Method 4, don't buy a BMW in the first place. I agreed to Help my neighbor out by working on a highly neglected 2003 530i that sat unused for 5 or six years, he paid 400 which caused a rift in his family because afterwards she wanted the car back, she has some crazy notion that the car is worth something like 7 grand, she is 85 now she won't speak to her nephew, ive never seen a stupid car cause a family feud like this one did. I'm currently attempting to replace the oil pan gasket, as we all know BMWs are leakers, I wanted to remove the fan so when I jack up the engine it won't hit the shroud but that proved to be an impossible task, after using my 12 inch croissant wrench and a hammer to try and shock it loose it wouldn't budge, I could see that the nut was kind of chowdered up so it's not this girls first rodeo,
4 years later and I want to thank you for making this vid. I swapped in an electric fan and your trick of removing the blades and shroud from the clutch gave me decent access to the nut. Your other trick of using a prybar gave me the technique to use a crescent and a tire iron to loosen the nut. No special tools required. Unless you consider a length of steel pipe to extend the leverage of the crescent, as a special tool. Many thanks again!!
I've been struggling for 3 days now since I didnt have a pully holde, but only an adjustable wrench, now with method number three, I am completely releaved This vid alone deserves a like
I know not everyone can afford this but if you can, just upgrade the crappy clutch fan to an electric fan. Trust me, it'll make your life a whole lot easier! You can use the electric fan from a manual E46 btw, in case you're wondering.
Hey Jason, quick question: I have to replace the deflection pulley, mechanical tensioner and belt. Can I use method 3 to just remove the fan blades? Or will the fan clutch be in the way? Thanks
Best videos come from you. Giving those options to take the fan out is valuable, since we all don't have the time to wait for a special tool. Thank you
50sKid Thank you so. Frikin. Much. I could not for the life of me get that damn clutch off. I cracked the water pump trying to do the 32mm wrench and hammer way. All I needed out of the way was the plastic part covering the fan. Now I FINALLY have access to everything and can inspect my belts. You. Are. A. E46. Saver.
was looking at my cars fan and saw it spins freely with almost no resistance gonna take off the fan clutch what else should i replace while iam in there 110 k miles and should i buy a new cheap one on ebay 30 ish bucks
I wish I saw this video earlier, I'm going to have to resort to the third method. I smacked my fan clutch nut for over two hours and nothing. I use your videos for reference all the time, they're just so perfect. Thanks a lot, man!
I'm curious, mine seems to be rusted and it's impossible to take it out even with special tools I got off from Ebay. Sigh. Third method. Did you use WD-40?
If the first two methods don’t work, try sticking the top of the spanner with a hammer to shock the bolt whilst applying downwards and clockwise pressure.
Hey man, I'm a former BMW technician and I didn't know about that 3rd method. Thank God you did because you just saved my ass. Keep up the great content.
Been taking off fan clutch nuts for years on multiple e46s but today I have been defeated on my new wagon. Bolt is seized. Fan clutch tools won't make it budge. Striking the 32mm tool or adjustable wrench won't make it budge. So I tried following method 3 to find out the hex head bolts are rusted and stripped. Back at square one.
What would cause my 330ci go through 3 water pumps & thermostats in less then a year? Now I have a screeching noise after the last replacement for 600.00 dollars. Please help..... and bear in mind I'm a girl, so use layman's terms pls.
thanks for going into detail on method #2. It worked for me on my S54. Other videos go over this a little bit but your video makes it clear to see what to do. I was going to try method #3 if it didn't work but it did. Broke the fan clutch nut free in 2-3 minutes after trying for an hour the previous night without wedging anything to hold the water pump in place. Other videos break it free without doing so. I used a long flat head and a 10" husky adjustable wrench with a 4lb sledge.
So. Question, I was able to remove the fan but I’m having a problem reinstalling the fan/clutch. It’s been a pain to get it to screw back on. Any tips to do this?
