Replace Fan Shroud Only?
 

I had my e53 in the DIY shop last week and a mechanic there who used to work for the BMW plant in Spartanburg was looking things over and pointed out a few things. He pointed out that whoever installed my fan shroud didn't connect it properly on the bottom, and it had rubbed against a pulley, which cut a hole in it. I bought this in July and had never noticed it. As far as I know, the fan still works, but I guess I need to check that somehow (since we now have winter temps, not sure if it will kick on if I turn on the A/C).

I've seen some DIY's on replacing the whole auxiliary fan assembly, but is there any way to replace the shroud without removing the fan? I went ahead and ordered the shroud the other day, but I'm not sure if I want to tackle this job myself. Depends on how much has to come off and what tools are required.

The previous owner had the whole fan assembly replaced on 9/30/14 by Warren's Imports in Lawton, OK. Then, on 4/27/15, Import Specialists in Indianapolis replaced the water pump and thermostat. I'm guessing the fan shroud would have been removed to do that job, so I figure that is when it wasn't installed properly. That was a little over 8 months ago, but I see on their invoice that parts and labor have a one year or 12,000 mile warranty. Would that warranty transfer to me? I bought it in a private sale, so I could ask the previous owner to contact them if necessary. At the same time, he had them replace the entire headlight assembly on the driver's side, so there was a hefty bill ($4K).

Here is the damage:

http://s23.postimg.org/vak9or44b/Fan_Shroud.jpg

Mines got a hole in it too. It's not a big deal, you're right, the tabs didn't go into the bottom slots on a previous job, and the force from highway speeds pushed it into a pulley, cut a little semicircle. When I found it, I just took the push rivets off, installed it properly - and off I went.

You need to remove the fan clutch to get it out. I bought some tools off ebay, but the are absolute garbage, and will not work on a 3.0i

Lies! Compatible 32mm for BMW Fan Clutch Wrench Water Pump Holder Removal Tool Set | eBay

That fan shroud is $60 online (I think it is 17111439108). It is held in place by 3 reusable plastic rivets. The fan does have to be unscrewed from the fan clutch to get access. Requires a 32mm wrench and some sort of holding tool to keep the clutch from spinning. Even if you are paying for labor, no fair mechanic would charge more than 1/4 hour to do this. A BMW shop should be able to do it in 5 minutes or less.

I don't know your tolerance for pain, but I wouldn't call a previous owner, have them call the shop, argue back and forth, arrange to drop off the vehicle, arrange to pickup it up, etc. to avoid paying for a $60 part.

In terms of performance, it would seem to barely matter overall. Some "gorilla glue" brand black duct tape could cover the hole if you are convinced you can't tolerate the 2% extra bypass around the fan...

I actually already ordered the part, for about $61 from Husker Auto, plus shipping. Then it dawned on me that the water pump was replaced by a local shop last April, so I was wondering if their labor warranty transferred. Am I correct in assuming this would have had to have been removed to replace the water pump?

Sounds like I could probably get that indy mechanic at the DIY shop to help me replace it for a small fee if it's as easy as you say.

I have the same set of tools and they work great on removing the fan clutch. Never hand any trouble using the tools to remove the fan clutch. You do know that the fan clutch has left hand threads, so it righty loosey, lefty tighty!!!

Yes, the shroud is removed in the process to replace the water pump. If you are interested in doing any repairs yourself, with the clutch removal tool, this is an easy one to do.

Huh. For the life of me I couldn't get the proper alignment and have the 2 bolts slip into the holes - almost as if it was punched incorrectly.

3.0i different than 4.4-4.8?

If you connected all the holes in the pulley it will not be a square but a rectangle.

You need to rotate the pulley until the correct two holes line up with the tool.

http://www.autohausaz.com/images/SKU...1436590URO.jpg

Blasted rectangles. Foiled again.