[csquared4290]

Hi all.

I know the viscous fan clutches on these motors are crucial to keeping them cool and as of late, there's been a lot of seeming quality control issues from the Behr brand, with a lot of hits or misses.

When I was bringing my 560SEL back to life in early 2020, I had a weak fan clutch like everyone else who's experienced a worn clutch, and I was turned off from trying the Behr ones, especially since they were so expensive and many were reporting bad results.

I decided to try the cheapo TOPAZ one from Amazon for $26 and I'm happy to report, that I'm going on three years and 64k miles of trouble-free viscous fan cooling.

For the price, I thought it was worth the gamble and it was totally worth it. It's still on my car and still wooshing loud as heck, keeping my engine nice and cool, even during my 100F-degree highway sprint through Kansas on my cross-continental road trip to Alaska, and in city driving and traffic.

But I'm writing this quick review and thumbs up for everyone so that you can know, I was fine with testing it out and I definitely got my money's worth. Because of the gamble, I bought two (which is the same cost of one Behr one, if not cheaper). I have yet to touch the second one in my parts bin.

Yes, I know how people like to jump on cheap aftermarket parts, but there are some good ones out there and this one seems to be one. I even got one for my 1974 450SEL (way more expensive for some reason, different variant and part number) and it's working great. Bolts right on, no modifications.

Amazon.com: TOPAZ 1162001122 Radiator Cooling Fan Clutch for Mercedes W107 560SL W126 560SEL 3.8L 4.2L 5.6L 5.0L : Automotive

No affiliation. Just a short review and account of my experience thus far. It's cheapness may result in inconsistent quality, but I haven't experienced it. So use at your own risk!

 

[ianrandom]

That sounds great. But it's very possible you just got lucky.
Luck of the draw seems to be the thing with these, the whole market for viscous couplings has been completely invaded by the most awful quality items. Sometimes varying in price & company name to make you think you're buying something slightly better.
Didn't realise Behr were having quality problems now too. Bugger.

I did endless research and ended up buying one made by NRF, a Dutch firm. It was perfect!
Until one day a year or two later it tried to jettison my fan blades by locking on solid at speed. Had to limp home on the highway with the fan howling at 60mph.
As an aside I will never use Autodoc again, trying to get my money back was traumatic to say the least.

I bought a used one and fitted it the other day, the car in question is driveable again now. It's perfect actually so far.

I'll probably have to spring for a genuine MB one day.

Since you're in the States, isn't there a domestic make worth trying if you get stuck? I forget the make but it was mentioned on here, maybe by john350.

 

[speedn_j]

Thank you for verifying everything I have been saying about the oe fan clutches for Mercedes. I’ve gone through probably 4 behr clutches in the last 5 years .. that were useless out of the box. I think the one that actually worked was the uro. There’s nothing wrong with trying different parts

 

[slownrusty]

I wouldn't buy a $26 clutch fan from anyone, I am not even sure how they can manufacture one for $26 (or less) once you factor in Amazon's profits.

The OEM Part No for a M117 is: 1162001122, you can buy a genuine MB one for $355, or if you want to experiment with other brands:

• Uro: $64
• Meyle: $164
• Hayden - $168
• GMB - $208

Cooling is way too critical to gamble on no-name cheap parts.

 

[ianrandom]

Ooh. $355? Last time I checked they were like £750.
That's a lot of money, although if you factor in the possibility of a 30 year life trouble free span maybe its not too expensive really.

 

[John350]

I am not even sure how they can manufacture one for $26 (or less) once you factor in Amazon's profits.

It is hard to believe, especially since it says "Germany" on the back...

 

[csquared4290]

That sounds great. But it's very possible you just got lucky.
Luck of the draw seems to be the thing with these, the whole market for viscous couplings has been completely invaded by the most awful quality items. Sometimes varying in price & company name to make you think you're buying something slightly better.
Didn't realise Behr were having quality problems now too. Bugger.

I did endless research and ended up buying one made by NRF, a Dutch firm. It was perfect!
Until one day a year or two later it tried to jettison my fan blades by locking on solid at speed. Had to limp home on the highway with the fan howling at 60mph.
As an aside I will never use Autodoc again, trying to get my money back was traumatic to say the least.

I bought a used one and fitted it the other day, the car in question is driveable again now. It's perfect actually so far.

I'll probably have to spring for a genuine MB one day.

Since you're in the States, isn't there a domestic make worth trying if you get stuck? I forget the make but it was mentioned on here, maybe by john350.

It is possible I got lucky, hence why i said, use at your own risk/discretion . But twice lucky? On my W116 and W126? TOPAZ seems well made (not flimsy at all), no plastic parts, all metal like the OEM one. Hence why I bought a second one just in case. But I haven't had to touch it. It's easy enough to replace and there didn't seem like there was any way it could "fly off" or damage anything since its construction is pretty good..

I'd probably give Meyle a shot then URO if the TOPAZ fails. I've had great success with Meyle stuff.

I wouldn't buy a $26 clutch fan from anyone, I am not even sure how they can manufacture one for $26 (or less) once you factor in Amazon's profits.

The OEM Part No for a M117 is: 1162001122, you can buy a genuine MB one for $355, or if you want to experiment with other brands:

• Uro: $64
• Meyle: $164
• Hayden - $168
• GMB - $208

Cooling is way too critical to gamble on no-name cheap parts.

Going on 3 years and 64k (plus my trip to Alaska), and my W116 seems like decent success , especially for how much I got them for.

 

[smart_guy]

It is good to find catches like these. There are other brands other than the (or maybe once an) OEM brand with acceptable quality.

560 engines came on different chassis (if the plural word is the same); at least W126 and R129. Let alone other engines that used the same fan clutches but in different part numbers to determine starting and slipping points. I6 W126 engines, for example, use the same fan clutches as W124's but with different specs. So unless you found the part that fits your ambient temps, you might have gotten the unsuitable one from Behr earlier. It happened to me and it was the clutch that starts at 107C instead of the more suitable one that starts at 100C (+110F ambient where I live is common). Also, roaring does not necessarily mean better here. You don't want the clutch engaged more than it should be. This could cause problems starting from as simple as bad MPG up to breaking fans at high speeds causing havoc. Personally I swapped to electric engine fans but if I wanna go back to clutches, I'd make sure of the part number and the engaging/slipping points from the source. I recommend testing the new clutches and make sure they do slip at a good time.

 

[tusabes]

Thank you so much for letting us know if you’re good experience with this fan clutch from topaz.

I recently change the fan clutch on my Range Rover, yes, trying the eBay and Amazon specials - one was defective and leaking out of the box. But the second brand seemed just fine at its $26. I can’t complain.