Replacing my AC belt, in theory i should be able to do method #3 and not even remove the clutch to access and replace the belt. will give it a crack anyways and see, although its probably easier to take the whole assembly out with method #2
What do you do if two of the hex bolts in the alternate approach are stripped and you cranked the waterpump/bolt so much that the water pump pulley crumbles. Why are they plastic stock anyway? I also am very aware it is reverse threaded. Please help
Thanks Kid!!! Your trick number 2 worked for me in 5 mins!! Crowbar and large wrench, two whacks with fist was all it took to get fan nut off! You're my hero! ;D
You are a steely eyed missile man, Kidd! Used my big giant Channel Locks to hold the 4 bolts at once and hit the 32MM with a hammer. UA-cam gave me the confidence. As soon as my knee heals I am going to Pick a Part and getting an electric fan out of an M/T car.
I just used method 3 to remove the fan clutch and water pump on a E53. I got the special tool but it would not break the nut loose and just bent the tool and spun on the nut. So method 1 failed. Tried method 2 and the nut would still not break loose. Thank you for making this and all of your BMW repair videos.
I think it's important to note for those who are skimming through this video that the fan clutch is reverse threaded. I watched the video far enough to buy the tool an attempt to remove the fan from the water pump and failed to get it to work I ended up ordering a new pulley and fan clutch to mate to my new water pump. All of this was preventive maintenance for me on a car that's driven very rarely so this wasn't a major inconvenience. No amount of torque was going to remove mine because I was trying to thread it off normally. Great videos!
Thanks bud. I’ve done this a million times and some how I for got how to do the second method. Been a while cents I removed my fan. Thank you. Really appreciate it
Replacing my alternator and found out my water pump pulley is broken. That’s a good way to blow a head gasket. Ugh. At least I found it. One problem leads to another. Your videos are extremely helpful and for that I am very thankful.
I just stacked on two bolt-head problem on "Garage.com" tools, so this movie is cleared all, I take out my fan clutch. Appreciate your movie, I just repair WP and thermostat now. Very thanks for making video, I don't have to buy one more $50 SST.
Duuuuuuuuuude!!! OmfreakinA! Man you are THE bimmer god hands down! I just started a project, 2002 325xi and needs basically everything replaced but was going to do the oil filter gasket first and my fan clutch is just seized! Wish I saw this first but I already took the expansion tank hoping to just get more room to pry around and cost me the trans thermostat :( which isn’t too bad but I’m trying to do things slowly and don’t have parts readily available if they break........ but thanks for this, gonna have to resort to level 3 technique! xD
Went to take my fan off using the tools I bought... I have an electic fan! LOL. not sure if it's cause I have an SMG or if it was put in by a previous owner. anyone need a fan tool set?
Chiseled the pulley off and removed the fan clutch while still attached to the pump. my water pump was 230,000km and the propeller inside still hadn't broken, amazing. I also went with a electric fan because I want to never deal with this again
Thank you sir! I have also seen video of someone using the belt itself rather than the crappy special tool to hold the pulley. That means 4 methods! :-) Or there's always the great big FH appraoch. >:->
How is the fan shroud removed without removing the fan? It seems the shroud is surround the fan and they either need to come out together or...? Any ideas?
fan has to be removed unless u break fanshroud at the bottom end .... I used 32mm wrench and this from Home Depot ( www.homedepot.ca/product/hdx-adjustable-slip-nut-wrench/1000828297 ) cause I had a stubborn fan
Had a clutch I could not get off broke the water pulley holder trying to remove it. Got the pump out now but is there a way to get the pulley out from the water pump and seized fan clutch?
Hi! Greetings from Argentina. Great videos! I wanna know if yoy can help me. There is a way thath you can send me a draw or sizes of the water pump pulley that allows me to buil the holder? Because here in my country is so dificult to get. Or if you know a web site that haves this sizes? Thank you so much!
Thank you so much you are the best! Rebuild my engine from using your video! Now i got a 2001 BMW 330CI i got for 1100 cad that have the fan clutch bolt stuck and you helped me again! Thank you!
Dziękuję za film. Dzięki niemu dowiedziałem się że wystarczy złapać kluczem za jedną śrubę od pompy. Próbowałem za dwie i rozstaw otworów w kluczu był za mały. 👍
I don't think there is enough room to use method number 3, I have 325 ci 2003 and even with the shroud loose there isn't enough room to remove the fan. Even if you can do method #3, I wonder if you have enough room to pull them all out with water pump, the pulley and the clutch radiator fan still attach to each other without hitting the radiator. At any rate, it's a very informative video
After watching your video and heeding your warning about radiator hoses not being the real Rein brand... I ordered the Rein upper and lower radiator hoses. I was careful to look at the label of where they were made when the parts arrived from "Pelican Parts" -- Harbor City, Ca. The label said "Made in Hungary" on both hoses. Do you think this is the real thing, or should I return them? Where should they show as having been made? Germany or Austria?? Thanks bob
Hmmmmm you know man I wouldn't trust the Hungary ones. Maybe they are official Rein, but that factory in Hungary makes shitty parts for whatever reason. Try to find a local parts house in your area and just ask if they can get the OEM hoses.
