Installed M44 electric fan

[dude8383]

Pics will come sometime tomorrow.

I finally hooked mine up! My clutch fan was dead anyhow!

Installation was simple, I routed power and ground from the fan connector and hooked them up to a 2 way switch, one for low and the other for high.

The fan slipped right in, but was the fit is tight! I'm literally millimeters away from the nut where the clutch fan mounted.

[bmwman91]

Nice. Someday I will get around to this as well!

[dude8383]

It was so simple you really shouldn't postpone it any longer!

[Jtuner]

Pics will come sometime tomorrow.

I finally hooked mine up! My clutch fan was dead anyhow!

Installation was simple, I routed power and ground from the fan connector and hooked them up to a 2 way switch, one for low and the other for high.

The fan slipped right in, but was the fit is tight! I'm literally millimeters away from the nut where the clutch fan mounted.

This two way switch I've been reading about,, keep in mind I haven't done any type of looking on diagrams or such,, is it already in there somewhere? or is this an external switch we have to tap in to our coolant system? This is for sure the next mod I'm gonna do!! Gratz on gettin yours done :) Any throttle response or power you can feel er?

[ak96ss]

How thick is the M44 fan? Seems like there is plenty of room in there for a thin electric fan, which I am now guessing will have to be non-OEM.

[dude8383]

This two way switch I've been reading about,, keep in mind I haven't done any type of looking on diagrams or such,, is it already in there somewhere? or is this an external switch we have to tap in to our coolant system? This is for sure the next mod I'm gonna do!! Gratz on gettin yours done :) Any throttle response or power you can feel er?

Nope, its an externally mounted switch. Pics will come.

Throttle response is a bit quicker, and a bit more power. Just barely noticeable...you feel it more in the top end.

How thick is the M44 fan? Seems like there is plenty of room in there for a thin electric fan, which I am now guessing will have to be non-OEM.

Its almost as thick as the fan shroud that we have in our cars now.

I used the m44 fan because I got it from my friends totaled 318i (about a year ago).

[Frankie]

What is the idea to change the fan? If there is a power gain, has anyone dynoed the difference?

[D. Clay]

What is the idea to change the fan? If there is a power gain, has anyone dynoed the difference?
Every component that is driven by the engine takes power. You notice some things more than others. A/C compressor is a big one. Sitting at a light, I can tell when the alternator kicks in. When you turn the wheel at low speed or when parking you can hear the motor slow down as it has no idle compensation like the A/C compressor. At more than 30-40 MPH the fan would never come on if it was electric. Crank driven fans are "on" all the time. It would be interesting to dyno a motor with only the water pump driven.
For AutoX and short 20 minute races, most people run on the battery with no alternator or power steering.
If it's only 3-4 horsepower it's worth it. Three of those is 10 horsepower. Years ago a guy was belittling a direct coupler for stock cars that eliminated the clutch. It was $200 for .002 seconds on a half mile track. A friend of mine said, "Five of those is a tenth of a second." That translates to about a car length in half a mile.

[dude8383]

Pics as promised.

From the inside.

Where the wires go..see if you can spot them :) And no, it isn't isn't the red wire.

The clearance.

How it looks standing back.

[jpod999]

Write up!

[oldtimer]

May I ask why didn't removed the entire shroud and just mount an electric fan againts the radiator with a adjustable thermo switch that controls when the fan comes on when the thermostat opens?

[Shocker]

May I ask why didn't removed the entire shroud and just mount an electric fan againts the radiator with a adjustable thermo switch that controls when the fan comes on when the thermostat opens?

Like he said he used the m44 fan because I got it from my friends totaled 318i (about a year ago).

[D. Clay]

It's $340 new from BMW and usually $150 used and hard to find.
Just my spaced out opinion but I would feel a lot better using the temperature switch in the radiator. I have been known to turn the stereo up and go two or three exits past where I was going.

[Alpine003]

I believe the shroud creates a more efficient flow of air around the entire surface of the radiator vs just mounting a fan.

As for hp differences, I've noticed it on my 6 cylinder E46 but not on my M42. I did notice a slight mpg increase if used in heavy stop and go traffic though.

[dude8383]

I will be wiring this up to switch on automatically soon.

Driving the car in this heat, I didn't really want to take any chances!

So for temporary purposes this will be more than sufficient.

[tjts1]

I will be wiring this up to switch on automatically soon.

Driving the car in this heat, I didn't really want to take any chances!

So for temporary purposes this will be more than sufficient.
Heres a little trick I learned. Instead of having a manual switch, hook it up to to be switched on and off by the brake lights in addition to the existing fan switch in already in the radiator. In real world driving, you only really need the electric fan when the car is not moving or in stop and go driving.

