2005 X5 radiator fan
 

Hi,
I have a 2005 x5 4.4 and I'm not sure if my radiator fan is working. Recently, I found coolant leaking from the expansion tank. So I looked at some stuff and noticed that the fan near the radiator does not come on at all. The car has maintained normal temperature and has never overheated. Probably due to cold winter air hitting the radiator. I left the car on and idling for 15 minutes and the fan never came on. The temperature gauge was in the middle. I did some research and found that some have two fan? (AUX and fan powered by the engine clutch)?? I have the 4.4 motor, i think N62. And I only have one fan, behind the radiator. There is nothing in front of the radiator. Also, the fan behind the radiator is not powered by the engine, it is not connected to the engine and looks like it is electrical. I took some picture so you can see what I'm talking about. My question is, is there any way to check to see if the fan is okay or do I just buy a new fan? Am I suppose to have two fans or is one fan normal for the model that I have?
Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Looks normal for N62 engine. I'm not sure why it's not working. I believe it only turns on once a certain temp is reached. try scanning the system to see if any codes are popping up. it could be a temp sensor or fan relay, not the fan itself.


http://realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/c/f/249.png

http://realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/p/k/194.png

it only comes on when the A/C is on ,try it.

Turn your a/c on it should start as soon as you turn it on. 2005 x5 with n62 engine only uses one fan. Electric... Keep us updated

Just tried it with the AC on. I left the AC on for 5 minutes, still the fan didn't turn on. I think it's a radiator fan. If it was AC fan, wouldn't be in the front to cool the AC condensor? And if the only fan I have on car is for the AC, how is the radiator being cooled? Is there relay or something I can check? I checked all the fuse in the glove compartment and in the trunk and all fuses are okay.

I scanned the car for codes with just regular handheld OBD scanner. Nothing showed up. Am I suppose to use a special software to be able to read more codes from the car? Any suggestion on which one I can use?

BMW USB OBD Diagnostic cable INPA Ediabas DIS v57 SSS v32 Progman GT1

this will be good to have for now and future repairs / diagnostics. you can scan all of the different modules using this software (the ones generic OBD scanners cant).

I'm working on getting the software but in meantime is is possible to test the fan to see if it's working?
Dorman - OE Solutions Radiator Fan Assembly Without Controller 621-191: Advance Auto Parts
I don't want to buy a $600 fan if mine is working fine. I know there are four wire coming out of the fan. Is there anyway I can connect a positive and negative source to the fan to see if it works? Which wire do I connect?

i connected a direct positive and negative source to the fan to see if it will come on and it did not. I followed the instruction from here. Troubleshoot Auxiliary Cooling Fan - Component checklist and notes looks like the same connector. I'm thinking the fan is bad. I just want to make sure before I go out and spend $600 on a new one. Can someone confirm I"m on the right path and any suggestion on cheap alternative to the fan other than the dealer? Thanks!

Dont know if you have inpa/gt1 software. If you do the fan can be easily tested to see if it works thru inpa, you can manually turn it on/off.

You can not just hookup a power source to the fan and expect it to run. The fan requires a pulse signal from the DME, that's the reason for the thin third wire that you see on the connector. Instead of using a resistor like in the past, the engineers at BMW decided to use a pulse signal to turn the fan on and vary the speed of the fan. Check the other two thick wires at the connector. One is ground and the other is 12V. If you don't have 12V then the 50amps fuse in the fuse box has blown. Only reason for the 50 amps fuse to blow is if the fan had a short.

Observe the fan as you start the car. The system spins the fan momentarily to check for proper operation.

I test the Aux fan by starting the motor and then pressing the Max AC button. The car is parked. The fan should turn on in 10-20 seconds.

TerryZ91

Why not take it to the local indy you have a relationship with.
Can't take more than a few minutes for them to give it a check
and answer the question. This method is always better than guessing.

Quicksilver, I would take it local indy but of course they would charge diagnostic fee, I figured I can instead spend that money on the repair.
Thank for clarifying that I can't start the fan by directly jumping the pin, I was on my way to buy a new fan. I wish I did have the npa/GT1 software so I won't have to go through so much trouble but unfortunately I don't a this moment.
I was able to get the fan started on AC by putting it on max AC and blower motor on full blast. I guess earlier I only turned the AC button on but did not increase the blower motor to full. It didn't turn on instantly when I turned the AC on but after 5 minutes of AC on full blast, it turned on. Also, when it came on, it was on momentarily than off then on and off (repeated the cycle) is that normal? I was also able to get the fan started by removing the connector on coolant temp sensor switch on the bottom hose coming out of the radiator. Of course, the check engine light came on and gave me a code for coolant temp sensor switch but the fan was on full blast at that moment. I think in future, for people who wants to check their fan can do this by just removing one connector and see if it turns on. I checked the female connector for the fan going to the motor, there is 12V reading and the (4) 50 amp fuses under the glove compartment are okay. However my fan does not turn on momentarily as indicated as indicated by JCP 240z to check for proper operation. I also read this somewhere that the fan is turned on for 20 seconds to check operation when you first start the car.
Let me see if I got this correct. So I'm guessing that fan is turned on by AC and temperature reading from coolant temp sensor switch. So my fan is okay from this diagnostic, right? I know the lower coolant hose coming out of the radiator was cool and top was hot. The fact that the bottom hose with the coolant temp sensor is cold, is not giving the signal to turn the fan on since the coolant is below certain temp and hasn't met the threshold to activate the fan. I know I read that the bottom coolant hose is usually cold and it's normal since the radiator is doing the job and cooling the coolant. I was thinking that maybe the thermostat is stuck closed but I don't think that is the case. Since my car has not overheated even once. The heater is hot. And of course the thermostat is not stuck open since the car warms up normally in 5 minutes. I was also leading toward the water pump impeller going bad but of course again due to lack of circulation the car will overheat and mine maintains the normal temperature even after 30 minutes of driving under load. Is it normal for my coolant hose to be cold then? I just want to confirm.

I got the expansion tank from the dealer today ($70), going to pick up coolant from the dealer ($25/gallon). The Zerex G05 is cheaper at $20 but in the end I think It's $50 from dealer v.s. $40 from Zerex. Of course this is for 100% concentration and I would mix with distilled water so it would be double the amount. I'm just going to replace the expansion tank, do proper drain and fill and see if here is still a leak and any problems are still there.

But the Indy can tell you if the fan is bad or not. Better to spend $100 for a diagnostic of the car then to spend $600 for a fan plus your labor to install a fan and then realise that it wasn't the fan.

Thanks for your help everyone!! After $120, everything is in working order. I replaced the expansion tank ($70), radiator cap ($15), 2 gallon of zerex g-05 ($35). I drained the old coolant, filled up the new coolant and made sure to bleed it. The fan kicked in after 15 minutes and no more leaks!!

Hey, I have the software... how or where would I access this info?

If it's no trouble could you PM me.

Thank you!

Glad you figured it out.

For others who have this problem, the red wire to the fan is hot 100% of the time; key in, key out, etc. It's always 12v. Start there with a volt meter and see if you have 12v to ground. If not, there's a 50 amp fuse in the glove box (you test by checking for 12v to ground, not continuity, btw). If the fuse is ok and still no power, well then you get to find something I found! There's a 50A fusible link BEHIND the fusebox!

Did you ever figure this out? Mine is doing the same thing but my ac doesn’t come out cold.