The Ultimate FDM (Fan Delete Mod) Thread

[328 Power 04]

engine response is greatly improved with the FDM .. i live in Houston ... hot city.. no problems whatsoever... my aux fan turns on sometimes when not moving .. works for a few minutes, succeeds, and then shuts off... then starts again when temp isn't right ...

definitely means its not over heating if the Aux fan gets turned off by the switch.

its worth it to do this mod... engine response it greatly improved

[excdragonreborn]

does this also work on the 318?

[328 Power 04]

if they have an engine driven fan it might ... i dont think the 94's have an engine driven fan, the 95's dont at least

[Wildo2003]

All I have to say is wow. The mod took me 8 hours because I had no idea what I was doing. I did the wrong bottom bolts for thermostat housing, I undid these two bolts way in the back, I don't even know how I got the wrench back there, took sooooo long only to realize those weren't even the bolts for the thermostat housing. And the actual bolts were so easy too *sigh*

Anyway, bleeding was surprisingly.. easy. It didn't take very long at all, and the heater started blowing very hot air relatively quickly.. I reved and let the bleed screw overflow until my friend said no more air bubbles. I thought the process was going to take longer than it did, I was surprised. Threw in the two bottles of watter wetter, closed everything up and went for a test drive.

In terms of the actual fan delete, I did notice a slight difference. The car does have more pick up, I'm insanely pleased. But I also took off this little plastic scoop connected to the airbox, I guess it's there to bring cold air originating further away from the radiator, but I checked the temp differences, nil. So after I took off this restricting plactic scoop, OMG.. the car SOUNDS amazing hahaha.. And I've also done the debaffle, and it sounds crazy starting at around 4000 rpm (=

The aux fan took forever to finally switch on, I was trippin' out that maybe the fan switch wasn't working.. I kept reving until it finally kicked on.. the radiator overflow was steaming a little. Hopefully I bled it properly, I've yet to see the temp guage go past 12. The summer is coming, this should be a good test of my car.

Anyway, everything said and done, do the mod!

[GoNz0]

just check the rad again, a short bleed will usually result in the level dropping for a few days as any trapped air shoots through under high revs

[Wildo2003]

just check the rad again, a short bleed will usually result in the level dropping for a few days as any trapped air shoots through under high revs

Yeah, I checked this morning and it was a little below the Kalt mark. I think I'll drive over to my friend's house and fill er up some more.. I left my stuff there. Hopefully I got all the air out, and so far so good. I did some spirited driving on the way to school today and everything seemed right as rain. I'm in LOVE with how my car sounds now.. I need an exhaust to complete the joygasm.

[streetlegend]

About to install the fan, but I have a q. Does removing the fan affect a/c performance? I recall someone saying it won't blow as hard. Thanks

[E36cruisin]

Hey everyone, i just bought the kit to do the fan delete and i was wondering how to put in the new coolant. Do i mix BMW coolant and distilled water all together with the water wetter and then put it in?

[Zaks]

Hey everyone, i just bought the kit to do the fan delete and i was wondering how to put in the new coolant. Do i mix BMW coolant and distilled water all together with the water wetter and then put it in?

doesn't really matter... are you doing a complete flush or just refilling? when i did my fan delete, i flushed my coolant... then added 1 gallon water, 1 gallong coolant, 2 bottles of water wetter, then topped off with water

[E36cruisin]

doesn't really matter... are you doing a complete flush or just refilling? when i did my fan delete, i flushed my coolant... then added 1 gallon water, 1 gallong coolant, 2 bottles of water wetter, then topped off with water

Yea, i will be doing a full coolant flush. I was just wondering if there was a certain procedure or something.

[kalimot]

does this also work on the 318?

i did it on my 318is together with the whole cooling system overhaul (new radiator, thermostat, and water pump). throttle "feels" free-er, no overheating so far.

[kalimot]

when the engine is warmed up, im experiencing some high pitched pulley noise after doing the FDM. is this caused by the clutch fan pulley or the aux fan?

[streetlegend]

I'm experiencing the same thing. Only occurs in 1st gear though, through the 2000-4000 rpm range. Is the belt not tight enough? Thanks.

[Robstah]

http://www.euroteknik.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19825

fan delete +1, car with broken radiator, hoses, hood -$3000

that's my local forum so some of you may have see it already

i'm not trying to start a war again since i know anti-FDM people will start saying you cna check waterpump bearings, etc..., just something to read about. oh and he does say all maintenance has been done, and i think that would include waterpump

Sadness. The thing is that people need to realize that the waterpump is not the only culprit. If you have weak motor mounts, you can easily send the fan right into the radiator. Hard shifting will even get it pretty close as well. My motor mounts are pretty new and I just removed the radiator on Monday, and it had spots where the fan had hit it. I did the fan delete a while back and was about to experience a failed radiator explosion via the radiator neck. Got to love plastic end tanks...