This is the fan I'm about to install this weekend. Its a 2 speed Volvo 940 turbo fan with relay. Cost me $12 at the JY. Its a puller fan that fits behind the radiator to replace both the clutch fan and the AUX fan. I will use the existing temp switch to control it in addition to an In dash switch for emergency. I just have to trim the shroud on one side and its good to go. In this pic you can see the side facing the radiator.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/246/521074393_0f7731e8cc.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/209/521040592_bf39f54077.jpg

Comes with its own 2 speed relay.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/215/521074423_14af3e2c96.jpg

[D. Clay]

I have good source of junk yard parts from one my oldest friends and former stock car and TransAm/GT1 racer. Unfortunately it's now all light trucks and SUV's. I regularly check for an electric fan for the E30. Jeep Cherokees are good but most are too large. Still looking. The price is always right though.

[tjts1]

8 pounds of dead weight. The only way I could figure to get it out without removing the radiator or the bumper was to cut it in half with chain cutters and remove it piece by piece. I've never seen this aux fan run even when the AC was switched on. I still have the clutch fan in there (weighs 3 pounds) which will soon be replaced by the volvo fan (see previous post). The metal frame around the fan is made of cast iron, hence the weight.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/234/523596234_ce7c92ea38_o.jpg

[gearheadE30]

Where is the radiator temp switch? I'm not entirely sure how one would hook up to it. Anyone care to explain ;)

[tjts1]

Where is the radiator temp switch? I'm not entirely sure how one would hook up to it. Anyone care to explain ;)
Upper right hand corner of the radiator, just behind the headlights. You'll see some wires sticking out.

[dude8383]

Upper right hand corner of the radiator, just behind the headlights. You'll see some wires sticking out.

My fan doesn't turn on!

I must have surely wired this up wrong.

I have power coming from the battery and the other two going straight into the temp sensor on the radiator.

[tjts1]

With the ignition on (engine off) unplug the wires from the temp switch and stick a jumper between the 3 pins. Try every combination. If it doesn't turn on, check fuses and the rest of your wiring.

[sumyungguy]

The fan switch wires are all grounds, the switch closes the ground loop for high and low.

[kowalski]

i just used an external temp that i can adjust. just feed the wire into the the radiator tube and the fan kicks in when the coolant gets to hot. i've had it for over 3 years, and i did a write up on it somewhere on here.

[gearheadE30]

Well, I now have my fan (volvo 840 turbo) and it looks like it will be a tight fit. I'm hoping to have it done by the end of this weekend, but we'll see. I'm planning on using the stock wiring for the aux fan, because the wiring is already there and the wire looks to be heavy enough gauge to run the big fan. An interesting note, mine does not have its own relays, just 3 wires on 3 separate plugs.

[dude8383]

Well, I now have my fan (volvo 840 turbo) and it looks like it will be a tight fit. I'm hoping to have it done by the end of this weekend, but we'll see. I'm planning on using the stock wiring for the aux fan, because the wiring is already there and the wire looks to be heavy enough gauge to run the big fan. An interesting note, mine does not have its own relays, just 3 wires on 3 separate plugs.

Thats how mine was...these wires were going to the aux fan right?

[gearheadE30]

yes, I'm just going to splice them in.

[dude8383]

yes, I'm just going to splice them in.

You will splice the wires coming from the volvo fan into the wires that are coming from the aux fan?

[tjts1]

You will splice the wires coming from the volvo fan into the wires that are coming from the aux fan?

Thats how I have mine setup. It works great. The volvo fan has both low and high speed built in so all you need to do is provide it power. The volvo fan completely replaced the aux fan.

[gearheadE30]

You will splice the wires coming from the volvo fan into the wires that are running to the aux fan?

Fixed, but yes. I think this is what you meant anyway.

tjts, I think my fan might be different than yours as the wiring is the exact same as the aux fan. I know a lot of the volvo fans have built in relays, but this one does not. would be pretty nice if it did, though...

BTW turns tout that this is from an 850 turbo, not a 840 turbo. Dunno if it makes a difference though.

[tjts1]

As far as I know nene of the volvo fans have built in relay. Usually the relay is a black box hiding behind either the left or right headlights. The speed control on the other hand (low vs high) is built into the fan motor. Its not a separate resistor pack as found on the bmw aux fan. Thats what I meant to say. Sorry for the confusion. The beauty of this setup is the volvo fan can completely replace both the aux fan and the clutch fan by connecting the volvo fan to the aux wires. This way you can take advantage of the bmw low and high speed relays.
Volvo 850 is fwd 8 series (in volvo speak) with 5 cyl engine. There was no 840, not that it makes a difference.
The 940 (4 cyl) and 960 (6cyl) rwd cars both used the same fan. I think all models have to be 1992 or newer to have this fan. Before that volvo used a similar setup as bmw (clutch fan + small electric pusher fan).

[gearheadE30]

Ok, thanks. I never knew how the BMW aux fan was wired. I would have gotten the fan from a 9-series because the shroud fits a bit better, but I couldn't find anything to match the price.