Blower fans and more - all fixed

**Hammer1963** · 09-28-2019, 01:37 AM

Hello everyone. I just bought 1990 735i and started having problems with the blower fan. It won't shut off. It will still increase in speed on the switch but not shut off. I've read posts on here about resistors and relays, which i will check into when time permits but i believe i will also have to replace this fan as well as it doesn't sound too good at times. Can anyone tell me where it is located? I've seen video of it being in the engine compartment but that's not the case with my car. Is it located under the drivers side dash where the resistor would be? Any info would be much appreciated as I don't want to take apart anything in the interior of the car that doesn't need to be. Thanks

**Cactuar** · 09-28-2019, 02:39 AM

Hi and welcome to the E32 owners club...
Someone will probably move your post to the E32 section.

If your blower is making noise it's due to be replaced. The blower in all E32's is in the engine compartment by the firewall, just under the coolant expansion tank.
You need to disassemble some panels to get to it. I suggest cutting the zip ties of the large wiring loom that runs near this area, this will make the removal and installation of the motor easier.

Useful link: http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/page_15.htm

This video I made shows the blower: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yoe2PS6THWw
I finally fixed the noise by replacing the blower motor.

**Hammer1963** · 09-28-2019, 04:09 AM

Thank you very much for the info. I looked in the engine compartment and thought it couldn't be there because of the coolant tank. I see now that I have to take a much closer look at this. Now I just need to figure out what's wrong with not being able to shut off the fan and I'm good to go. Well that and the infamous tic, tic of the valves that is said to be a normal occurrence for the six cylinder engine. Going to start with an engine flush first and see what happens. Thanks again for your help.

**shogun** · 09-28-2019, 07:23 AM

moved to E32 forum

**TheStigg** · 09-28-2019, 10:41 AM

Originally Posted by Hammer1963

Thank you very much for the info. I looked in the engine compartment and thought it couldn't be there because of the coolant tank. I see now that I have to take a much closer look at this. Now I just need to figure out what's wrong with not being able to shut off the fan and I'm good to go. Well that and the infamous tic, tic of the valves that is said to be a normal occurrence for the six cylinder engine. Going to start with an engine flush first and see what happens. Thanks again for your help.

The constant running of the blower motor would not be from the motor itself. It will be getting power somewhere upstream, either in the IHKA or from a relay or perhaps something wiggy in the sword as Shogun previously mentioned.

Do try to find the cause of excessive ticking. It's normal for the fuel injectors to do that. You can hold a yardstick or stethoscope to each injector to find a noisy one. Also on the valve cover at each cylinder location to find if one of the rockers needs lashing. It would be a good idea to do a valve adjustment sooner rather than later. Very common to find one of the oil spraybar banjo bolts loose or worse yet, sitting in an oil return galley, which will starve the cam lobes of lubrication and accelerate wear.

**Hammer1963** · 09-28-2019, 04:17 PM

Thank you Cactuar, Shogun and Stigg. I'm milling about this car and trying to learn about and stay ahead of the maintenance. It's a little different than my 2017 340i, where I lift the hood and completely scratch my head lol. I'm happy to be a member of this forum and your help is greatly a
appreciated.

**TheStigg** · 09-28-2019, 05:36 PM

Yes, that's the fun factor about m30's, one can actually recognize components and intuitively understand them, access them, and wrench on them, compared to the more modern offerings. And parts are easily obtainable and relatively inexepensive, plus there's a how-to D.I.Y. prevalent on youtube and forums such as this. Welcome to the fold, have fun! The rewards are gratifying.

**Cactuar** · 09-28-2019, 06:57 PM

I am a newbie when it comes to DIY (only been at it for a year) but because of the simple design of the M30 I was able to get on top of the deferred maintenance and fix a few issues with the car. TheStigg is right, it's easy to work on and parts are pretty cheap. For example the spark plugs on the M30 cost a fraction of what I paid for the NGK's in our Odyssey.

And when the car is working correctly it's very satisfying to drive. Just yesterday I went for an evening drive and the car is so effortless and comfortable, with not a single rattle in the cabin. It really is a fantastic machine. So for the moderate amount of work (and money) invested on maintenance and repairs, you get rewarded with a fantastic driving experience.

And all of this costs pennies compared to a car payment on a new Hyundai! It's worth it

**Hammer1963** · 09-29-2019, 10:44 AM

The Stigg, when you say ' the rocker needs lashing', what exactly would I be trying to do there? I plan to pull the valve cover and inspect everything but I want to make sure I have a new gasket in hand before I do this. I want inspect all this plus do as you say with the injectors. After this, do a motor flush and then tackle the heater fan as by the sounds of it, I should change it out. As for the continuous power going to it, I will start with the relay and go from there. The 'sword' that Shogun refers to, if I'm not mistaken is located where the blower fan is?

