fan clutch bad?

[feifong]

would a bad fan clutch cause my car to overheat at idle? It creeped up to 230* it has a 2yr old radiator,new pump, mrgasket thermostat i dont know what else it could be.

[negusm]

Take a rolled up newspaper and CAREFULLY edge it into the fan, if you can stop the fan, your clutch is shot.

-Mike

[JACook]

That would depend on whether it's up to temp or not.

Overheating at idle, but not when the car is moving is often a sign of a bad fan
clutch, -but- the fan clutch needs hot air to get it to engage. I've seen radiators
that were clogged cause the same problem. With the engine up to temp, shut it
off, and immediately feel the radiator core directly in front of the fan clutch. If it's
cooler than the surrounding area, you've got a clog. A non-contact IR thermometer
is an even better tool for this, if you don't wanna risk burning yer fingers...