Electric fan conversion causing overheating?

dogwatr · Sep 25, 2023

long story short the fan shround and fan (clutch fan) exploded while I was driving, I since then replacedc the radiator and replaced with an electric fan off ebay, however I have to leave the front mounted fan disconnected that's on the condenser to power the electric fan replacing the clutch fan. The car only overheats when I'm idling, or after I just drove for a while and come to a stop (stop and go traffic) but as soon as I get driving again, it goes back down (that's if I didn't overheat while idled) due to the natural airflow

could the fact that I left the front fan disconnected to power the electric fan be the reason why I'm overheating? everything with the car was good before and it never overheated and it drives perfectly

no coolant leaks anywhere
new radiator
new electric fan (could it be too weak?)

TobyB · Sep 25, 2023

Are you sure the new electric fan is working?

Have you tried reconnecting the front- mounted fan to see if IT can do the job?

only questions in the building,

t

dogwatr · Sep 25, 2023

yes they both work, however i didn't test how strong they were, ill try that after, im gonna just have the front mounted electric one connected and not the one i just bought

PdZHP · Sep 25, 2023

Is the old fan blocking airflow to the new fan?

LeverThis · Sep 26, 2023

Technically, yes, but not sure that should normally cause an overheat if the ebay puller fan is good and is in fact a puller fan.

Alex323Ci · Sep 26, 2023

you sure it’s a puller fan? and that all the speeds work?

dogwatr · Sep 27, 2023

What is a puller fan? And I doubt it’s strong enough, or system has air in it, or something else isn’t working; but I bled the system, no air bubbles

02 Gray in Blue · Sep 26, 2023

Im wondering if you may still have air in the system after the radiator reinstall.

shadetreemech · Sep 27, 2023

A number of members of this forum have removed the mechanical fan and left the front mounted electric fan installed. They had no problems - even in SoCal. A number of members have removed both of those fans and replaced them with a single electric puller fan on the back of the radiator from a manual transmission car. They had no problem. If the fan you are using is moving air in the right direction you might have found the answer to a question some of us had. What happens when you don't remove the front fan? To do that you need to remove the front bumper cover for access.

LeverThis · Sep 27, 2023

02 Gray in Blue said:
Im wondering if you may still have air in the system after the radiator reinstall.

Fair question ... OP, what bleed procedure was used after the radiator replacement? Does the heater work?

LL i am · Sep 27, 2023

dogwatr said:
What is a puller fan?

push(er) thru radiator, pull(er) from radiator
wherever the location (forward or after the radiator), air (from fan) should be directed to the engine.

02 Gray in Blue · Sep 27, 2023

I thought going from the clutch fan to the electric from a manual meant you no longer have that front pusher fan in use. In fact, I think you use the connector from the pusher fan to power the new electric puller. So, this conversion means going from 2 functioning fans to one. Am I missing something?

kaboom28 · Sep 27, 2023

You are correct.

Bali · Sep 28, 2023

The puller electric radiator fan is 17117561757.
Unless you buy genuine BMW (currently $620 at fcpeuro), all the electric radiator fans these days are china made.
You can spend $200-$300 for one with lifetime warranty at fcpeuro or around $100 from amazon.
It sucks, but that’s where we are.

Electric fan conversion causing overheating?

Top Contributors this Month

Recommended Communities