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Pictorial DIY: BMW E46 Fan Clutch Removal & Engine Belts Change For Automatic Cars

221K views 128 replies 82 participants last post by  grndamgt4 
#1 · (Edited)
Pictorial DIY: BMW E46 Fan Clutch Removal & Engine Belts Change For Automatic Cars

Because every DIY I've seen are for manual cars without the stupid fan in the way. This DIY is for the rest of us who own automatic cars. Also for everyone that is in need of possibly pulling out their water pump since removing the fan clutch nut is the exactly what you will have to do on all cars (whether manual or automatic) to get the water pump out.

The belts DIY is easy in itself. The large pictures and crayola text within each picture below should give anyone with a brain the basic idea of what to do. I've changed belts on older BMW cars before without having to bother with the fan (like on the M44 engine) so the fan removal part of the M54 DIY was always a mystery to me and many with automatic E46 cars. Many of us followed all those website and forum DIYs, that was using manual cars for their DIY projects, up until we realized there was a big a$$ fan in there for our cars and couldn't go any further.

This DIY shows you how to safely remove the fan, belts, look at the inevitable water pump/thermostat failure regions and put everything back in.

My DIYs do not end in the middle, like most DIYs, and leave you stranded :confused:. I show you how to double check what you did and safely put everything back in there.

WATER PUMP and THERMOSTAT DIY QUICK INFO:
Only read this bit if you are interested in these tasks.
Said and done, if you can do this DIY then the water pump/thermostat DIYs will be not much more difficult, if not as easy. With the fan clutch out and shroud out and coolant drained, all that is left is removal of the bolts and bits that hold the water pump and thermostat in place. These are right there in front of you.

My car only has 49k on the clock, as of this writing, but it is still a 7-8 year old car so I plan of changing my plastic OEM pump and thermostat housing for the metal high performance water pump and an aluminum body thermostat housing over the next couple of months just to be safe.


HERE IS THE BMW M54 E46 Automatic Fan Clutch & Engine Belts DIY:





















 
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11
#5 ·
PART 5










After you are done and double checked everything (including those front-fan shroud/radiator connector plugs) get yourself cleaned up and go start your car leaving the hood up and the windows down. Keep your hand on the key in case you have to shut off the engine immediately.

If the engine starts up okay and everything sounds and feel normal (no squealing or fierce vibrations) after a minute or two go look under the hood. The fan and belts should be moving okay. My fan seemed wobbly for the first couple of minutes but after it was okay-leaving me thinking it was just my imagination.

The worse that can happen is usually the fan blades either break off spontaneously and/or the fan comes off, thus exploding sending pieces of hard plastic everywhere. This is why you NEVER drop the fan, lay it flat or damage it if during the DIY you plan on using it again. Even if one blade gets chipped or scuffed then the fan can quickly lose equilibrium and wobble itself to bits destroying your engine block and hood.

This is also why it is best to first start the engine with the hood up and everyone clear of the engine bay, and your hand on the key in case you have to cut the engine off pronto. I think the rule of thumb is if your fan doesn’t explode right away you should be good.

That is it! DIY completed! Now it’s time to think about that inevitable WATER PUMP failure prevention upgrade and Thermostat Housing upgrade DIY.
Enjoy,
Delmarco. :pimpin:
 
#7 ·
I got a few more DIYs coming by the Fall.
1. Replacing the E46 plastic-army of fail: WaterPump/Themostat Housing/Fan Pulley Wheel with all aluminum/metal parts.
2. BMW Coolant Flush
3. E46 Power Folding Mirrors Parts 2 and 3 complete
4. Window Regulators (maybe)
 
#75 · (Edited)
Sweet post. It shows you love your cars! Thanks for taking the time in doing such a great write up!

I can attest to forgetting about attempting to do this job without the 32mm wrench and pulley holder! Forget-a-bout-it! :banghead:
Just did this job this weekend... Forgot about the special tool though and just fabricated my own.. (just a long skinny piece of scrap metal with 1 hole in it to hold the pulley by the screw). Didn't use any fancy 32mm wrench either, managed to get by with a large adjustable wrench (had to take remove air intake and a hose coming off the radiator to get my big wrench to fit though!).

anyway, good writeup, wish I saw this before I figured this stuff out on my own!

