E39 540i Fan clutch DYI

[344i]

Ok, so after reading alot of DYI, i learnt that most people who write them have no idea how to do this the easy and proper way. Instead they take out the fan shroud, expansion tank and etc doing alot of unnecessary work to the car.

So, I decided to make a simple DYI for those who are frustrated with their car getting too hot because their fan clutch is not working properly.

Tools required:

Car jack- something that can take the girth of the 540
Fan clutch sprocket holding tool- Princess Auto on Dixie-Generic fan clutch holding tool ( the GM one in other dyi DOES NOT WORK. YOU NEED THE ADJUSTABLE ONE)
Adjustable wrench-One that will fit over the fan clutch's bolt
Phillips Head Screw driver= short and stubby to remove the car's belly plastic cover
A friend who has approx 15 min to spare
A new fan clutch
Allen Keys- To remove the fan blades from the Clutch

Lets get started:

Step 1

Jack up your 540i. I usually use a square block of wood placed between the jack and the car's jacking point. This keeps the damage from the jack OFF the car, leaving no scratching etc

Step 2

Remove the Belly shroud from the car. You will need your Phillips head screwdriver for this. Make sure that the screwdriver is for fairly large bolts. There are only 9 bolts to unfasten. Do not pull them off the shroud, they are meant to stay attached, simply give them a light twist so they lost their grip with the body of the car. Once the shroud is lose, it simply drops down. Take it out from under the car

Step 3

Either crawl back under the car, or have your friend do it, and you will see access to the fan clutch sprocket between the clutch and the radiator. ( have your hood open...) Take the adjustable clutch sprocket holding tool, and insert it grabbing the two of the four bolts of the sprocket from underneath.

Step 4

Have either you or your friend, depending on who is doing what, take the wrench, adjust it to the fan clutch's bolt size ( do this on the new clutch) and turn it to the right, while the other person is under the car, holding the sprocket from turning with the fan clutch tool. the bolt will loosen rather easy, at which point, stop what you are doing, remove the wrench, the clutch tool, and simply spin the clutch off with your hands. The person under the car then needs to catch it as it spools off and gently pull it down. There is plenty of room to take it out from below, do not even think of touching that fan shroud. To take it out, simply guide it down and point it towards the bumper, otherwise you will not have enough ground clearance to get the thing out.

Step 5

Use the Allan key to remove the fan blades, and attach to new fan clutch. Then guide the new clutch with the fan blades attached back in on a angle, with the fan blades going in from the bumper side first.( Looking from the side, fan on this angle / top of the fan assembly pointing towards the block going back in.) Raise the clutch to the sprocket wheel and simply ask the person not under the car to turn it till it screws on, then lightly bolt it on with your wrench, very lightly. Its direction of spin will not allow it to fall off. Reattach belly shroud. Lift up, and screw back on with the 9 bolts.

YOU ARE DONE. Lower car, start, enjoy the hurricane!

No need to remove the expansion tank, or the fan shroud or any of the other unnecessary stuff in ALL the other DYIs for this job. I began by doing that at first and then i thought, well wait a minute, this is a bmw, they make stuff simple.


Difficulty scale: 2 out of 10

[KillerPM]

Great writeup.

I had never thought of doing this from below the car.

One thing I would do is replace the fan while you are at it. There have been more then a few cases of blades coming off and "detailing" your hood for ya.

Results would look something like this (not my car):




At the VERY LEAST I would inspect my fan for cracks.

[Mover]

+1 on the great writeup, although IMHO its really no big deal removing

- 2 expansion rivots to remove the shroud
- a clip under the bleed screw at the expansion tank to move it

Either way, it should take about the same time.

[344i]

Originally Posted by Mover

+1 on the great writeup, although IMHO its really no big deal removing

- 2 expansion rivots to remove the shroud
- a clip under the bleed screw at the expansion tank to move it

Either way, it should take about the same time.

Waste of time to remove that. You also need to remove the Airflow sensor, air intake tube, expansion tank hose under the fan shroud, and well you get the picture. There is ALOT of room under the car, where as the top is quite tightly packed. Also, due to the clearance between the clutch and the clutch sprocket that drives it, it is nearly impossible to fit a wrench and a clutch holding tool. one tool has to be on the bottom and one on top, otherwise you ll be struggling for no reason. Finally, if you remove the fan shroud, you have to go under the car anyways to properly guide it into the clips on the radiator on the very bottom, sliding it in hardly every catches the clips properly. Basically, doing it from underneath is a lot less work.

[344i]

Originally Posted by KillerPM

Great writeup.

I had never thought of doing this from below the car.

One thing I would do is replace the fan while you are at it. There have been more then a few cases of blades coming off and "detailing" your hood for ya.

