E90 BMW Five Minute Blower Motor Removal

In this video I show you a very quick way of removing your blower motor on your E90 BMW. I do this to fix my squeaky fan. You can use this video as a guide for changing your final stage resistor as well.
You do not need to pull your glove box with the method I show in this video which should save you a considerable amount of time. When you see the word "affiliate" listed beside any link in my description please know that this is a custom link and I will earn a small commission if you opt to purchase using said link. This is at no extra cost to you so it's a win all around :) Thank you!

[@cap2c484]

I bet the engineer who designed this got fired by BMW because he made the access too easy.

[@tusimp8860]

W comment! E90’s are actually easy diy if u can code… e46’s was like a toy car for diy! The F10 is diy nightmare 😂😂

[@jschinke23]

Oh my gosh! So easy! I did it exactly as you showed and had motor out in about 2 minutes! Thanks a lot for this. The other guy's video would have had me ripping out the whole glove box. Great job!

[@99Load]

They do hahaha!

[@wille6004]

Do you know how mad I was that after I had the glove box out I was like wtf ? Are you kidding me.

[@SuperMaxibaby]

one of the best tutorials ive seen, from start to finish,seen similar ones that beat around the bush and skip important certain bits .this is the job done in its entirety ,cheers

[@justthisguy1948]

Bmw charges 2 hours of labor for this

[@blyderek]

I just wasted $600 getting this replaced after I came in for the wiring recall. Kicking myself.

[@Kevin-jn7ut]

There is a recall for this, BMW will reimburse you for the repair.

[@kellydulfer462]

@@blyderek are you in Australia?

[@waynebrown6901]

Just fixed mine thanks to this vid. Little piece of plastic in the fan. Thanks for posting!!

[@LilQFiLMS]

This guy just saved a whole day worth of work. Thanks a lot for this video

[@Bob11173]

Clearly you all are braver or better than I am. Getting the motor out was easy. Getting it in vexed me. Don't be afraid to remove the glovebox. It took me all of 10 minutes (and low stress) to remove the glove box and that gave the ducting some room to move out of the way. Fan popped in and there was much more visibility and room to maneuver.

[@jasonmoffit3206]

Duuuuude. I had the mirror image issue that you did and I did exactly what you did, and it fixed my blower motor! Thank you so much! 2007 BMW 335i Sedan You're amazing!

[@Sal3600]

Holy fuck, i can't for the life of me put it back

[@Bravo1VE]

Dealing with a 2009 BMW 328i and there is not that much room in there. I was worried about destroying the cable loom getting it back in and may take apart the dash to get it back in. Am I missing something? It definitely was very hard to get out and nearly impossible to get back in.

[@GroHouse]

Cheers for posting this video. I must say my e90 ownership has been plagued with issues :(

[@deepzd6839]

Well E90 is an old car

[@slagle123456789]

Just a part of the e90 life. Best pain in the ass ever

[@ollesund9]

Same for me with my e91 50.000 swedish crowns have been thrown into The sea

[@Xzizia92]

@@ollesund9 what have you spent that money on?

[@Paul-xx6mm]

Great video and instructions, I was about to remove the glove box as per the other video when I came across yours, this saved me so much time and has worked exactly as described on my 2011 320d RHD model. Many thanks.

[@minshum]

Paul Ward Is it on the LH side still underneath glovebox on RHD models? Thanks.

[@imo254]

Hi great video...but am suffering to replace it..cant get it past the leg vents..tried many angles.😶

[@GhSt-nm9hs]

Took me about 10 mins to get it out as I had mess around with the footwell ducting but all in all this was an easy job. Less than 45 mins all together. Thank you!

[@avigopinath6716]

Superb video as usual..the blower in my e90 vibrates when at full speed and I was always contemplating taking it out but thought I had to take the whole glove compartment area out! Def gonna take mine out this weekend following the steps here! Thanks so much!

[@humbertofiguereo4096]

Thankyou for this Video! My E90 now doesn’t make that stupid whistle noise! Keep it up! 😁

[@Blacktank]

thank for the tutorial brother just got done replacing my blower motor for the e92 i was watching some other vids they took the whole dash out... saved me time broo!

[@donwebb2764]

I was just going to replace the resistor pack but it looked easier to pull the fan per your instructions and check the bearings at the same time. The motor was stuck as well so I lubed the bearings as well. Replaced the resistor pack and reinstalled. All well in the 2008 BMW 328i world. Thank you!!!!!!

[@africanhistory]

And thanks for not putting music in BG like some channels.

