So, my fan blade shattered, and I'm in the process of replacing it, but I can't figure out how to loosen the large bolt that holds it to the water pump... any help?

 

A special tool is available to make this job a lot easier, but I was able to do it with a pry bar and my large adjustable wrench. The trick is finding the sweet spot for the pry bar so it won't overly restrict the loosening force you are exerting on the hex.

One other thing that I have been able to do in rare occasions is put a breaker bar into the tensioner in the square hole provided and actually tighten the belt more. This is more of a two person ordeal though. One to hold the breaker bar on the tensioner while the other holds the wrench on the clutch and hits it with a hammer. Often the shock of the hammer impact will loosen the clutch pretty darn quick.

 

thanks for the quick reply... the hex is reverse threaded, right? also, I have an old metal fan from a junkyard thats in really good shape... I was hoping that it wouldn't really make a difference since the bolt patterns look the same.

 

Regular right handed thread. And a metal fan will make a difference in the amount of power it takes to get the same airflow. The plastic fan is much more efficient of a design than the metal fans, not to mention lighter!

If you can find a plastic one in a junkyard, that would be the place to get it. eBay also has a few for not too much coin... I searched for 'blazer fan' and turned up atleast 3 results.