Electric Fan E30

While efficient this arrangement takes up a lot of space.

Computer fan noise. Video chapters and parts used are below. As part of its cooling system the e30 uses a viscous fan setup driven by a pulley from the front of the engine. He hooked me up with a new fan clutch and most importantly a 32mm fan clutch wrench which is long and thin and a pulley retainer.

The electric fan goes to full rpm and sounds like a jet engine for a bit then it settles down and stops when it is no longer required. If youve sacrificed those precious inches to a bigger engine heres how to replace your fan with an electric alternative. This video details removal of the fan and full installation of the ele.

I got to get this fan working cause my coolant cap keeps bursting over its 98 outside and my e30 will have none of it. If you ever do this job i cannot overstate the value of having the right tools especially the pulley retainer not sure of the quality but you can buy both from amazon for under 3000. Too much space if youve undertaken an engine swap to a larger lump.

The fan may come on more often as the car is getting older because the water cooling is not as efficient as it used to be radiator gets clogged and so does the rest of the cooling system. Time for my e36 to have a viscous fan delete. For this reason a mechanical fan contributes to drivetrain loss that is the measureable difference between crank horsepower and wheel horsepower.

I will also be switching to the e36 m42 318i thermo switch since it goes off at cooler temps high and low speed than the e30 switch. The more parasitic losses that can be eliminated on an engine helps to increase horsepower making it to the wheels. Wired it up as per ops instructions still nothing.