Question, hopefully someone will be able to answer: the electrical connections that you have your hand on at 3:20, what do they go to? I'm fixing a friends BMW whos fan blew up and took out a bunch of things, two separate electrical connectors included that were attached to the passenger side of the fan shroud.
What size is the tensioner torque size ? I tried using an Allen wrench and nearly striped it I think. First I thought it was the top pulley for my e36 99 323is but I used a socket wrench and nothing moved.
For methods one and two, which I use, I have a tip for getting the fan easily rethreaded. When you are unthreading the fan to take it off, just as the fan nut comes free, mark one of the fan blades with a plece of tape and note the position. This way when you are ready to screw the fan back on, hold the fan around the same position to easily re-engage the threads. Note: when the fan is loose, tape the nut and fan body together so that the relative fan to nut position does not change.
Thanks, needed to know if the fan nut was left or right, you cleared that up. Dealing with all the cheap PLASTIC on BMW's has certainly made me question ever purchasing another BMw.
Hey dose your fan clutch make that loud windy or sucking noise on a cold start? sounds kinda like the ups truck/school bus sound just not as loud. my fan sounds like that on a cold start and gets louder and louder the farther i push the throttle, it sounds like it stops around 3000 RPM. there is a lot of misconception on the forums about this. is this normal?
For some reason my pulley is missing a bolt and only has 3, can hooking it on one bolt only still work. (Facing the front of car) when I put the tool on do I turn left with the holder and right with the wrench ? When I turn the wrench to the right I am afraid to put more pressure in fear of breaking the pulley
Thanks for all you do. I have the same fan-removal tool set you showed (holder+wrench), and I've used it successfully to get the fan off my E36. But I could not get the fan off my E46 to save my life. Your third method at least allowed me to get the fan blades/shroud out of the way to get more room (though it was more difficult than you demonstrated because I had a hard time getting my hand in there). With the fan/shroud out of the way, I STILL couldn't get the fan clutch off. That holder tool is a B#$%H to get situated tightly on the pulley bolts. What I finally ended up doing was locating the holder tool on the underside of the WP pulley, resting the handle on top of the main pulley, to the right. It was in there tight and the main pulley provided the backstop needed to hold the WP pulley still. One crack with the wrench and it was free. THANKS!
hey great video man. Im planning on does a vanos rebuild/VCG change and I was thinking instead of removing the whole fan if I should just use the method you used by just unbolting the fan blade? would it leave me with all the room I need ?
I have the ebay tools and tried and failed today. I am now however deeply looking forward to attempting removing the fan clutch tomorrow after watching this excellent tutorial, many thanks!
Thanks. I love the third method. LOL. You never know when you are going to get a stubborn one. Can you post a hand sketch of the special tool showing the specs? Like hole diameter and their separation? I have a lot of metal bars here and I will like to make my own.
Hey thanks for this. Would an open ended box spanner work the same as the wrench? And for the 'special' tool, I'd consider making one myself and drill the bolt holes to size.
the fan blades on my e39 got shorn off and the remainder of the fan is left on the fan clutch. couldn't remove it the nut this time (even though i've done it a few times before successfully) with methods 1 or 2 for the life of me. didn't even think of using half of method 3, just removing the fan from the fan clutch and replacing it with a new fan right in the engine bay! thanks for this
Method 4, don't buy a BMW in the first place. I agreed to Help my neighbor out by working on a highly neglected 2003 530i that sat unused for 5 or six years, he paid 400 which caused a rift in his family because afterwards she wanted the car back, she has some crazy notion that the car is worth something like 7 grand, she is 85 now she won't speak to her nephew, ive never seen a stupid car cause a family feud like this one did. I'm currently attempting to replace the oil pan gasket, as we all know BMWs are leakers, I wanted to remove the fan so when I jack up the engine it won't hit the shroud but that proved to be an impossible task, after using my 12 inch croissant wrench and a hammer to try and shock it loose it wouldn't budge, I could see that the nut was kind of chowdered up so it's not this girls first rodeo,
4 years later and I want to thank you for making this vid. I swapped in an electric fan and your trick of removing the blades and shroud from the clutch gave me decent access to the nut. Your other trick of using a prybar gave me the technique to use a crescent and a tire iron to loosen the nut. No special tools required. Unless you consider a length of steel pipe to extend the leverage of the crescent, as a special tool. Many thanks again!!
