Fan problem : (

[KILOCHARLIE]

Finally found what was making so much noice as i revved through the gears.

My fan seems to be making a lot of noise and pushes out a lot of air. When the engine is revved to 3500 rpm with the bonnet open, the fan spins so fast that if your head is by the engine bay you have to shut your eyes! its almost like putting your head out the window at 40mph!

for some reason the fan comes on as soon as the engine is started (when cold)

does anyone know why this may be?

the fan also spins slightly off centre due to a bump i had a while back, but its been fine for the last year.

i've looked in to the delete fan mod but i don't think i'm able to do it on my model (1995 320i coupe) http://www.understeer.com/onlinestore-engine.shtml

many thanks if you can help!

EDIT: there's no fault codes as far as i'm aware, although nothing seems to happen when i hit the accelerator 5 times before the abs light goes out. there's no engine fault light either.

[Cruzin 323is]

did this just start happening.. i know this may be dumb.. but i thought the fan was sopposed to blow air into the motor to keep it cool...

could the fan possibly be in the wrong way?

[KILOCHARLIE]

the excessive noise and blowing has only happened recently but the fan always being on has been happening since the bump.

the fans on the correct way but it seems to be somehow blowing too much.

from what i remember too, it's impossible to fit the fan the opposite way.

[Gkamysz]

The clutch in the fan has failed. Replace it.

[KILOCHARLIE]

just sprayed the clutch with wd40. took the car for a spin, no more noise!!!

i guess sometimes it just the simplest of things

fan still is constantly on with the engine, so i guess something is still broken but as long as the engine runs with no annoying noise, i'm happy!

thanks for the help anyway!

[Dudesky_E36]

Originally Posted by KILOCHARLIE

the fan also spins slightly off centre due to a bump i had a while back, but its been fine for the last year.

Not good. Since it's on the same shaft as the water pump, it's gonna destroy the wp bearings prematurely.

Originally Posted by Cruzin_323is

. . i thought the fan was sopposed to blow air into the motor to keep it cool...

Actually, its job is to draw air through the radiator to cool the antifreeze/coolant. The fact that the motor gets a breeze is insignificant

[Gkamysz]

The fan always spins when the engine is running. The clutch adjusts how much torque is transfered from the pulley to the fan itself. When the clutch is cold little torque transfer results in low RPM. When the clutch gets hot, if the radiator is hot, then there is more torque transfer and more fan RPM.

I'm surprised WD40 fixed it. Now you know what it is if it happens again.

[97alpineM3]

Are you speaking of the Aux fan.. or the fan directly infront of your radiator?

Les

[KILOCHARLIE]

^^^the fan directly in front of the radiator

Originally Posted by Dudesky_E36

Not good. Since it's on the same shaft as the water pump, it's gonna destroy the wp bearings prematurely.

I've still got a plastic waterpump too. Is it possible to do the delete fan mod for my car? i can only see 325/328/M3 options on the understeer sales page. Would this save my waterpump, or should i just replace it at the same time. I'm only gonna keep the car for another year or so. thanks anyway.

Originally Posted by Gkamysz

The fan always spins when the engine is running. The clutch adjusts how much torque is transfered from the pulley to the fan itself. When the clutch is cold little torque transfer results in low RPM. When the clutch gets hot, if the radiator is hot, then there is more torque transfer and more fan RPM.

Thanks, no-one has explained it that clearly before, even in the bentley manual. Where does the water pump / thermostat come into that? Is the waterpump connected to the clutch just for power or is it related to the temperature of it as well?

[Dudesky_E36]

The water pump and the clutch fan are related only in that they share the same pulley. The waterpump is always spinning, but the fan may or may not be spinning at the same rpm, depending on whether the clutch is engaged or not. If it's not engaged, then the fan just free spins because it's on the same shaft as the waterpump. Now, if the fan is not centered and balanced, the resulting wobbling gets transferred along the shaft to the waterpump. Eventually, the waterpump's bearings will wear down and give out. This also means your pulley is affected, so your belt will probably wear faster as well.

I don't see a reason why you couldn't do the fan delete. The 320 is just a foreign version of the 325, and most of the engine is the same. Understeer probably doesn't list it because it's not a common model here in the US. But email Chris at Understeer just to be sure.

[KILOCHARLIE]

many thanks dudesky,

maybe the noise i was hearing originally was the bearings and the wd40 just lubricated them and suppressed the noise.

the last thing i want is my water pump to go when i'm on a long jouney or whatever.

i'm gonna email that guy now too, didn't think about the euro versions not listed!

do you know where i can get a fan clutch removal tool too? tried remove it before and i wouldn't budge (yeah i did it clockwise)

thanks again

[Dudesky_E36]

www.pelicanparts.com, part #PEL-TOL-3008.

But you can save your money by using a hex key or screwdriver to jam between the bolt heads. Slip a pipe over the hex key or screwdriver to give you more leverage

[KILOCHARLIE]

thanks man, i remember seeing a guide fo that hex key trick somewhere. i'ma have to dig that out. worth a try at least.

[Blackoutmp]

hey. im having the exact same problem. except i can drive mine for about a mile, then it comes on. so its like mines heating up then locking up. it never shuts off after that. i know how annoying it is. haha. its probably the clutch in the fan.

[SpeedInfusion]

just for anyones info....the ultimate fan delete thread http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...d.php?t=473312