**Hammer1963** · 09-29-2019, 10:54 AM

Cactuar, I only paid $3500 for this car. Such a low initial investment and being a 29 year old car, I expected there to be maintenance and things that just wear out over time. I was surprised by the cost of a new blower motor. I can get one on Ebay for $100. I have a 1989 chev truck that I had to change the fan on. It was $70 and I had a 2011 Ford f150. The blower replacement cost was $150. Your right man, as i delve into this, I'm finding that parts are indeed, cheap.

**CroughtonE32** · 09-29-2019, 03:04 PM

Originally Posted by Hammer1963

The Stigg, when you say ' the rocker needs lashing', what exactly would I be trying to do there? I plan to pull the valve cover and inspect everything but I want to make sure I have a new gasket in hand before I do this. I want inspect all this plus do as you say with the injectors. After this, do a motor flush and then tackle the heater fan as by the sounds of it, I should change it out. As for the continuous power going to it, I will start with the relay and go from there. The 'sword' that Shogun refers to, if I'm not mistaken is located where the blower fan is?

Actually the SWORD is located in an area inside the car. To get to it you'll need to get to the area where those with cabin filters have to get to. Your car is a 1990 like mine. No cabin filter. To get to the SWORD you need to drop out the glove box, (be careful not to break those two plastic clips holding the glove box on to the cross rod). Then off with the knee panel on the passenger side. From there I'm going to find Shoguns, pictured instructions for replacing the sword. I have to look.

These two might help you
https://www.meeknet.co.uk/E32/Microfilter/Index.htm

http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/54597

Here's what the SWORD looks like

**TheStigg** · 09-29-2019, 06:02 PM

Originally Posted by Hammer1963

The Stigg, when you say ' the rocker needs lashing', what exactly would I be trying to do there? I plan to pull the valve cover and inspect everything but I want to make sure I have a new gasket in hand before I do this. I want inspect all this plus do as you say with the injectors. After this, do a motor flush and then tackle the heater fan as by the sounds of it, I should change it out. As for the continuous power going to it, I will start with the relay and go from there. The 'sword' that Shogun refers to, if I'm not mistaken is located where the blower fan is?

Here's my link to adjusting valves:

http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/page_5.htm

You can poke around my webpage for other repair tips. I think I have the sword there somewhere in the "cabin filter" section.

**shogun** · 09-29-2019, 06:16 PM

sword is under heater and blower and Microfilter Change http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/page_2.htm

**CroughtonE32** · 09-29-2019, 06:30 PM

Originally Posted by TheStigg

Here's my link to adjusting valves:

http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/page_5.htm

You can poke around my webpage for other repair tips. I think I have the sword there somewhere in the "cabin filter" section.

Stigg................Have to say, those are the best picture I've ever seen for SWORD replacement. Pictures 2 thru 7c make it look so easy. I know it takes time, but those are great instructions. I'll be saving that page in the desktop file. http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/page_4.htm

Thank you
Jeff

**TheStigg** · 09-29-2019, 10:55 PM

Originally Posted by CroughtonE32

Stigg................Have to say, those are the best picture I've ever seen for SWORD replacement...

Thanks! Someday I'll have to update that page to integrate the pics so they load with the entire without having to click on each one individually. I created the page in my early days of dabbling with HTM on a 256kb dial-up modem and it took forever to load each time I edited it. Now that tech has caught up it's no longer an issue.

As for the OP's issue with the fan running on, after looking at the sword pic, it occurred to me that the relay contacts on the end of the sword could the culprit and could be burned/fused, or adjusted too close to release. Or perhaps the relay is getting power upstream causing the points to close and run the fan. One can run the blower motor for a short while with the sword slightly extracted (should remain in the airstream to get cooling). Then you can probe the relay to see if it shuts the blower off.

sword4.jpg

**shogun** · 09-29-2019, 11:23 PM

on my website is a detailed wiring diagram for the sword, someone in Australia made it and sent it to me , and then Timm made it even better and more detailed based on the first version from AUS, see left side index, reference data, sword schematic

**Hammer1963** · 10-02-2019, 06:23 AM

Thanks again everyone. I was out of the action for a bit. Will start looking into all this great info you guys sent. I got so annoyed with the rattling, noisy blower yesterday that I pulled the relay Fromm the fuse box just to shut it off for a bit.

