E46 Fanatics Forum banner

Clutch Fan is loud!

9K views 30 replies 13 participants last post by  rbalazsi 
#1 ·
We got a 2001 325i that sounds like a 16-wheeler in low gears.(automatic)
My old nissan use to sound like this too because the fan was too tight?

Is this normal?
 
#8 ·
the aux fan is the clutch fan correct? what type of elec fan do you have
I had the aux fan (behind the bumper, front of radiator) that makes the truck sound.

Then you have the mechanical fan which is on the water pump. That one is known to fails and the blades blow up.

What I did is I bought a new Behr OEM electric fan, took the other two fans out and this one slides in right on the radiator between the engine.

Now the truck sound is gone, no worrying about the fan blades exploding and breaking stuff (happened twice to me, second time dented my hood and broke my radiator) and it's much much much easier to slide out to work on the engine.

Search "kpeng electric fan" and you will find it.
 
#11 ·
My question has nothing to do with overheating. You mentioned that you removed not only the mechanical fan/fan clutch attached to the water pump, but also the electric auxiliary fan that sits in front of the A/C condenser. As you know, that fan turns on when you turn on the A/C. It's function is to push air through the A/C condenser coils, helping to cool the refrigerant in the system and in turn allowing the A/C system to blow colder air at idle and lower road speeds.

When the auxiliary fan fails, the first thing you notice is less cooling capability from the A/C while at idle or at slow speeds. At highway speeds, the air is naturally forced through the condenser allowing the system to cool properly.

I understand that manual transmission cars don't have the mechanical fan/fan clutch, but all E46's have the electric auxiliary fan for proper A/C function.
 
#13 ·
Although I knew about the mechanical fan only on automatic equipped cars, I was just under the impression that all E46's still had the auxiliary, or pusher, fan installed. This is my 4th E46 I have owned, but the first three were bought new and were always under warranty so I never really noticed the fan configuration. By looking at the previously mentioned electric fan thread, I see that it is of sufficient size to pull enough air through the condenser and the radiator. Thanks for the clarification-I still learn something new everyday!
 
#25 ·
Thanks! Once my friend wants to do the swap I'll do it on his car.

thanks jake. My dad doesn't agree with me for swapping the electrical fan. and my aux/pusher fan broke today, i am going to replace it soon.
It's practically the same price. Get it and sell the mechanical fan for extra cash.
 
#28 ·
Solidjake,

I am not finding the kpeng electric fan in a google search! Where did you order it and how much is the replacement fan/kit? Did you have to wire it up to aux power when ignition is turned to "on" position or does BMW already have available power supply? I need to replace fan/clutch on my wife's 2001 BMW 330i.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top