcd.UUCP (Dustin Kassman) writes: >Re: Fan blade coming off > >Was the car a Ford? In the mid-70s when I worked at a service station there >were warnings out that certain Fords had problems with fan blades shearing. >I am sorry that I cannot remember which models or if there was a recall, etc. No, it was a '77 Plymouth (Chysler, probably something similar to Volare/Aspen/Valiant/Duster/Scamp/Malibu etc) with the standard exposed belt drive fan instead of the enhanced cooling (shrouded clutched fan) option. The '78 Volare shop manual does warn: "Do not stand in line with the fan" The '75 Valiant shop manual doesn't. Both books tell you not to fiddle with the fan though: REPLACE, do NOT repair! [Though, not all do-it-yourselfers have or read the manuals anyways] I suspect that he dropped a tool into the fan, or the fan was rusty and was revved well beyond normal rpm's during servicing. BTW: the incident was reported in the Peel regional newspaper - it was handled by the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police). This should not be construed as a complaint against Chrysler (or Ford). All cars, particularly those with non-shrouded and belt or direct drive fans have this danger under certain circumstances. Especially, over-revving during engine repair or analysis. Even electric drive/shrouded fans have their dangers (they can start even if the engine is off!) There are dangers to all cars - do-it-yourselfers should be aware of them. I have a '75 Valiant and I like it (though the poor thing is getting rather elderly and I just spent $400 on replacing almost all the brake parts and bearings) and my Father's '78 Volare is still running pretty good (both cars have been far more reliable and smooth engine running than our other newer, '80 and '83 cars - I LOVE "slant sixes"!). The incident just reinforced our attitude about caution w.r.t. the fan while working in the engine compartment. -- Chris Lewis, UUCP: {allegra, linus, ihnp4}!utzoo!mnetor!clewis BELL: (416)-475-8980 ext. 321
josie@phoenix.UUCP (Jack Gross) (06/14/85)
There was a recall of millions of Ford cars built in the 70's for defective fan blades. They are prone to snap off and injure if the hood is opened and someone is standing nearby. To get info on this call the National Highway Safety Administration. They have a 800 number that will give you more info this matter. Jack Gross
sci@ccnysci.UUCP (Chemistry 446) (06/21/85)
Reply-To: Followup-To: Distribution: Organization: City College of New York Keywords: In article <hp-pcd.2400060> dhk@hp-pcd.UUCP writes: >Re: Fan blade coming off >Was the car a Ford? In the mid-70s when I worked at a service station there >were warnings out that certain Fords had problems with fan blades shearing. >I am sorry that I cannot remember which models or if there was a recall, etc. There were a few models that were recalled for that problem. 75 Chevy Camaro 76 & 77 Ford Granada with 7 blade fans 76 & 77 Ford LTD 77 Thunderbird ---- (and others(?)) ---- This info was taken from Consumer Reports Used Cars Rating Guide