pureboiracer 0 Report post Posted February 22, 2008 ive got a litle problem with my cooling system at the moment. i no the expansion tank cap is stufed. may possibly need a new radiator. possibly a new thermostat which i have sused. and i was checking the fan today. i drove my e30 325i for about a hour and then up a big hill to my house and when i got to the top i poped the bonnet and i could easily spin the fan around. does this mean the viscouse fan is stuffed? and how do you go about removing the bloody things? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ducatiss 1 Report post Posted February 22, 2008 (edited) No, with air flowing through your radiator as it does when you are driving, there is no need for the fan, and in most cases it will not engage. The best way to test is to park the car, idle your engine, and wait. When the temp guage starts to move past the half way (this will depend a little on your gauge and sender accuracy) the viscous clutch on your fan should engage. There are two (safe) ways to tell it has engaged. 1. if you rev the car a little you will fee a hot blast of air coming off the fan and you will actually hear the fan moving the air. 2. If you still dont think its working take a rolled up newspaper and try and stop the fan. If it comes to a stop fairly easily, the the clutch hasnt engaged. If it chops up the news paper, it has!! Dont just thrust the paper into the spinning blades either, just contact the tips of the blades gently. If it hasnt engaged between the 1/2 and 3/4 mark on the coolant guage, it is faulty. A good fan will also engage briefly when the car is cold for a few seconds and then go off again. To remove, get a large open ended 32mm spanner (just buy a cheap one from super cheap) turn clockwise (when viewed from the front of the car) as they use a left handed thread. Put the spanner on and give it a sharp clout with a hammer as you turn and it should come off easily. Replace with genuine BMW part. Fitting can be tricky as the threads can be a pain to take up again but take your time. You may need to remove the radiator shrouding to give you more room to work as well so do this before you start. Edited February 22, 2008 by ducatiss Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
