Electric cooling fan, yes or no?

[Lennyz525i]

I think my fan clutch might be going. My temp tends to rise a tad at idle, even towards the 3/4 mark this afternoon, I turned on the heating. I've been thinking about installing an electric fan, the one bmwe34.net suggests. Is anyone on here running an electric fan, if so, would you recommend one? How about an adjustable Tstat to go with it? (is it even necessary?)?

[Javier]

Think your should! Seen at the front side of the car (through the grille).

Javier

[E34-520iSE]

You can't go wrong fitting an electric fan! I haven't got one on my M20'd engine but cars I've owned in the past have had them and they work great. Just make sure the fan's thermostat is reliable - a known weak spot in aftermarket kits.

Cheers,

Shaun

[Lennyz525i]

Revision, just tried spinning my radiator fan by hand, offered lots of resistance, no free spinning whatsoever so I guess the clutch is fine. Still though, for the guys who have replaced their clutched radiator fans with electric ones, would like to hear from ya.

[632 Regal]

Lenny, sounds like your electric fan isnt working. Check it by turning the AC on and see if the fans running in front.

[Javier]

short fan life if not thermostat controled.

Javier

[Lennyz525i]

The aux fan works, but only when I turn the A/C on. I just replaced the resistor, which had blown. I'll replace the aux fan switch tonight. Still though, the temp shouldn't be climbing even without a working aux fan, I would think.

[infinity5]

when my fan clutch goes i'm going to do the conversion and then i'll get back to you guys. considering the clutch is about $90+ and so is an electric fan i figured why not ? i looked up the brand bruno mentioned on his site and other people had given it positive reviews as well so i'm not too worried about it dying unexpectedly.

[632 Regal]

your right Lenny, shouldnt overheat without the aux fan. Maybe your radiator is partially clogged or something.

[shogun]

Fully removable low profile aluminum shroud
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[genphreak]

Oh wow, it's almost Bling, but it's so, so mean looking... :D

Very nice.

Btw; if anyone wants a working BEHR fan-clutch (original BMW) I have one 2nd hand for sale and it includes a working BMW water pump (suits M30 engines). $40US plus shipping (I am in Australia though).

[Lennyz525i]

The aux fan works, but only when I turn the A/C on. I just replaced the resistor, which had blown. I'll replace the aux fan switch tonight. Still though, the temp shouldn't be climbing even without a working aux fan, I would think.

Well, in the mean time I've actually developed a little overheating problem. The temp climbs at idle, I have to turn the heating on to bring it back down. I just replaced my aux fan switch as well but the aux fan will not come on when the temp rises (had it climb all the way to 3/4). The aux fan works though, it comes on when I turn the AC on. I just tapped the tstat housing with a hammer and it seems like the temp is steady at 1/2 at idle again, not trusting this though. I think for one, my Tstat is going south (installed it about 7 months ago, I'm pretty sure it's a Vernet). My radiator fan speed doesn't seem to increase as the engine gets hotter, clutch seems fine though. I'm a bit puzzled and concerned now, I'm going to start by raplacing the Tstat witha stock BMW one.

[JonE]

Well, in the mean time I've actually developed a little overheating problem. The temp climbs at idle, I have to turn the heating on to bring it back down. I just replaced my aux fan switch as well but the aux fan will not come on when the temp rises (had it climb all the way to 3/4). The aux fan works though, it comes on when I turn the AC on. I just tapped the tstat housing with a hammer and it seems like the temp is steady at 1/2 at idle again, not trusting this though. I think for one, my Tstat is going south (installed it about 7 months ago, I'm pretty sure it's a Vernet). My radiator fan speed doesn't seem to increase as the engine gets hotter, clutch seems fine though. I'm a bit puzzled and concerned now, I'm going to start by raplacing the Tstat witha stock BMW one.

Hi Lenny,
When all else is working properly, engine warmed up, and you don't have the AC on, that radiator fan with the clutch should be blowing alot of air around under the hood and needle should be at about 1/2. Jeff says the clutch fan should sound like a school bus as you're taking off from a stand still. If the thermostat doesn't fix it, I would still suspect that fan clutch. I have replaced the clutches on both my m30 and m20 engines and solved the overheating issue. If you could feel the air that a proper clutch blows across the engine, you'd immediately know the difference. Whether there is resistance when spinning it by hand is not an adequate diagnostic. My good clutch brings the fan to an abrupt stop when shutting off a hot engine . The bad fan clutch would just keep spinning or "free-wheeling" when engine hot and then shut off the car.
Hope this helps.

[philbyil]

installed the new thermostat??

This between the rad and the a/c condenser. Have seen some seriously gunged up ones that would raise the temps.

[Lennyz525i]

I'm also thinking that my fan isn't blowing adequate air. I just started the engine and stopped it, I just started the car, egine not hot but still warm, and shut it off, radiator fan stopped spinning after about 2 seconds.

However, to eliminate other possibilities, I'll replace my Tstat with a BMW stock one, maybe I'll find a lot of smudge coming out of the radiator, coolant was changed not too long ago though.