[bmwphill92]

a piece of my drive belt ripped off (about 3' long piece!) and got sucked into my auxiliary fan. according to my local bmw dealership i need a whole new fan assembly.

I removed the rubber piece that was sucked into the fan and fan blade can move freely again.

My question is if i may be able to resolve my issue by replacing only the fan motor rather than the entire assembly. Reason for this is that the entire assembly is around $500 and the motor is around $120. The way i understand it is that the assembly is 3 components: the fan blade, the motor, and the shroud. I'm thinking since the fan blade moves freely and there is no damage to the shroud that a simple motor replaced will get my fan to start firing back up and result in my car not overheating when idling or driving for a while.

any input would be appreciated

[Ingeniator]

Assuming there is no fan blade damage I don't see why not. Remeber there are 7 blades on the fan ensure they are all there.

[Miller335]

Not a commonly replaced item on these cars so I hope you get the answer you're looking for.

Have you taken the fan out and inspected to see if there's a way to seperate the motor from the fan? The fan has to come out either way right?

[mweisdorfer]

16" fan

http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E90-335...Fan/ES2764562/

[DJtoad]

Where did you find the motor sold separately? I've only seen the shroud/fan/blade as a single unit. I had to replace the entire assembly in my 535i due to a broken blade support ring and I didn't see a way to separate the motor from the blade without damaging something in the process.

[bmwphill92]

Originally Posted by DJtoad

Where did you find the motor sold separately? I've only seen the shroud/fan/blade as a single unit. I had to replace the entire assembly in my 535i due to a broken blade support ring and I didn't see a way to separate the motor from the blade without damaging something in the process.

actually found it on ebay and was considering giving it a shot. I have not found it sold separately by any other vendors.

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

16" fan

http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E90-335...Fan/ES2764562/

this is very interesting. any idea how tough installation would be with replacing the oem fan with a universal one? i would like to replace it with an oem part but if this is a good solution it is definitely worth it for the price compared to $477

[bmwphill92]

Originally Posted by Miller335

Not a commonly replaced item on these cars so I hope you get the answer you're looking for.

Have you taken the fan out and inspected to see if there's a way to seperate the motor from the fan? The fan has to come out either way right?

No I have not removed the fan yet. To be honest, i am not sure how difficult it would be to separate the fan from the motor but i am sure it is possible. The fan blades are all in tact and the fan blade spins fine.

[mweisdorfer]

I don't know how the fan is held into the plastic assembly. I have never really examined it when I have had it out. I am going to be changing my belts out tomorrow, which will of course require me to take the fan out.

If I am a betting man, there are probably a set of plastic set of clips that hold it into place. Therefore, you would need to be very careful not to break the clips when taking the fan out. I don't know if the fan is actually 16". You would need to measure it.

Mishimotors seems to be a good parts maker. They just came out with a new radiator for the 335i, which is supposed to give the car more horse power, and it is essentially plug and play. So, that is what caught my eye. ECS does list a about 3 different dimensions for a fan. Interestingly, Bosch makes the OEM fan for my 07 335i, so that part is nothing to squeak about. Bosch makes awesome parts in my opinion.

I will let you know how big my fan is tomorrow when I am done changing out the belts. The fan itself is 2 bolts and a plug. It is harder to put back in then take out. One bolt is on the bottom that holds the oil cooler in place. So, you will need to unbutton her so to speak and jack up the front of the car.

[bmwphill92]

update: I took a flathead screwdriver and was able to reach into the center of the motor and pry up a piece of the drive belt that was lodged in there then was able to pull the entire piece out by hand. The piece was about 3 feet long!!

The fan now fires back up! Problem solved! In conclusion, BMW of Fairfax diagnosed the issue and didn't even attempt to try to take that drive belt piece out before hitting me with a $1800 dollar bill for replacement of my fan assembly, drive belt, and belt tensioner. The only thing I need to replace is the drive belt which cost about $24 and I will do myself. While I am doing so I am going to go ahead and replace the idler pulley and tensioner.

Thank you everyone for your help!

[roadkillrob]

Dealers no longer fix things, they replace things - they can't be bothered to spend time messing with it and trying to fix it and then when it stops working a week later customers come back pissed off and then they just replace it anyway, just the way of the world now.

[Transport3r]

Originally Posted by bmwphill92

update: I took a flathead screwdriver and was able to reach into the center of the motor and pry up a piece of the drive belt that was lodged in there then was able to pull the entire piece out by hand. The piece was about 3 feet long!!

The fan now fires back up! Problem solved! In conclusion, BMW of Fairfax diagnosed the issue and didn't even attempt to try to take that drive belt piece out before hitting me with a $1800 dollar bill for replacement of my fan assembly, drive belt, and belt tensioner. The only thing I need to replace is the drive belt which cost about $24 and I will do myself. While I am doing so I am going to go ahead and replace the idler pulley and tensioner.

Thank you everyone for your help!

Awesome, depending on your mileage, replace the idler pulleys and tensioner too. ECS sells a kit for 140. Any idea how the belt shredded? Weak engine mounts can be the cause. If you're over 80k I'd consider replacing those too..

[bmwphill92]

Originally Posted by Transport3r

Awesome, depending on your mileage, replace the idler pulleys and tensioner too. ECS sells a kit for 140. Any idea how the belt shredded? Weak engine mounts can be the cause. If you're over 80k I'd consider replacing those too..

Yes, I will be replacing those as well.

I have no idea how the belt was shredded. I am very curious as well. I'll hopefully have a better idea when getting a good look at everything while installing the new belt, idler pulley, and tensioner.

[Transport3r]

Originally Posted by bmwphill92

Yes, I will be replacing those as well.

I have no idea how the belt was shredded. I am very curious as well. I'll hopefully have a better idea when getting a good look at everything while installing the new belt, idler pulley, and tensioner.

look for a black mark the belt leaves on the subframe right below the PS pulley (driver's side). that's where the belt rubs when the motor mounts get weak. doesn't take too long to shred it either.

[bmwphill92]

Originally Posted by Transport3r

look for a black mark the belt leaves on the subframe right below the PS pulley (driver's side). that's where the belt rubs when the motor mounts get weak. doesn't take too long to shred it either.

Thanks for the advice!