Auxiliary Fan (Compression Shroud) DIY
2001 X5 3.0i with ~105k (June 2009)

Symptom
The airconditiong (a/c) was not blowing clod air when the car was not moving. Observed the Auxiliary Fan in front of the car was not turning. Fuse 61 was ok. The A/C operated fine otherwise.


Purchased
Part No. 64 54 6 921 381 -Compression Shroud with Fan
Momentum BMW West (Houtson, TX)
Parts Guy gave it to me for $425…said that was wholesale. List Price on receipt was $510. The purchase also included four sets of brake pads with two sensors and wipers, so they gave me a nice break all around.

Time
Took me 2 hours 30 minutes…and this was my first one, and I was moving slow when taking things apart I was not familiar with. Putting it all back together was a breeze. To be honest, I hardly got dirty, besides from just sitting on the ground.

Tools
Ratchet
4in extension
8mm socket
10mm socket
13mm socket

10mm wrench
13mm wrench

Small flat head screwdriver
Needle nose pliers (or anything to help pull out the plastic rivets)
Egg carton and marker (to keep track of screws).

Step 1 –Remove the Front Bumper Cover.
This guide was very helpful to print…
http://www.xoutpost.com/articles/x5/body-style/9486-bmw-x5-front-bumper-cover-removal.html

10 x 8mm bolts (# 1-2, 11-19)
9 x 10mm bolts (# 3-10)

Step 2 –Loosen the Front Bumper
The bumper has 18 bolts (8 x 13mm nuts with washers and 10 x 10mm bolts).
Take all the bolts and nuts completely off. Don’t worry, the bumper won’t drop; although you can disconnect the wires for your horn if it makes you feel safer.
The bumper also has two plastic scoops mounted to the bottom. I left them on. It made one of the 13mm nuts (on each side) hard to get to, but I managed. I did remove the plastic rivet connecting it, but I don’t think that mattered. Yes, if those plastic scoops are completely unclipped, unscrewed, and unrivetted, you could go ahead and take the bumper off and make the fan part easier, but I’m not sure it’s worth it.

Step 3 –Remove the grill off of the fan.
This is the grill clipped onto the front. I didn’t remove my bumper, so I needed to do this to make room.

Step 4 –Remove two side shields
There are two shields on both sides of the fan, that guide the air in. They are held on by two plastic rivets each.

Step 5 –Remove Aux Fan
Unplug the Aux fan. Take out the two 10mm bolts (one on each side) on the sides near the bottom. Pull the bottom towards you and pull down. The top is just slide into guides on each side.

Now pull your grill off the new fan and go backwards.


Not sure that his can be done without touching the bumper itself. I didn’t really get any specific instruction for doing this. As I mentioned, I did this without completely pulling the bumper off, because I was too lazy to disconnect the plastic it was connected to. Those plastic pieces block the bumper from coming off completely.