[@aristoneschaton2218]

thanks for this video - used it to solve same issue with my cabin fan - squeaky. I would say though that here in UK, being a RHD car, the fan was awkward to take out - your video was spot on - but removing the fan is a little tougher as there are some things in the way (i think its a supporting bracket for the passenger footwell cover). there are 2 Philips screws holding it in place, take one out, loosen the other so you have a lot of play, THEN you can get at the fan. I would also recommend (but be careful!) powering up the fan BEFORE refitting it to make sure your re-lubrication has worked. Aside from that - video was right on the money - thanks! (my experience was this was 60-90min job - removal - WD40 - test - refit and replace cover)

[@user-ic7rv4pr5j]

Thank you for this video! I had my motor out in a couple of minutes, lubed, cleaned and re-installed. Mine died completely, but the lube and working it in brought it back to life. Saved me a $200 blower motor (for now) and a few hours labor costs! I will add, the longest part, was trying to find that clip! Mine was really hidden by wires.

[@ericBcreator]

Thanks man, appreciate it! It was about to bring my E93 convertible to the dealer to fix the annoying noise ($$$) but decided to check KZbin first and found your video. Somehow a leaf got inside, I removed it, lubed the motor and it's dead quiet again! 😀

[@tomasskucinsks7623]

Thanks for the video. Mine was chirping like a bird until it stopped completely. Removed, hooked up directly to 12v and blower started to spin. Cleaned and greased up with bearing oil. Installed back and now it runs again. Yaay!

[@rinnmhor]

My fan had stopped altogether. Followed this, cleaned the commutator of the motor also with alcohol and cotton buds. Works lovely now. Thanks for the great video.

[@richarddejesus4330]

Did u need to disconnect the battery?

[@mrgilamonyet]

Thanks for this vid, i was getting sick of the whistle sound in my e92 328i

[@andriusvalciukas6737]

Thanks man, you're a hero. I fixed it myself even tho i dont know shit about cars. You saved me a lot of time and money.

[@geoarnaudov7463]

Thank you sir, easy peasy

[@99Load]

Very very helpful thanks alot. They replaced the wiring during the current recall but my blower is still not working. So I will just change it now that I know how easy it is.

[@m.horsman9642]

I did this on my wife's 2007 328Ci after watching your video and it worked perfectly! You mention the spot where a screw could go and mentioned that most cars don't have a screw there. I figured out what that is for. When you accidentally break off the motor retaining tab, you can re-install the motor and secure it with a screw through that extra hole in lieu of the broken retaining tab. it has a place in the housing for the screw to bite.

[@mattyalexander6315]

Do you recall what size the screw was that you had to use to hold the blower in place? Thanks

[@drnancy4743]

Praise the LORD this KZbin video is so helpful I was quoted 3hours labor and $300 for a part but took me a while to get the old part out about an hour, lots of prayer and perseverance it was quite jammed. Got the replacement from eBay $120 and took 20 mins to put back in and the aircon works better than before! My kids will be pleasantly surprised mummy fixed the aircon so we are not freezing on the way to school with the aircon working now! Thank you for this fantastic video

[@rajaster]

my blower sounds like my cars about to fly away and is a helicopter.. probably the bearings are gone. i will have it out and look at it

[@ramzysakaan650]

lol me too, did you end up having to replace the blower motor?

[@rajaster]

@@ramzysakaan650 luckily it was a simple matter of some small paper pieces blown into it

[@alex.r_d_c]

Thanks for this diy. I've been putting this off for so long because of the long process in other diy's. Just completed it and no more squeak! Took your tip with the Lysol also, smart move! Btw I saw someone commented that it can't be done on e92, that statement is false. My cars an e92, it was a little tight but it can be done with no problem.

[@chrispearson6281]

Thank you Sir for a great video, i carried out what you said in your video today on my E90 and it now works FAN-tastic.. thank you very much for posting.. Cheers Chris

[@steel609]

Another kudos to a fine gentleman! Excellent instructional video. Thanks! Add another subscriber to your list!

[@ninosbaba9498]

Great job man! mine stopped all of a sudden!

[@AquaStevae]

Not only is that tab off camera, what the word "UP" is ambiguous considering the weird camera angle, and the way it screws in. Seriously should have edited this to be more helpful.

[@aaronpape7770]

Thanks very much for posting this video, and an update here; followed these steps on my 2016 x328d and it worked like a charm. Gloves will help you avoid all the sharp plastic edges that can cut you to ribbons down there.

[@bradsmit1825]

I gotta question... 08 335i, ac worked on trip there. When left it didnt, no strange noises prior. Got home, checked fuses, all good. Pulled fan, turns fine by hand. Put 12v to it and started running. Figured it had to be FSR, bought new and installed. Still no fan... its 108° can anyone help me with any idea what els to check? Tia

[@bradsmit1825]

I gotta question... 08 335i, ac worked on trip there. When left it didnt, no strange noises prior. Got home, checked fuses, all good. Pulled fan, turns fine by hand. Put 12v to it and started running. Figured it had to be FSR, bought new and installed. Still no fan... its 108° can anyone help me with any idea what els to check? Tia

[@hammerdan8617]

Thanks for this video! I was able to pull my blower motor and get the new one installed in less than 10 minutes after watching.

