Auxiliary Fan Blade disintegrating

[jimoreno]

So these past couple of days it's been warmer here in Florida but I noticed that the AC wasn't cooling properly when I stopped at a traffic light. So I decide to take a look at the auxiliary fan to see if it was running. So I pop open the hood with the engine running and try to find my fan. I only found the center part (the one that attached to the motor and one of the blades stuck in the plastic around the area. I've heard stories of the main fan breaking up in pieces but couldn't find anything on the aux fan.
Besides a used one from a pick-a-part and taking into consideration that a stock one is about $600, what's the best option price wise out there?

[rslifkin]

Get an aux fan for an E39. One corner is slightly different, but it bolts right up, plugs right in and aftermarket ones are $200 or a little under. I've actually got a very lightly used one here if you want to buy it (replaced it and then decided to convert my car to an electric main fan, so I removed the aux fan).

[DIEGOBMW]

Why an E39 Aux fan and not an E38? Is the E39 better??

[rslifkin]

The E39 ones are the same fan with just a minor difference to the shroud. But they're significantly cheaper than the E38 fans (at least for the 99+ PWM fans).

[racer2086]

I bought an E38 after market aux fan on FCP for $200. It doesn't have 2 resistors like the stock one, but my fan only ever ran at one speed anyway.

[rslifkin]

I bought an E38 after market aux fan on FCP for $200. It doesn't have 2 resistors like the stock one, but my fan only ever ran at one speed anyway.

There are cheap enough aftermarket ones for the older non-PWM fan. But I've only found the OE BMW one ($688 from FCP) listed for the 99+ PWM fan for the E38. They sell aftermarket ones for the E39, however. 98 and older aux fans are totally different and incompatible with the 99+ ones.

[purplecty]

Here is the one I purchased and works great! Plug and play no modifications needed...

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F281985795303

[ConvGeorge]

Been using an e39 aux fan on my 99 for years now, works great.

[racer2086]

There are cheap enough aftermarket ones for the older non-PWM fan. But I've only found the OE BMW one ($688 from FCP) listed for the 99+ PWM fan for the E38. They sell aftermarket ones for the E39, however. 98 and older aux fans are totally different and incompatible with the 99+ ones.

Oh yes great point, I totally forgot about the change! I guess I got lucky with my prefacelift in that sense.

[jimoreno]

Here is the one I purchased and works great! Plug and play no modifications needed...

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F281985795303

Thanks man! I just ordered this one hoping that it will get home a couple of days after I return from my trip to PR to attend a family wedding. Flying back Sunday night.
Thanks everyone for their feedback!

[purplecty]

Any updates?

[jimoreno]

Oh yes. I received the fan and the only thing I had to do was remove the lower protective mesh. For some reason the E39 version has two pieces of mesh (upper and lower and our cars only have one). After I installed it I realized that it hit the two supports for the plastic air deflector in the area. After removing the bumper I found all the rest of the pieces nested at the bottom. The new fan bolted in with no issues and proper AC function has been restored!
Thanks for the tip on the fan! I saved the original one as the motor is till good.

[purplecty]

Oh yes. I received the fan and the only thing I had to do was remove the lower protective mesh. For some reason the E39 version has two pieces of mesh (upper and lower and our cars only have one). After I installed it I realized that it hit the two supports for the plastic air deflector in the area. After removing the bumper I found all the rest of the pieces nested at the bottom. The new fan bolted in with no issues and proper AC function has been restored!
Thanks for the tip on the fan! I saved the original one as the motor is till good.

Good move as the motors can be swapped over. I kept the lower mesh on mine with no issues...

[rslifkin]

Interesting that the lower mesh hit on your car. It cleared ok on mine.

[jimoreno]

Maybe it wasn't a big issue but as it touched the two vertical spacers in the plastic cover piece I decided to take it off just to be sure that it didn't got pushed into the blades and have a 2nd episode of blades disintegration!