<- "special" tools!
 
#14 · (Edited)
Nice DIY, thanks
Any tips anyone on separating those "quick disconnect" hose ends FROM EACH OTHER?
The ones from the radiator came off OK, but the hose to hose connections on the drivers
side where the first hose from the radiator (which I planned to replace) connect to the second hose
that runs to the firewall connections??
thanks

BTW, nice timing too Last weekend I drove 500 miles with a leaking radiator in my 01 530. the radiator was half empty when I returned.
the first picture shows a white line starting at the base of the neck for the hose where it was dripping
the next shows what happened when I GENTLY (REALLY) tried to remove the hose!
Holy crap, the radiator plastic was dust, all of it. and to think I was just bragging about how mine was still original at 150k and 8 yrs!
 

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#22 ·
Very nice write up delmarco man! I have bought the ac, timing belt and waterpump. I have few questions.

1). If I installed the belts and waterpump separately, do I kind of do the double work to reach the same place?
2). Do you still need to loose the belt to replace the waterpump?
3). Why didn't you replace the waterpump when you install the belts at the same time?
4). Do I have to replace coolant when I replace water pump?

Thanks
 
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#23 ·
Very nice write up delmarco man! I have bought the ac, timing belt and waterpump. I have few questions.
Thanks
1). If I installed the belts and waterpump separately, do I kind of do the double work to reach the same place? yes. but remember to replace the waterpump you also have to drain the coolant system.


2). Do you still need to loose the belt to replace the waterpump?
yes.

3). Why didn't you replace the waterpump when you install the belts at the same time?

oh...no reason, my car had like 45,000 miles on it at the time of the DIY so I didn't have to replace the pump. I was told that the Waterpump Replacement should happen between 60,000 and 80,000 miles on the E46.

4). Do I have to replace coolant when I replace water pump? You don't have to replace the coolant, but you MUST drain the coolant system as the waterpump also seals in coolant flowing thru the system. So removing a pump with a system full of coolant will spill coolant all over the place.

Here is the best DIY I've seen on the water pump.

http://www.bmw330ci.net/maintenance/completecoolant.php
 
#25 ·
Yeah.
If you are a pro and the car is fairly new (5-8 yrs) you can usually get the fan off with just the 32mm wrench. Clamp down on the the nut and yank at it fast and hard and it will loosen.

As a noob I didn't want to break anything serious whiles changing the belts.
 
#26 ·
Great DIY, just in time. The water pump just failed and even though I am a fairly good mechanic I was a bit confused on where to start, this got me started. The whack method worked to remove the fan and it was all over after that, now for the water pump kit and back together. Thanks again.
 
#27 ·
question guys....what's that pulley called above the main belt tensioner and above the alternator pulley? because i seem to be missing it on my car....
 
#31 ·
Good question. I don't even know the answer to it, but I've been told by EVERYONE who done a DIY where fan removal was involved to never lay the fan flat on the ground.

"YOU MUST store it up right."

What happens is the blades lose integrity and break apart when you start the car back up thereby destroying your hood and everything in your engine bay including the engine.
(SEARCH: E46 BMW exploding fan)
I don't know how true that is, but I don't want to feel sorry for not listening. So I pass it on in my DIY.
 
#37 ·
I removed my fan clutch this weekend. I had a universal holder and 32mm wrench. The universal holder was a PIA to use and I almost decided to use the whack method when I finally got it to hold for a second or two. That was probably the hardest part out of the whole job. I replaced the belts, waterpump, thermostat, and of course flushed/changed the coolant.

Just wanted to note that I could not use the T50 on the serpentine belt tensioner. I had to use a number 8 allen type bit, not sure why it was different from all of the guides.
 
#38 ·
i used the ford fan clutch tool to remove my fan. its also flat like the one you have posted in the pics. the only thing is that i had to use my own 32mm wrench as the one that came in the ford tool kit was 25mm. also i noticed it was a lot easier to remove the fan nut with the upper radiator hose out of the way.
 
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