[@pgm5693]

Thanks.gotta change my wife's 330i one..very loud on high speed.cheers.P

[@Jerry_from_analytics]

Removing was relatively easy, putting it back though... A thick wire harness gets in the way from one side (not 100% if it hasn't been moved/shifted - previous owner spliced it to install power supply for a dash cam) and that air duct (visible in this video) from another. Ended up wigling out the air duct. Putting blower after that was trivial, but then spent like 5 minutes trying to wiggle that air duct back in.

[@bmw328iowner8]

The repair worked but did not last so I installed a new blower assembly. The new assembly from FCPEuro did not include the resister so plan to move the old resister to the new unit, which is very easy as there are only two screws (T20). This job could be done in five minutes or less and is very easy when you understand the angle needed to remove and replace the assembly. All you need is a T20 and a light. First, move the seat all the way back, clear the floor, and remove the floor mat. 1. Remove the two trim panel screws with a T20 and put the screws close by in the console. 2. Partially remove the trim panel, starting at the console side, ease out the trim panel tab an inch at time and the trim panel will follow. 3. The trim panel is connected to two small two power cords, disconnect them from the trim panel and set the trim panel in a safe place, even the driver's seat. 4. Unclip the blower motor power cable from the assembly at the metal resister by pressing the plastic locking tabs on each end of the clip OR for me easier to unscrew resister's two T20's and release the smaller assembly power clip to release the resister which makes it easier to unclip the larger main power connection. FOR THE NOVICE 5. Now you are ready to remove the blower assembly. 6. Use a light, lie upside down to see the assembly, and spot the long tab closest to the engine. 7. Gently pull down on the tab and twist the entire assembly until the tab and assembly release.8. WORK THE ASSEMBLY OUT OF POSITION BY ANGLING IT DOWN AND TOWARDS THE CENTER OF THE CAR. This takes a minute or two but if you are looking at the area you will see what can be gently pushed a bit make room enough to get the assembly out. 9. Screw the old resister into the new unit and connect the smaller assembly power clip. 10. With an eye on your work and the tab on the engine side of your work, gently work the new unit into place at an angle pointing from the center of the vehicle into the cavity. 11. When the unit is seated, twist it until the tab slides into place. 12. Now is a good time to verify the three power cords are routed to reinstall. 13. Clip the assembly power into place and it only fits one way. 14. Reconnect power to the trim panel's two connections. 15. Gently slide the trim panel tab into position. 16. Replace the trim panel screws partially. 17. Adjust the trim panel until it fits and the screws line up to your satisfaction. 18. Tighten the screws just enough to secure it but do not over tighten and break the plastic panel. 19. Replace the floor mat and you are done.

[@DemonChicken316]

*pro tip- if replacing the entire fan assembly like I did, just break off the tab. Twice as fast and it's flimsy anyways. Finally did this.. in a Walmart parking lot... While on the clock at work (I don't work for Walmart) in 8 degree weather Took me 10mins with this DIY.

[@kamilb4418]

thx 😀

[@MarcusAsplund1]

Awesome, thx! Took me less than 10 minutes!

[@trustmobile9350]

This is an easy fix thanks to your excellent video, it's saved me a lot of trouble, thanks a million!

[@bchim311]

Dang it, I wish I found this video earlier. Another video showed all the glove compartments and other unnecessary bs…grrrr. Thanks

[@nycshelbygt500]

RECALL ALERT: Most BMW E9X Drivers will have receiver a Blower Motor Wiring Recall Notice in the mail around 2017-18. This video shows how easy it is to perform a quick inspection of the blower motor wiring under the glove box. The black electrical plug at the white resistor will show brown burn marks and frayed wiring if you have the issue. It is a fire hazard so bring your E9X to a BMW dealership to have the wiring replaced, and/or blower motor swapped. It is free due to the BMW recall. Park your car away from the house, just in case. BMW will install a small new wiring harness with a dedicated ground, plus extra insulation to prevent a future problem. They might also replace the white resistor module. 1 hr of labor. If the damage to the blower motor wiring is more extensive, they have to remove more of the dash and fix all the wiring harnesses, which take days or a week. Call ahead to see if the BMW dealership has the blower motor wring parts in stock (same day repair). There is a separate recall for the PCV heater wiring (back of the engine) that is often combined with the blower motor wiring recall. There is a E9X battery cable (to fuse box) Recall also out there and the wiring update is in the same area behind the glove box..

[@friguy4444]

On my two E9X 335 cars I've owned the torx on those bolts were NOT T20's. They were T15's for some reason.

[@youczire]

Man.. this was straight to the point. @OP I guess my blendoor actuator is also broken, no cold from passenger side. Mind doing a video on blendoor actuator fix?