Results would look something like this (not my car):




At the VERY LEAST I would inspect my fan for cracks.

Yes, this needs to be added to the DYI. Always inspect the blades for cracking. The car I worked on was in perfect order and after cleaning the blades off from dust and dirt, they proved to be crack and damage free, spinning perfectly straight no shimmy, etc.

Step 5.5

ALWAYS INSPECT THE FAN BLADES for shimmies and cracks.


Mods, can we add this to the DYI and sticky?


Also, I will add simple diagrams to help explain the steps for people.

My next DYI write up will be the revival of the AUX fan. Stay tuned.

[Mover]

Originally Posted by 344i

Waste of time to remove that. You also need to remove the Airflow sensor, air intake tube, expansion tank hose under the fan shroud, and well you get the picture.....Basically, doing it from underneath is a lot less work.

Waste of time is your opinion my friend. I had no trouble at all from the top
and didn't require much time either. Airflow sensor, intake tube are just a few clips. I'm sure it would have taken me the same amount from the bottom. I've been there many times.

By the way, some of your comments are way out in left field and completely untrue.

Originally Posted by 344i

Finally, if you remove the fan shroud, you have to go under the car anyways to properly guide it into the clips on the radiator on the very bottom, sliding it in hardly every catches the clips properly.

I didn't even require a holding tool. Just a 32mm open ended wrench and a long screwdriver.

Don't mean to rain on your parade or offend you or your method either.

You get the picture.

[chromius]

Sounds like both you guys are doing it the long way.
No need to jack up the car, get underneath, remove shrouds or anything. It's seriously a 2 minute 30 sec job to remove, including the time it takes to unlock the car, pop the hood and get you're tools. No holding tool required, as mover mentioned, just a wrench and a long screwdriver.

The fan slides easily out the top without removing the shroud or intake.

[Mover]

Originally Posted by chromius

No need to... remove shrouds or anything.

Not if you're going to clean the rad and condensor as well.

[chromius]

Originally Posted by Mover

Not if you're going to clean the rad and condensor as well.

What would that have to do with replacing the fan clutch?

[mazdaRXwhat]

This thread is spiraling waaaaay off topic here. All 344i was saying is that for those who DO NOT want to remove the fan shroud, and for those who would rather use the proper tools vs. a screw driver, the easiest way to go about it is from underneath. And for the record i agree with you about it being a 2min job..cuz it is..afterall..it was my car that we changed.

[chromius]

Originally Posted by mazdaRXwhat

This thread is spiraling waaaaay off topic here. All 344i was saying is that for those who DO NOT want to remove the fan shroud, and for those who would rather use the proper tools vs. a screw driver, the easiest way to go about it is from underneath. And for the record i agree with you about it being a 2min job..cuz it is..afterall..it was my car that we changed.

But that's what I'm saying, you don't have to remove the fan shroud. And the proper use of the tools is from above. It's a lot of extra work to do it from underneath.

I appreciate the effort of the DIY, and I'm not trying to knock 344i's helpful tips, but It's just very simple from above and requires no added work aside from unscrewing the fan with a wrench and a screwdriver, or pulley holder if that's what you prefer. then simply lift it out the top.

[Bullet Ride]

Removing the expansion tank also sucks because the fan shroud likes to break around the bleed screw area. I've seen a number of e39's with shrouds that have been cracked or stitched back together in this area. So any method that avoids removing the expansion tank is a good method lol

[344i]

Originally Posted by chromius

But that's what I'm saying, you don't have to remove the fan shroud. And the proper use of the tools is from above. It's a lot of extra work to do it from underneath.

I appreciate the effort of the DIY, and I'm not trying to knock 344i's helpful tips, but It's just very simple from above and requires no added work aside from unscrewing the fan with a wrench and a screwdriver, or pulley holder if that's what you prefer. then simply lift it out the top.

Didnt say anything against you at all. Doing it from under the car is exactly the same as from above, your method, but you simply have alot more room to play around with from underneath, thats all. The belly shroud of the car comes off in 30 seconds and jacking takes about 40 seconds. Its a two minute difference really. I personally found the nut on the waterpump pully to be tight to undo with tools being used from one side. It was too difficult to fit both tools. The screwdriver method works but personally i stick to a tool designed for the job in case of slippage that screw driver can do lots damage, the pulley holding tool locks on and wont budge. To each their own. mazdarx`s fanclutch was on very tight and i would of been afraid to use a screwdriver considering how much effort was required to undo the nut. Depends on the car, and if its been serviced for this already or not. If its factory , it often doesn t come off so easy

[daveyto]

I agree with Chromius....This job is a piece of cake...not to discredit anyone here..

PM me and I'll help whomever messages me.