[Je55]

Ive not yet done this mod, thinking about doing it.

What do you guys think about sacramento weather?

It was 99F yesterday and I am gonna drive the car down to LA in July where my girl says it will be 110F on many days here.

[Bruce325i]

As I drive about 99.5% interstate, I have been thinking doing the fan delete mod on my '94 325i.
I have been gaining much knowledge from this forum. and after reading about stock fans coming apart and taking a bunch of other stuff with them I decided to take a look at my fan (there is 170K miles on the car).
After a closer second look I noticed cracks at the base on what I call the "hub" in between the blades where they attach.
I immediately removed the fan from my clutch (I did not have a tool for loosening the clutch). The fan is secured to the clutch with 3ea 5mm
internal hex bolts, a real pain in the caboose to get to but it can be done.
Meanwhile a delete kit is on order from Understeer.


The moral of this story is that whether you are considering this mod or have no intensions of doing it at least grab a flashlight and go look at your fan.
As I am on the road alot (sometimes to other states) for my job, and I am glad that caught it before it came apart.

[thejaff]

As I drive about 99.5% interstate, I have been thinking doing the fan delete mod on my '94 325i.
I have been gaining much knowledge from this forum. and after reading about stock fans coming apart and taking a bunch of other stuff with them I decided to take a look at my fan (there is 170K miles on the car).
After a closer second look I noticed cracks at the base on what I call the "hub" in between the blades where they attach.
I immediately removed the fan from my clutch (I did not have a tool for loosening the clutch). The fan is secured to the clutch with 3ea 5mm
internal hex bolts, a real pain in the caboose to get to but it can be done.
Meanwhile a delete kit is on order from Understeer.


The moral of this story is that whether you are considering this mod or have no intensions of doing it at least grab a flashlight and go look at your fan.
As I am on the road alot (sometimes to other states) for my job, and I am glad that caught it before it came apart.

My fan came free from the clutch fairly easily. I have no idea what bolts you're talking about connecting the fan to the clutch. Even if you look at the understeer kit they talk about a cover to cover the exposed threads, not about removing bolts.

[///MPower3]

Im thinking about doing the fan delete mod but i had a few questions. Are there any risks in doing the mod and what type of gains do you guys get out of it. Let me know what you guys think, Thanks

[Grey Phox]

Theres 5 pages of "Fan Delete Mod" goodness stickied at the top of the E36 forum that answers every question you asked.

[prv321]

I'm going to do this mod as soon as I get the time.

In 2002, my 10 year old, low miles (around 50k) E36 had its fan grenade at 70mph. The flying blades took out the upper and lower hoses and the radiator as well as the pump and, of course, the fan. Cost of fan self-delete was $1800. Cost of Understeer kit = $90 + shipping + DIY labor.

It is indeed a time bomb...

[RedNeckNinja]

Um no one ever answered the guys question on whether or not anyone with the Fan Delete has EVER over heated or ever heard of anyone with it overheating.

[Daved]

Um no one ever answered the guys question on whether or not anyone with the Fan Delete has EVER over heated or ever heard of anyone with it overheating.

I almost overheated when my expansion tank took a dump on me but that happens with or without the FDM. The damn expansion tank is plastic and will break, it's just a matter of time.

[bmw253]

hey guys i am trying to decide if i should do this mod or not. I have barely any mechanical experience and i want to do it by myself with maybe another buddy. Just how hard is it to do this mod?? and can someone like me pull it off

[ucsdmuiron1986]

hey guys i talked to my mechanic about the mod, he told me that the fan in bmws are like all cars, if you see a crack or bend in the fan- replace it or it can wreck the radiator like you guys stated. BUT he said you should just check it occasionally to make sure its strong and not cracking. So if i keep checking the fan (and change it if worn) does that mean i dont need the mod? experiences?

What is that kit for anyways, coolant and other stuff. How often do those things have to be changed or refilled?

[Zaks]

hey guys i talked to my mechanic about the mod, he told me that the fan in bmws are like all cars, if you see a crack or bend in the fan- replace it or it can wreck the radiator like you guys stated. BUT he said you should just check it occasionally to make sure its strong and not cracking. So if i keep checking the fan (and change it if worn) does that mean i dont need the mod? experiences?

What is that kit for anyways, coolant and other stuff. How often do those things have to be changed or refilled?

i'll try and save you the trouble... search before you ask questions because people will ignore you...
coolant should be replaced at least once a year
the kit includes a switch, which turns on the fan you don't remove faster, a thermostat, which lets coolant flow earlier than with a stock thermostat, and 2 bottles of water wetter, which make coolant better chemically somehow
again, just search and you'll come up with answers