Replaced clutch fan with electric fan

[tonycajjo]

I ended up ordering a Hayden Automotive 3647 Adjustable Thermostatic Fan Control instead of the one i originally planned on. I don't see any good reason to cut into a perfectly good radiator hose at this time. I also bought a slim line 16" fan that had good reviews on amazon and will use the included tie straps to secure it directly to the radiator.

I plan to use an interposing relay to power the fan as opposed to controller itself. I'll swing by the store and buy a Tupperware or some sort of container to hide all the electronics and find a decent place to mount them. I know the controller is probably pretty fragile so i'll want to mount it on a nice flat surface. and then put it in a tupperware and mount it with some rubber washers to the fender or something.

cant wait to get this mechanical fan off. the only thing worse than a mechanical fan is a failing/failed mechanical fan clutch.

the parts should be here next week and i'll take some pics after of the job. but i gotta fix the valve cover first.

[bcredliner]

Update--another year has passed. I've fried one controller but other than that it has never been a problem. To me, for the cost and ease of installation it is a no brainer, especially if you have to replace the waterpump.

[g300d]

Neat, cool project and good to see its a viable option, thanks for the update!

[Green Dragon]

I'm looking at one of these high performance brushless motor kits. Not a bad price considering everything you get and the quality. Plus from what little I've read, they're very quite, reliable as heck, (50,000 hours claimed life). They also have a soft start feature to go easy on the electrical side of your car. You can also buy just the fan. Controller is a digital Ecu that allows you to control speeds/load. Some peeps on the Interwebs are running these on their bblok hotrods with positive reviews. Should keep an m54 nice and cool and dialed in.

Brushless Fan Kits

[bcredliner]

Originally Posted by Green Dragon

I'm looking at one of these high performance brushless motor kits. Not a bad price considering everything you get and the quality. Plus from what little I've read, they're very quite, reliable as heck, (50,000 hours claimed life). They also have a soft start feature to go easy on the electrical side of your car. You can also buy just the fan. Controller is a digital Ecu that allows you to control speeds/load. Some peeps on the Interwebs are running these on their bblok hotrods with positive reviews. Should keep an m54 nice and cool and dialed in.

Brushless Fan Kits

As pictured the connection location extends out from the fan diameter. Bear in mind that a minimum of 70% of the radiator should be covered by the fan. If you do that be sure there is room under the fan shroud as 70% uses up most of it.

[Green Dragon]

Perfect. Thanks bcredliner. I'm going to snap some measurements and I'll post it up on this thread when I install it.

I did an electric fan conversion on my e36 after the fan grenaded and took out the radiator, shroud, and dented the hood. I loved how free reving the motor was and the noticible power gain. Hoping to improve efficiency and power gains further on the X5.

[bcredliner]

Originally Posted by Green Dragon

Perfect. Thanks bcredliner. I'm going to snap some measurements and I'll post it up on this thread when I install it.

I did an electric fan conversion on my e36 after the fan grenaded and took out the radiator, shroud, and dented the hood. I loved how free reving the motor was and the noticible power gain. Hoping to improve efficiency and power gains further on the X5.

Though there are several other benefits the primary reason I made the change was for performance. Along those lines I also installed VAC underdrive pulleys on the power steering and water pump. If you like the results of the electric fan you will really like the complimenting underdrive pulleys.

[squidzilla]

I think I will do this on the rest of my cars. It is a very common mod with e46 owners.

My 545i has this type of fan since it is a manual. I always wondered why my manual e53 has a fan clutch when the e46 manuals do not.

[lo_jack]

It has been a while, so I am sure you would have posted if you had any issues. Since you live up the street--well within 100* summer country--have you noticed how the setup reacts to peak ambient temps...particularly in traffic? You may not have had the misfortune of having both of those conditions simultaneously, but I do, and would be interested in how the system handles it.

[bcredliner]

Only problem was a fried temp controller in 2016. Never any problems with overheating under worst of conditions. Has always been a no brainer mod to me if only to keep the heat from building up after the engine is shut off. It will run a few short cycles over 5 minutes or so.