I've been struggling for 3 days now since I didnt have a pully holde, but only an adjustable wrench, now with method number three, I am completely releaved
This vid alone deserves a like
Say NO to method #3. That’s a waste of time.
I know not everyone can afford this but if you can, just upgrade the crappy clutch fan to an electric fan. Trust me, it'll make your life a whole lot easier! You can use the electric fan from a manual E46 btw, in case you're wondering.
Personally I don't think it's worth the money. I only keep my fan clutch on lightly tight so that I can remove by just giving the wrench a tap.
Hey Jason, quick question: I have to replace the deflection pulley, mechanical tensioner and belt. Can I use method 3 to just remove the fan blades? Or will the fan clutch be in the way? Thanks
Best videos come from you. Giving those options to take the fan out is valuable, since we all don't have the time to wait for a special tool. Thank you
tim pham exactly
Before you resort to option #3, try liberal amounts of Liquid Wrench and let it soak overnight. It worked for me!
tim pham agreed the tools are not always available in my garage.
50sKid Thank you so. Frikin. Much. I could not for the life of me get that damn clutch off. I cracked the water pump trying to do the 32mm wrench and hammer way. All I needed out of the way was the plastic part covering the fan. Now I FINALLY have access to everything and can inspect my belts. You. Are. A. E46. Saver.
was looking at my cars fan and saw it spins freely with almost no resistance gonna take off the fan clutch what else should i replace while iam in there 110 k miles and should i buy a new cheap one on ebay 30 ish bucks
I wish I saw this video earlier, I'm going to have to resort to the third method. I smacked my fan clutch nut for over two hours and nothing. I use your videos for reference all the time, they're just so perfect. Thanks a lot, man!
@@walterhunter740 You mean your now-ex? Lmao
I'm curious, mine seems to be rusted and it's impossible to take it out even with special tools I got off from Ebay. Sigh. Third method. Did you use WD-40?
@@jonathanbock8435 Hey! Sorry, I sold my e46 a few years ago. I think I just had a mechanic do it for me :P
Best video out there! Doing my 1991 BMW 325i tomorrow
Excellent video
I love that you show how to remove the fan with a pry and adjustable wrench.
Thanks much
I freaking love you bro you don’t know how much money and frustration you saved me I almost gave up
If the first two methods don’t work, try sticking the top of the spanner with a hammer to shock the bolt whilst applying downwards and clockwise pressure.
Hey man, I'm a former BMW technician and I didn't know about that 3rd method. Thank God you did because you just saved my ass. Keep up the great content.
Been taking off fan clutch nuts for years on multiple e46s but today I have been defeated on my new wagon. Bolt is seized. Fan clutch tools won't make it budge. Striking the 32mm tool or adjustable wrench won't make it budge. So I tried following method 3 to find out the hex head bolts are rusted and stripped. Back at square one.
Awesome method 2 worked like a champ. Thanks for posting this.
What would cause my 330ci go through 3 water pumps & thermostats in less then a year? Now I have a screeching noise after the last replacement for 600.00 dollars. Please help..... and bear in mind I'm a girl, so use layman's terms pls.
thanks for going into detail on method #2. It worked for me on my S54. Other videos go over this a little bit but your video makes it clear to see what to do. I was going to try method #3 if it didn't work but it did. Broke the fan clutch nut free in 2-3 minutes after trying for an hour the previous night without wedging anything to hold the water pump in place. Other videos break it free without doing so. I used a long flat head and a 10" husky adjustable wrench with a 4lb sledge.
you can’t do method 2 with s54 dude
My 2000 E46 323CI sounds like a Jet just cruising around town. I'm pretty sure it's the fan clutch. What do you think?
