impee's DIY Radiator Fan Change

DIY Radiator Fan Change

impee's DIY Radiator Fan Change for BMW 318i e46
How to a Change Radiator Fan yourself!

Prices:

Professional labour costs for Radiator Fan Change - £55 (private) or £155 (BMW) - per hour X 1 hours

Please Note: Tools required below will also be useful for other DIYs

Difficulty Level: Easy / Medium

Approximate Time For This Project: 1.5 hours

REQUIRED ITEMS
items	INFORMATION	OUTLET	QUANTITY	PRICE*
Radiator Fan	Part Number: 17117561757 Part #2	BMW	1	£280
Radiator Fan	Non Original	http://www.gsfcarparts.com	1	£138
Flat Head Screwdriver	A thin head one		1
Phillips Screwdriver			1
Torx 20 Screwdriver			1
Pliers			1
Trolley Jack	Should support upto 2 Tonnes.	http://www.halfords.com	1	£30
Jack Stands / Axle Stands	Should support upto 2 Tonnes. To lift car on stands, refer to this page.	http://www.halfords.com	2	£15

*prices correct at time of publication

1)	Assemble Your Kit + Notes
	Below is the total kit I used. As you can see, there aren't many tools required for this job at all. The choice of which Radiator fan to buy is upto you, either the £138 one or the £280, they both are more or less the same. NOTE: After speaking to some one in the US, I was told that his radiator fan could be pulled out by only carrying out till Step 11, hence if your car is not the same model as mine, please check if the fan can be removed in this way, without taking the car apart as in Step #12 onwards.

2)	Engine Cover - Removal
	Remove the engine cover.
1)	2 clips at the front
2)	1 hook on the left
3)	One large hose on the right

3)	Location of Screw, Clips & Cable Sockets
	Below are the screws and clips that will need to be opened and removed. Also two cables sockets.

4)	Back View Of The Fan
	The scew and 1 of the 2 clips.

5)	Removing The Screw
	Use a Torx 20 screw driver and remove the screw.

6)	Expanding Rivet - Removal
	Remove the 2 Expanding Rivets. You can loosen the Expanding Rivets by prying it out with a flat head screwdriver.

7)	Expanding Rivet - Removal
	The Expanding Rivets can also be removed using this method (if you find its stuck), by holding the base back with the pliers and then using the screw driver to pry it out.

8)	Expanding Rivet
	This is a photo of the middle thin part of the Expanding Rivet pulled out.

9)	An Expanding Rivet Removed
	This is an actual Expanding Rivet, removed.

10)	Expanding Rivet - Removal
	Another method to remove an Expanding Rivet .

11)	Remove The Power Sockets, Hoses & Clips
	Remove the 2 power sockets. Also remove or undo any other clips and hoses on both sides of the Radiator fan.

11)

Remove The Power Sockets, Hoses & Clips

Remove the 2 power sockets.

Also remove or undo any other clips and hoses on both sides of the Radiator fan.

12)	The Lower Hoses And Clips
	This is a view from the top.

13)	How It Looks
	Having the car on Axle / Jack stands is required, as you need to get underneath the car and have enough clearance from the ground to be able to open a few clips and take the hoses of the clips. For more details on lifting the car on Jack Stands, please refer to this page.

13)

How It Looks

Having the car on Axle / Jack stands is required, as you need to get underneath the car and have enough clearance from the ground to be able to open a few clips and take the hoses of the clips.

For more details on lifting the car on Jack Stands, please refer to this page.

14)	Engine Splash Sheild
	Next remove the engine splash shield. This is the splash shield from underneath the car. This is to show where and how many screws and Expanding Rivets are located. The Expanding Rivets are the top 3 and the remaining are the screws.

14)

Engine Splash Sheild

Next remove the engine splash shield.

This is the splash shield from underneath the car. This is to show where and how many screws and Expanding Rivets are located.
The Expanding Rivets are the top 3 and the remaining are the screws.

15)	Splash Sheild Being Removed
	Splash sheild in the process of being removed, using the flat head screwdriver for the front Expanding Rivets and the philips head screwdriver for the remaining screws.

16)	Shield Clip - Removal
	The front 3 Expanding Rivets are a little odd. You need to first pull out the tin middle part all the way out, then you can pull the rest of the clip out.

17)	Lower Hoses & Expanding Rivet to Remove
	This is a photo taken whilst underneath the car. Remove the 2 Expanding Rivets on the left and right as done in the other steps before. Also take the 3 hoses out of the other round bigger clips.

17)

Lower Hoses & Expanding Rivet to Remove

This is a photo taken whilst underneath the car.

Remove the 2 Expanding Rivets on the left and right as done in the other steps before.

Also take the 3 hoses out of the other round bigger clips.

18)	Radiator Fan Removed
	A view with the Radiator fan completely removed.

19)	Items To Swap From Old Fan To New Fan
	Remove the below highlighted items from the old fan and attach them to the new fan. These items are very simple to remove: - 3 round pipe clips - Electrical box

19)

Items To Swap From Old Fan To New Fan

Remove the below highlighted items from the old fan and attach them to the new fan.

These items are very simple to remove:
- 3 round pipe clips
- Electrical box

20) Re-assembly

Once the above 4 items have been swapped, slide in the new fan back over the radiator and work in reverse order following all the above steps.

Ensure you put back all the Expanding Rivets, Hose Clips, Pipes, Power Sockets, Screw, Splash Shield etc.

Finally, to check if the fan actually works, start the engine and you should see the fan blades rotate and also feel the strong wind being blown.

20)	Re-assembly
	Once the above 4 items have been swapped, slide in the new fan back over the radiator and work in reverse order following all the above steps. Ensure you put back all the Expanding Rivets, Hose Clips, Pipes, Power Sockets, Screw, Splash Shield etc. Finally, to check if the fan actually works, start the engine and you should see the fan blades rotate and also feel the strong wind being blown.

DIY BMW e46 Radiator Fan Change by - impee www.impee.co.uk

Any questions please contact me