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Why you need to check your fan clutch NOW!

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43K views 99 replies 36 participants last post by  five40  
#1 · (Edited)
I made this post originally on BF.C when mine blew apart in July. I figured since winter is coming, I'd do you Fest members a service and show you what you DON'T want to be doing in the SNOW! Check your fan clutches, please!

Total parts:
Lower Rad Hose
Upper Rad Hose
Waterpump
Thermostat
Zionsville Radiator and Fan (or BMW fan, fan clutch, and shroud)
Power Steering Hoses
Oil Filter hose
Air-Filter Cover
MAF Sensor
Hood (luckily I got it fixed and re-painted for $250 with new sheet metal)
Air Quality Sensor
Engine Splash Shield (didn't bother.. but its cracked to hell)
Hood Insulation (didn't bother.. but I really should)

Anyway, here is what you can expect:

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C
#2 · (Edited)
Thanks for the pics.
This is what I have been telling other people when doing cooling overhaul.
Any Fan Clutch beyond 100-120K....replace it anyway, not much life remaining...too risky to keep it.

The fan clutch usually fails in a different fashion: it fails to spin fast enough WHEN HOT....so overheat at idle.
Then if not taken care of, then the fan clutch explodes very much like a dis-integrating propeller blades of an aircraft at high speed.
 
#4 ·
I just bought one of those.. but a CRT. Can you believe it? In this day and age? Yep. I got a Sony Trinitron 24" Widescreen CRT.. Excellent monitor. Check it out here: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=952788
Originally MSRP'd for $2599.. Stopped manufacturing them in early 2004. Can pick up a B-Grade like I did for $248-300 on fleabay with 6 mos. warranty. Running at 1920x1200 85hz.
 
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#5 ·
My aux fan sounds like a jet preparing for takeoff when the engine heats up and I'm at idle. I've never had mine run hot, but I've just noticed some leakage around the top of the expansion tank. Replacing that on Friday; hopefully I won't find a damaged radiator when I replace the tank.....
 
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#7 ·
Heh, my aux fan doesn't even work.. Not that I care... I survived the 90 degree days of summer and winter is coming.. I'll worry about it next summer.

chivas said:
weight = 92.6 lbs

ARE YOU INSANE?!?!?? omg...
but you know what? CRT picture quality > LCD
Click to expand...
Yes and Yes.
 
#17 ·
yah and during that heat i had no a/c... unless the car is moving, i get no a/c... which leads me to believe the heat is building too much pressure in the a/c system, so when I drive it cools a bit thus lowering refridgerent pressure and then throws cold air.. no aux fan does kinda suck.. im thinking of just depleting the ozone layer a little bit to get the pressure a little lower tho..
 
#21 ·
thanks for posting this up fragzem! Id already ordered a bunch of new cooling parts to have replaced but was going to skip the fan clutch and new plastic fan blade since both seem to be operational and fine. but you easily convinced me to spend the extra $135 for the parts with your pics :eek: and Ive already dropped $1000 on new parts to put in so who cares about another benjamin right?
 
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#27 ·
cn90 said:
DIY info is here:
http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/199986

It is very long and has lots of details. Take your time to digest it.
Click to expand...
That appears to be for the 528..This isn't a problem on the 528s. Only the V8 E39 and E38.

I did do it myself... its all rather simple remove and replace. nothing is difficult to get to. All ya gotta do is look for bolts and take em out :)
Getting the pulley off the fan clutch was a bit difficult.. not sure I remember how I tackled that one. I know it invovled a vice and a brass hammer and stuff.. wouldn't come off how it was supposed to, and since it had no fan on it anymore.. it was easy to take off in one piece.. ha
 
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#25 ·
Damn Fragzem- This has me thinking that when I do the change over I'd better get me a NHRA spec'ed scatter sheild for my hood. Even got your mass air meter eh-what a damn mess--I'm sure BMW will help on this--I never knew there was a problem like this with these cars until you had your first post concerning it--hope everything works out well with all the new stuff you have in there.
 
#26 ·
no BMW didnt help at all. I didnt even bother. Its 10 yrs old.. 123k miles when that happend.

If any of you have visited Zionsville Autosport's site to check out their radiators, they have picutres of the same catastrophe on someone else's car..
cept.. mine did more damange than that.

But its all good now. this Zionsville (knock on wood) is built FORD TOUGH.. Without the Ford part and actually pretending Ford was actually tough at all :)
 
#28 ·
Wow, that's a nasty bit of damage there. Worst case scenario.
Did this not give some warning in the form of noise first?
Would I be correct if speculating that it also came apart at high revs?
Today I'm doing a water pump with a failed bearing that nearly came to this. I'll use your post as an illustration of why you shouldn't ignore funny noises.
 