Hi !! Thank you so much for all you help, I just replace the fan cluch 325xi, am just little nervous because not sure is I tie up enough... 😢 haha
Broke the plastic pulley. Cause BMW thought I could feel the weight difference between this and aluminum.
Fucking pile of crap car. 😂
So. Question, I was able to remove the fan but I’m having a problem reinstalling the fan/clutch. It’s been a pain to get it to screw back on. Any tips to do this?
Did method #3 and it def worked. I need the fan clutch off though and kind of stuck on how to do that....
Replacing my AC belt, in theory i should be able to do method #3 and not even remove the clutch to access and replace the belt. will give it a crack anyways and see, although its probably easier to take the whole assembly out with method #2
I tried method one and broke the plastic pulley in half. Somehow. Crap. Thing is on there TIGHT!
Hi,i see a car bmw e46 330ci 2001 and don't have the fun cluch. All the engine m54 have the fan cluch ?
What do you do if two of the hex bolts in the alternate approach are stripped and you cranked the waterpump/bolt so much that the water pump pulley crumbles. Why are they plastic stock anyway? I also am very aware it is reverse threaded. Please help
Method 3 is probs best for me as am already stripping the car down taking everything out. And I don’t need to buy more tools 😂.
This dude makes it look easy and anyone who’s tried it knows that it is not 😅😂
Thanks Kid!!! Your trick number 2 worked for me in 5 mins!! Crowbar and large wrench, two whacks with fist was all it took to get fan nut off! You're my hero! ;D
Third method only works if ur hex bolts aren’t already stripped by some other dumb mechanic
When doing the remove fan clutch stuck to water pump method doesn't the radiator need to be removed as well since it's kind of in the way?
very helpful, about to do my oilfilter housing gasket. pissing oil
You are a steely eyed missile man, Kidd! Used my big giant Channel Locks to hold the 4 bolts at once and hit the 32MM with a hammer. UA-cam gave me the confidence. As soon as my knee heals I am going to Pick a Part and getting an electric fan out of an M/T car.
@50sKid how do you take off the clutch fan from water pump with last technique?
Option number 3 sucks to do. I had to do it that way when I changed out my power steering pump and needed access to get the belt back on the pulleys.
I just used method 3 to remove the fan clutch and water pump on a E53. I got the special tool but it would not break the nut loose and just bent the tool and spun on the nut. So method 1 failed. Tried method 2 and the nut would still not break loose. Thank you for making this and all of your BMW repair videos.
I think it's important to note for those who are skimming through this video that the fan clutch is reverse threaded. I watched the video far enough to buy the tool an attempt to remove the fan from the water pump and failed to get it to work I ended up ordering a new pulley and fan clutch to mate to my new water pump. All of this was preventive maintenance for me on a car that's driven very rarely so this wasn't a major inconvenience. No amount of torque was going to remove mine because I was trying to thread it off normally. Great videos!
M
Thanks bud. I’ve done this a million times and some how I for got how to do the second method. Been a while cents I removed my fan. Thank you. Really appreciate it
Great now I know which way to spin the nut thanks
Bro juts whacked it and it unscrewed wtf😂 my shit won’t come out at all
Well, I'll try to do the second and third versions while waiting for the proper wrench to arrive.
Very Nice I have to do my thermostat this will help my engine running 🥶
LIFE SAVER!!!!! im actually doing this now due to a possible bad power steering pump, but didn't have the special tool .... Thanks bro
+Jarrinson Gonzalez Nice
oh!! Thank you so much. I knew how the rent worked. But I didn't know what to do with the other tool. I knew it went on something.
What a brilliant idea to remove those 3 small bolts on the fan, made this job doable for me. Thank you so much
You still meed to take the fan off if you take them out together.
Man you are literally the best.
Replacing my alternator and found out my water pump pulley is broken. That’s a good way to blow a head gasket. Ugh. At least I found it. One problem leads to another. Your videos are extremely helpful and for that I am very thankful.
how do i get that big nut off to replace the fan clutch im losing my mind. please help
seeing how rusty everything is on my e46, I am already mentally preparing for method 3, sigh
Doing this right now before Elsa gets here lol
2:23 - This is the way.
2023 and thank you for this help!!!!!
