Need help with my clutch fan please

[JuniorNoyes]

hello today i wass driving along when i heard something sshatter and it was my clutch fan blade which snapped my serpentine belt and put a hole through my radiator i am now wondering since i already picked up a new radiator if i actually have to replace the clutch fan i know it sstill works just no fan blade anymore and ive been reading forums that are saying i might not need a clutch fan at all forget the blade please help i dont know what to do or if i can still drive my car

[zellamay]

The "fan delete" mod is simply removing the fan and clutch. Here is one thread that might help you: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...S52-fan-delete I hate to say it, but the main reason people talk about it is just what happened to you. You're pretty far north, (not hot summers like here in AZ), so it might work without having to add an electric puller fan. Try it and see. You have the stock aux fan that comes on when the radiator is hot or when the AC is on. Make sure it works. Most say that a lower temp fan switch should be installed. It's easy, goes in the P.S. of the radiator, costs about $40. The hard part is getting the fan clutch off the engine.

[Tigershark48]

A lot has to do with how likely it would be to overheat. If you lived in an extremely hot climate or did a lot of commuting in stop and go traffic. Things like that. I removed mine and am not concerned about it. I just pleasure drive it in Wisconsin with no major threat of overtemps.

Your misfortune reinforces its removal. Sorry it happened to you.

By the way, the viscous clutch that drives the fan is the weak link that has been known to fail. That should be removed along with the fan blades.

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Edit:

Zellamay just beat me by a second on posting, so excuse my echoing his thoughts.

[JuniorNoyes]

The "fan delete" mod is simply removing the fan and clutch. Here is one thread that might help you: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...S52-fan-delete I hate to say it, but the main reason people talk about it is just what happened to you. You're pretty far north, (not hot summers like here in AZ), so it might work without having to add an electric puller fan. Try it and see. You have the stock aux fan that comes on when the radiator is hot or when the AC is on. Make sure it works. Most say that a lower temp fan switch should be installed. It's easy, goes in the P.S. of the radiator, costs about $40. The hard part is getting the fan clutch off the engine.

how can i make sure my aux fan works and also i figured out my serpentine belt did not snap it was only my ac belt and whatever else its function is ill have to look it up but tigershark i appreciate your input as well thank you both for all the help alsso the beamer looks sweeeeet

[zellamay]

You should make sure all belts are good and get that broken fan clutch off of the engine before doing anything else. Oh yeah, while you're there anyway, check out the idler pulleys, they are notorious for going bad. If they are stiff or loose or rough as you turn them, replace. ..... The aux fan comes on either when the AC is on or when it is needed to help cool the radiator (turned on by the fan switch I mentioned earlier). Two ways to make sure your aux fan works: 1. Turn on the AC button and the cabin fan switch. (you don't even need the engine started, just have ig switch to run position) You should now be able to see and hear it run. 2. Drive the car without AC on until it gets to operating temp. Then stop and let it idle. The fan will come on when it gets hot enough. Watch your engine temp gauge during this wait to make sure engine does not overheat. If the fan doesn't work, check fuses first. ..... Here's the electrical manual, (well it is for my 98 M. you can use it to find your car),an address you should save for the future: http://wedophones.com/Manuals/BMW/19...g%20Manual.pdf

[JuniorNoyes]

can i still drive wwith the clutch fan on?becausse i cant seem to find a 32mm wrench or the water pump pulley holder and the reasson the ac belt snapped was cuz the fan blade wwas so sharp it cut it off

[JuniorNoyes]

the reason my belt snapped was cuz the fan blade was so sharp it cut it right off but do you know if i can still drive with the clutch fan on or will it damage something because i cant find the 32 mm wrench or wwater pump pulley holder

[JuniorNoyes]

because my ac compressor belt isnt working would the fan not kick on ?

[zellamay]

because my ac compressor belt isnt working would the fan not kick on ?

The belt is irrelevant. Your engine doesn't even have to be running for the fan to come on.

[Jakechan]

hello today i wass driving along when i heard something sshatter and it was my clutch fan blade which snapped my serpentine belt and put a hole through my radiator i am now wondering since i already picked up a new radiator if i actually have to replace the clutch fan i know it sstill works just no fan blade anymore and ive been reading forums that are saying i might not need a clutch fan at all forget the blade please help i dont know what to do or if i can still drive my car

Why don't you fit an electric fan? I did just to avoid the issue you had.

[zellamay]

the reason my belt snapped was cuz the fan blade was so sharp it cut it right off but do you know if i can still drive with the clutch fan on or will it damage something because i cant find the 32 mm wrench or wwater pump pulley holder

In a pinch, you could just take all the pieces of the broken fan off of the fan clutch and leave it on the engine. But you would have to remove it if/when you need a puller fan (like in the picture Jakechan provided). It does seem inefficient to not remove the fan clutch while you've got the radiator out. You can buy a 32 wrench cheap and, if you're somewhat talented, you can use wrenches instead of a water pump pulley holder.