**shogun** · 10-02-2019, 08:46 AM

here how you can make a test unit for the sword http://www.e32-schrauber.de/bmw/date...81-stecker.jpg
http://www.e32-schrauber.de/bmw/date...hwert-plan.jpg
translated:
Pin assignment in the car
At the resistors to the gate a voltage between 1 and about 10 volts should be measured.
The question was often asked why the blower motor does not stop, even if the IHKA control panel switch is set to "0", here is the solution: It is the power FET. It has a short circuit.
Test: In the control panel "MAX" position, the blower runs slightly faster than in the control range. This is due to the relay, which bridges the FETs at "MAX". In order to find the faulty FET, all FETs must be de-soldered and tested as shown in the appendix. With two fingers alternately squeeze/touch 1 and 2 (ON) and 1 and 3 (OFF). It is BUZ71, BUZ11 can also be used.

http://www.e32-schrauber.de/bmw/s-heizschwert.htm

**Hammer1963** · 10-03-2019, 02:09 PM

Thanks Shogun. I've got the panel off on the drivers side, above the throttle. I was checking for a part number and location of the resistor before I decided to go online and saw your post back to me. First, I'll give you a little idea what is happening with the climate controls. The fan seems to be stuck in a medium to high mode. If I turn it all the way to high it speeds up to max setting. Auto setting on the temperature is very strange. The temperature range is either hot or cold. Hot at its highest setting but if you turn it down only slightly it blows cold air and it changes the direction of the flow as well. It's better if I don't use auto setting. It seems to regulate better. I was trying to find the resistor under the drivers side dash. Am I wasting my time doing this? Is it even located there, for that matter? Do you think this constant running of the fan could be more a sword or relay problem? Thanks for your help.
Mark

**CroughtonE32** · 10-03-2019, 03:54 PM

I think you might be getting the terms mixed up. Another name for the SWORD is Final Resistor. It's located on the passenger's side. The best pictures I've seen in how to get to it and remove it are from Stiggs page. Here. http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/page_4.htmCheck pictures number 2 through 7. If you decide to fix it yourself, Shogun has all that info on his site. If you decide to replace it there are many places to get one for about $115.00. Programa has one that's usually on sale. https://www.programainc.com/item_lis...&idcategory=29

**Hammer1963** · 10-03-2019, 04:47 PM

Thanks CroughtonE32
It makes sense. The only YouTube video I can find on this is a different car and year as well. The video I watched was a 92 or 93 325, I believe. I looked in the same spot on my car and I don't find anything that resembles the part he was showing, plus what I find on Ebay is the same as well. I looked under there wanting to get a part number and came up with nothing. I'm glad it was very easy to get at ��
I looked at Stiggs photos and yes, it looks easy as well. I think I will replace but I want to make sure it isn't a relay first. Speaking of them, they are not easy to find. I can get them on Ebay by the exact part number but all the way from Australia. I talked with the BMW dealership in Calgary and they don't keep them on hand. I bought this car because I love to tinker with older cars and it's a real treat to drive. Lots of online shopping for parts though.

**CroughtonE32** · 10-03-2019, 05:31 PM

Between these three sites you can get almost anything you need.
https://www.fcpeuro.com/

https://www.pelicanparts.com/

https://www.ecstuning.com/?gclid=EAI...SAAEgKL1vD_BwE

**Hammer1963** · 10-04-2019, 11:14 AM

CroughtonE32
Something I may have discovered by part numbers given to me from BMW is that there may be a resistor located in the fan compartment. I won't know this until I open up and inspect the fan itself as I've ordered a new fan. One thing that I have determined is that the fan may be moving around in the compartment. The fan starts to rattle more say on a sharp turn. I'm hoping if this is the case that maybe something has come unhooked as it looks like there is a 4 pin connection to this resistor. It just may be a simple fix. Have you ever had the blower compartment open on your car? Thank for the links as well.

**TheStigg** · 10-04-2019, 12:18 PM

You get to the blower motor from the engine compartment, There is a panel on the firewall behind the coolant reservoir. If the fan rattles on sharp turns, it's probable because the bushings are worn and there is enough slop in the shaft to let the squirrel cages rub on the housing. Here's more details how to get to it:

http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/page_15.htm

**CroughtonE32** · 10-04-2019, 12:40 PM

Stigg has posted all you need to replace the blower motor. The resister you're not thinking of is the resister on the Aux Fan. This is in the very front of the car, in front of the fan that cools the radiator. This is the fan that clicks on and off to keep the engine cool when the A/C is running. You can see it by looking between the spaces in your front grill. When this fan goes out and stops clicking on and off, it's usually a resister replacement you need. Not expensive at all. and an easy job. If you look through the grill with the A/C on and that AUX fan is working this resister is fine. Looks like this.