I just stacked on two bolt-head problem on "Garage.com" tools, so this movie is cleared all, I take out my fan clutch. Appreciate your movie, I just repair WP and thermostat now.
Very thanks for making video, I don't have to buy one more $50 SST.
Duuuuuuuuuude!!! OmfreakinA! Man you are THE bimmer god hands down!
I just started a project, 2002 325xi and needs basically everything replaced but was going to do the oil filter gasket first and my fan clutch is just seized! Wish I saw this first but I already took the expansion tank hoping to just get more room to pry around and cost me the trans thermostat :( which isn’t too bad but I’m trying to do things slowly and don’t have parts readily available if they break........ but thanks for this, gonna have to resort to level 3 technique! xD
Went to take my fan off using the tools I bought... I have an electic fan! LOL. not sure if it's cause I have an SMG or if it was put in by a previous owner. anyone need a fan tool set?
Statureman I do! Will you mail them to me if I western union you the cost after I receive them?
Chiseled the pulley off and removed the fan clutch while still attached to the pump. my water pump was 230,000km and the propeller inside still hadn't broken, amazing. I also went with a electric fan because I want to never deal with this again
Thank you sir! I have also seen video of someone using the belt itself rather than the crappy special tool to hold the pulley. That means 4 methods! :-) Or there's always the great big FH appraoch. >:->
Hi buddy nice vids .. Is it possible to convert or add one of theese fans to an x3 2007 ??? From electrical to manual ??? Just curious
How is the fan shroud removed without removing the fan? It seems the shroud is surround the fan and they either need to come out together or...? Any ideas?
fan has to be removed unless u break fanshroud at the bottom end .... I used 32mm wrench and this from Home Depot ( www.homedepot.ca/product/hdx-adjustable-slip-nut-wrench/1000828297 ) cause I had a stubborn fan
Had a clutch I could not get off broke the water pulley holder trying to remove it. Got the pump out now but is there a way to get the pulley out from the water pump and seized fan clutch?
+Jeff Matchette not without destroying the water pump or fan clutch. If you heat things up the pulley will melt. Probably easier to replace the lot
That's what I ended up doing. Took the hit at the bmw parts counter verse waiting on ebay. $42 for the pulley not awful.
Thanks so much 50 hope u r well
Thanks for teaching/helping me !!!!
Your videos have been invaluable for me..... Do you have a patreon set up I can donate too ??
Thanks !!!
Hi! Greetings from Argentina. Great videos! I wanna know if yoy can help me. There is a way thath you can send me a draw or sizes of the water pump pulley that allows me to buil the holder? Because here in my country is so dificult to get. Or if you know a web site that haves this sizes? Thank you so much!
That fan but is a bastard. Wish I had watched this again & used method 2. I gave up & will try again, when my motivation returns!
Thank you so much you are the best! Rebuild my engine from using your video! Now i got a 2001 BMW 330CI i got for 1100 cad that have the fan clutch bolt stuck and you helped me again! Thank you!
Dziękuję za film. Dzięki niemu dowiedziałem się że wystarczy złapać kluczem za jedną śrubę od pompy. Próbowałem za dwie i rozstaw otworów w kluczu był za mały. 👍
I don't think there is enough room to use method number 3, I have 325 ci 2003 and even with the shroud loose there isn't enough room to remove the fan. Even if you can do method #3, I wonder if you have enough room to pull them all out with water pump, the pulley and the clutch radiator fan still attach to each other without hitting the radiator. At any rate, it's a very informative video
After watching your video and heeding your warning about radiator hoses not being the real Rein brand... I ordered the Rein upper and lower radiator hoses. I was careful to look at the label of where they were made when the parts arrived from "Pelican Parts" -- Harbor City, Ca. The label said "Made in Hungary" on both hoses. Do you think this is the real thing, or should I return them? Where should they show as having been made? Germany or Austria?? Thanks bob
Hmmmmm you know man I wouldn't trust the Hungary ones. Maybe they are official Rein, but that factory in Hungary makes shitty parts for whatever reason. Try to find a local parts house in your area and just ask if they can get the OEM hoses.
where should they be made? bob
bob campbell not Hungary lol
thank you
Question, hopefully someone will be able to answer: the electrical connections that you have your hand on at 3:20, what do they go to? I'm fixing a friends BMW whos fan blew up and took out a bunch of things, two separate electrical connectors included that were attached to the passenger side of the fan shroud.