[Tallyho322]

You can get away with a 1 1/4 “ wrench. It doesn’t fit real tight, but that clutch fan should not be real tight. I use a long screw driver wedged between 2 of the water pump bolts to hold it while I bump the wrench a little to get it loose.

I have removed my fan, but I am still skeptical.my temp reads anywhere from 70 C to 110C. In stop and go traffic or when pushing the engine hard (80 MPH), she seems to run hot. I am missing 1 piece of “underneath” shroud that I need to get in place to see if that helps direct air through the radiator. But when I am stopped in traffic, no air is moving.

I think i am I am going to buy a new fan and blades to replace the old fan and call it a day.

I do like not having the noise from the fan, but am concerned about the temps.

Sorry to hear about the damage you sustained. Get her fixed up and enjoy the ride.

greg

[JuniorNoyes]

I think I’m just gunna replace the clutch fan and call it a day like tally said because my auxiliary fan doesn’t work I was searching for fuse 48 which I shouldn’t have done it was a waste of time and effort I can’t find it at all and been reading all about it and come to find out I think the wire to my auxiliary fan is cut idk exactly where the wiring goes for the fan I thought it was on the side of the radiator but I have no clue as it doesn’t work and probably never did the clutch fan did wonders for keeping the motor cool I was driving around today and even after an hour or two I popped my hood and it was still extremely hot

[fignewton]

Had seen this before re: the fuse 48. Two fan failures reported here in the last week is making me think hard about pulling mine off my 98 with 104K miles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuaOlI01XAk

[s8ilver]

I pulled my clutch fan off my '99 Coupe last summer. It has a manufacture date of 1995! Then, my aux fan failed (kept blowing fan fuse). I took apart what I could, cleaned the electrical bits and fan internals with electronic parts cleaner and it worked after that. However, I still fear its future failure. I threw a new fan & clutch on (fan plastic dated 2018) and run it in the summer. Sure it's a little noisy, but I feel better knowing it's there in stop and go traffic. To each their own.

[Tallyho322]

I forgot to mention that my Aux fan does kick on when the temps get up. Not sure exactly what temp it gets to, but the fan does kick in...

i had removed the underneath panels under the car to replace the fan belt, a belt tensioner and to fix a radiator drain plug. When I went to put the panels back on, I could not figure out where the long skinny one went..so just left it off. I think I know where it goes now, but haven’t had time to try and put it back on. According to Randy, this may help direct air through the radiator..but like I said, when I am sitting still I traffic, no air is moving period..with or without that piece of shroud.

Greg

[JuniorNoyes]

Do you think I should replace my water pump as well?

[JuniorNoyes]

Is it easy to do the water pump or is it not worth it I prob need one of those as well and it’s only 20$ more

[raubritter]

All the cooling system parts are suspect in Z3s over time- lots of plastic that becomes brittle and cracks, etc. Rule of thumb is replace everything (hoses, water pump, thermostat, radiator, expansion tank, expansion tank cap, clutch fan) every 60k miles or so, or some number of years (10 maybe?). Some go much longer, of course.

If these parts have never been changed on your car, you should definitely change all of them. The whole cooling system basically. And then at some interval afterward (60k-100k miles/10 years, whatever).

Water pump is easy, the hard part is getting the fan off. Personally I wouldn't go 'cheap' on any of these parts, since overheating can be deadly for these engines. Go to Realoem.com, put in your exact car info/VIN, then go to the cooling system section and find the exact part numbers you need. Then go to FCPEuro.com and find those parts (they might have a kit). They only sell high-quality parts (both original and aftermarket), prices are competitive, and after you buy it once they will replace it in the future if it ever goes bad or you replace it. So you won't have to pay anything but shipping the next time you replace these parts.

You can improve things a bit (spend more money though) by upgrading to Stewart high performance water pump instead of failure-prone BMW one. After you replace everything in your cooling system and get new coolant in there, you'll probably find you don't need the clutch fan any more. I live in hot+humid south Texas and my car has no trouble without it (though I did put in a SPAL electric fan as a backup to the Aux fan just in case). You could look into aluminum radiators also, but that requires some research...

If your aux fan isn't working, you need to also get that figured out. Is it relay, fan, radiator temp switch, what?

[Vintage42]

... upgrading to Stewart high performance water pump instead of failure-prone BMW one...

I hear that a lot, but don't believe I have ever actually heard of a currently-made BMW water pump failing. I think there was a problem with the very early water pumps, whose impeller plastic was not composite. Upgrading in terms of flow is fine, but I think the BMW pump is now OK.
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...g/11517509985/

[raubritter]

Could be... Aside from impellers, I've also read of issues with the bearings in the water pump going bad, but that could be related to the clutch fan problems... I don't know, maybe either one can fail and then cause the other to fail too. Personally, I'm glad to not have the clutch fan to worry about and to have a water pump that I don't have to replace or worry about anymore.

[me77]

Smacking a big wrench/Not using the correct tools on the fan clutch nut to open it = shortened lifespan of the water pump bearings