This week I had to replace a cracked fan blade. Ford doesn't sell just the fan blade, but only the entire fan and shroud assembly. So, I had to go to a wrecker. Problem is, my car wouldn't get that far without overheating, so I had to patch the existing blade. Here are my attempts:
1. This is after removing the duct tape I used to get home in the first place. The duct tape lasted for about 50 kms of driving, or about an hour of city driving.
2. Epoxy putty. I've used this stuff before with great success. But, never on a rotating assembly. Passed my smoke test (plug it in and let it run for a bit). Failed within a minute of putting it all back together :-(
Even added a counterbalance opposite the repair to keep it running smoothly.
3. Zip ties. These things are usually wuite resilient. But they fail catastrophically when they decide to go. These survived the smoke test, reinstallation and a drive around the block, but failed along the way home.
4. Fishing line and epoxy. Bingo! We have a winner. Threading the line took about half an hour, so it was the most labour-intensive option, but it passed all the tests, and I was able to get to the wrecker and back home with a replacement part. Round trip was 120 kms or so, with some traffic on the way.