What size is the tensioner torque size ? I tried using an Allen wrench and nearly striped it I think. First I thought it was the top pulley for my e36 99 323is but I used a socket wrench and nothing moved.
Hey 50's kid, Is it easy to separate the clutch from the water pump pulley once they are out together?
For methods one and two, which I use, I have a tip for getting the fan easily rethreaded. When you are unthreading the fan to take it off, just as the fan nut comes free, mark one of the fan blades with a plece of tape and note the position. This way when you are ready to screw the fan back on, hold the fan around the same position to easily re-engage the threads. Note: when the fan is loose, tape the nut and fan body together so that the relative fan to nut position does not change.
none of these worked for me. E46 M3.
Thanks bro you make it look so easy🤗
Simple & straight forward ....and link for the tools! Thank u!
Thanks, needed to know if the fan nut was left or right, you cleared that up. Dealing with all the cheap PLASTIC on BMW's has certainly made me question ever purchasing another BMw.
Hey dose your fan clutch make that loud windy or sucking noise on a cold start? sounds kinda like the ups truck/school bus sound just not as loud. my fan sounds like that on a cold start and gets louder and louder the farther i push the throttle, it sounds like it stops around 3000 RPM. there is a lot of misconception on the forums about this. is this normal?
How do you know when you're clutch fan is messed up.. or if it's you're water pump ???
lucky bastards... in my case the water pump pulley are pressed onto the water pump so no 4 bolts here and pump with pulley goes in one piece...
For some reason my pulley is missing a bolt and only has 3, can hooking it on one bolt only still work. (Facing the front of car) when I put the tool on do I turn left with the holder and right with the wrench ? When I turn the wrench to the right I am afraid to put more pressure in fear of breaking the pulley
You are the E46 authority!1
Hey man. What size are the actual game blade bolts. I’m replacing a clutch fan And they didn’t send the bolts to link the clutch fan to the blades
Thanks for all you do. I have the same fan-removal tool set you showed (holder+wrench), and I've used it successfully to get the fan off my E36. But I could not get the fan off my E46 to save my life. Your third method at least allowed me to get the fan blades/shroud out of the way to get more room (though it was more difficult than you demonstrated because I had a hard time getting my hand in there).
With the fan/shroud out of the way, I STILL couldn't get the fan clutch off. That holder tool is a B#$%H to get situated tightly on the pulley bolts. What I finally ended up doing was locating the holder tool on the underside of the WP pulley, resting the handle on top of the main pulley, to the right. It was in there tight and the main pulley provided the backstop needed to hold the WP pulley still. One crack with the wrench and it was free. THANKS!
The air tool is a good ten times easier.
You are a legend thank you
Thanks! 😉
Thanks for that. Method 3 here! (and a lot of skinned knuckles).
Thanks for sharing!
hey great video man. Im planning on does a vanos rebuild/VCG change and I was thinking instead of removing the whole fan if I should just use the method you used by just unbolting the fan blade? would it leave me with all the room I need ?
I have a question? If i use te first ir second Way, te fan clucht come out side up? And can i take out first the fan?
I have the ebay tools and tried and failed today. I am now however deeply looking forward to attempting removing the fan clutch tomorrow after watching this excellent tutorial, many thanks!
It worked! I was trying to align both holes in the tool instead of just the one and pressing down. Works like a charm!
you are the best
you are a freaking savior! been fighting my stuck fan bolt for hours now! btw anyone know if its ok or will help to spray pb blaster on that nut?
Thanks. I love the third method. LOL. You never know when you are going to get a stubborn one. Can you post a hand sketch of the special tool showing the specs? Like hole diameter and their separation? I have a lot of metal bars here and I will like to make my own.
Hey thanks for this. Would an open ended box spanner work the same as the wrench? And for the 'special' tool, I'd consider making one myself and drill the bolt holes to size.
Wtf is a number 5
The small prybar trick worked for me !!! Thanks a Million !!
the fan blades on my e39 got shorn off and the remainder of the fan is left on the fan clutch. couldn't remove it the nut this time (even though i've done it a few times before successfully) with methods 1 or 2 for the life of me. didn't even think of using half of method 3, just removing the fan from the fan clutch and replacing it with a new fan right in the engine bay! thanks for this