C
#29 ·
Another cause the broken motor mount in the V8 540i according to my bmw guru mechanic.
The V8 produces alot of torque, so when the motor mount is broken, it allows the fan blades to hit the fan shroud and things fly everywhere.
This can damage the fan clutch as well.

So V8 owners....check your engine mount.
 
#31 ·
Fan Clutch Explosion = :thumbdwn:
That's out of control! Sure hope BMW does something about that. That's way poor design.

Sorry to hear/see it.

Cheers,
Gibber
 
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#34 · (Edited)
I can't remeber my mileage.. I know I bought the car with 122.5k on 3/30, this happened in July so... maybe 124-125k? I've got 128.9k on it now.

I'm guessing it was never changed before....... it, in fact, happened in my driveway. If you call 3,000 rpm high rpm, then I guess yeah, it happened at high rpm.

I had just got back home from the Hamptons earlier that day. I took it out at night to go to the store, it was fine. Got around the corner from my house and the fan became quite loud. Drove it around the block twice, couldn't figure it out, so I parked it at home. Took a look under the hood, didn't see anything unusual-it had sounded as if something was stuck in the fan- Closed the hood.

Got in the car to see if it was still getting as loud... rev'd to 3,000 rpm and BOOM.

So... those of you asking what the warning noises are.. well.. a very loud fan would be one.. but being that from the time it started making noise, to the time it blew up was a matter of 10 minutes or so... I don't think it'll be something you're gonna hear and say "Ok, I'll fix it tomorrow at the shop 20 miles away before it blows".. unless you're pretty damn lucky. In this case, preventive maintence is key.

Not that I didn't enjoy putting the Zionsville setup in my car anyway.. that thing is pretty awesome. However, I would've rather switched to Zionsville for the $1400 without the added cost of all the hoses, waterpump, thermostat, blah blah blah.

here are the zionsville pics after install.. never actually took any until today.

The relays (i bolted down with the power steering reservour bolts).. i thought it were a good location where air could get around em.
Image


The radiator.
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Note orange wire running to diagnostic connector for 12V on. I wish I had more wire loom but.. whatever.
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Front view.. note not using the original overflow/return hose and putting steel braid over a straight hose looks 100x better.
Image
 
B
#37 ·
What are the signs that your fan clutch is going? I have 125K on my E39 and would be SOOOO pissed if it disintegrates under the hood!
 
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B
#39 ·
I did a cooling overhaul not too long ago, but didn't get the fan clutch replaced. Do I need to worry???
 
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#41 ·
YES you need to worry. That's exactly why I made this post bud!

Very scary issue right there.. Imagine if I had stuck my head under there to see what the noise was and BOOM!!?
 
C
#40 · (Edited)
BIG Yes, if you do not want your hood shattered.
The fan clutch has a lifespan of 100-150K.
Most of the time it fails by spinning freely so less cooling efficiency.
But once in a while it simply blows up.

You simply cannot push it beyond 125K. A new fan clutch is about $80-90....you will sleep well after $80-90.

same topic, this fellow just busted his radiator neck at 125K:
http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums/e39/8680337-1.html
The more reason to do cooling system overhaul.
 
B
#42 ·
Before the "blow up" did you experience any symptoms that I can watch/listen for? Anything?
 
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#46 ·
burt540 said:
Before the "blow up" did you experience any symptoms that I can watch/listen for? Anything?
Click to expand...
Yeah, for all of about half of a mile of driving the fan was very VERY loud.. sounded like a Freightliner coming down the street.

cn90 said:
Why trying to save $80-90 for an imminent failure that can lead to $3000-4000 repair of the hood.

You need to look at Fan Clutch like Car Tires.....after let's say 40-50K miles, the tires are simply gone, you can't push them further. Actually you can but they will eventually blow up when they are bald with no hair!
Click to expand...
Actually only paid $250 to get my hood some new metal welded in and entire hood re-sprayed. (I already had the paint tho) But the replacement of all those parts listed in my original post at the beginning of this thread... phew.. $2,400+

lild said:
i say get rid of the fan and clutch and put in an eletric fan. no worries
Click to expand...
That's what I did do. (http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/4236/1000469dp2.jpg)

burt540 said:
After all of the feedback, I decided to bring the "5" to the shop this morning and get the fan clutch replaced. Better safe than sorry (besides needed an alignment done also). Any noticeable differences after it's changed out? Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...
I wouldn't know what it'd be like once the fan clutch was changed.. because after mine blew everything to pieces, I switched over to a Zionsville Aluminium Radiator and Electric Fan kit. (http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/4236/1000469dp2.jpg) And you're welcome!
 
C
#43 ·
Why trying to save $80-90 for an imminent failure that can lead to $3000-4000 repair of the hood.

You need to look at Fan Clutch like Car Tires.....after let's say 40-50K miles, the tires are simply gone, you can't push them further. Actually you can but they will eventually blow up when they are bald with no hair!
 
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