[@eugenebarry5376]

Thanks, brilliant video you would not believe what BMW specialist quoted to do this describing it as huge job. Thanks,great work

[@mattbarber1987]

Anyone else struggle to remove the motor and find it even harder to reinstall? The plastic ducting pictured seems to foul the Motor on exit and even more so on re-entry. I'm in struggle town right now

[@imo254]

Hi..thank u.timing cudnt be better..mine jus stopped working..your instruction is so so simple and clear..much appreciated sir.thank u

[@claudiotavares3369]

Hi, nice video. My blower motors are OK and they work well, but I don't have air that cames out from vents. Some one have same problem? And know how fix?

[@clutchinv1803]

I struggled a little bit but I finally got this out. The tab was hidden behind a bunch of wires and really hard to see. I was like “ where the F is this thing”. I got it out and cleaned/lubed it. I had a hard time putting this back in. I had to clear the space and the wires were in the way. When I finally got it in I ended up breaking the lock tab from trying to get this crap locked in. It’s not moving but I may end up putting in a screw in the spare slot

[@ezp9955]

Thank you very much! This saved me some money, but most importantly it gave me a good feeling, because I was able to make it work. Thanks again! Wish you much health!

[@ScottSachauFitness]

thanks for making this. Ordered a new blower motor last week and installed it yesterday by watching your video. Very helpful, thanks!

[@maqster1]

I have a 06 325xi, My issue is that air will only come in back vents, not front vents or defrost winshield vents any help appericated

[@iMinecraft360Edition]

Thanks for the video. Shop left my passenger side lower dash panel in the trunk for some reason, and I needed to know what bolts were used to hold it in place.

[@muirallie]

In freezing cold conditions. Condensation forms around the motor as cold in vent coming from outside and the car interior hot from either the sun sitting warming next day after cold night. Maybe from parking up heated up car from driving with heat park up then this condensation forms from heat difference rusts bearing and electrics parts in motor. I’m not sure if to drill small hole on the motor cover to help equalise the temp plus let these drops of water to drip out and evaporate off ??

[@tinchos4400]

Hi...nice vid. I have a question. I tried to test the fan directly with 12v and the fan starts and stops 2 seconds later every time I do it. It's that normal. Thanks.

[@madeinlorrainefrederic166]

Thank you, I'm going to do it this weekend, I don't know if it's this room, but I have a helicopter noise when I increase ventilation (from France)

[@AdrianJayeOnline]

not a good idea to spray that with lysol, that's not what need refreshing up, spray lysol into it while it's working, I don;t know what chemicals are in lysol and may cause problems, otherwise all your stuff is good

[@bogdanstroescu1932]

How do I know if it's the the blower motor or the blower resistor? There is no hot or cold air coming out at all. Reading online, it seems like this problem is from the resistor

[@david9416]

Very good video, thank u! I got the same problem and with youre video i was able to change that fan.

[@suffix642]

this quicker method does not work for E92 unfortunately.. there is no space to remove the motor from underneath. I guess I'll have to go the long way

[@minshum]

suffix642 Thanks, I've got an E92 so will allow more time.

[@matte8441]

I just did mine last week on the coupe. It’s a tight fit but it’s completely doable without disassembly. Removal is easy. Putting it back is the hard part as there’s barely any space so the motor has to go in at a certain angle.

[@farisfarisful]

Would that unit the you have just removed be the cause of me not getting any air coming out the vents? I turn my heaters and I can’t hear anything and there is no air

[@idrive25]

Thanks for the video. I changed it on my 2012 128i because it was squeaking/making noise. The placement is a tad different because the area is smaller, but the overall steps are the same. You saved me over $400!!

[@hazeleyesgreengrey8438]

Thank you for this video i fixed mine today due to your video. This was easy for me as a woman to do mine needed a clean and oil as soon as i plugged it back in she started rolling......

[@grahamrussell6216]

perfect video! I had no fan working prior to removal. Took me about five minutes to remove on 2009 128i. Once the motor was out, I reconnected the wiring harness and the motor stuttered. I used 3 in 1 oil (WD 40 smells really bad for a longtime), works great again. Saved a lot of $. Thanks for posting.

[@rickpala_]

start to finish took me an hour to fix my blower motor. had a little rock stuck inside causing a rumble

[@claurance2]

Hey I tried to get mine out. It's a pita. My plug that goes to the motor is totally different.

[@chopstickvic8847]

jus one tab lol yea right! For one u didn’t even show the tab an mine is not coming out nothing like what u said

[@MehrLovin]

Is this part of the recall? Mine seems to have gone out and I am not sure if I should head into the dealership first.

[@sorinpetruu]

Had this problem for a few months and didn’t know where it was coming from v good video

[@travisclarke1335]

Just did mine today when I tell you its a Dog fight putting it back in but you gatta stay strong 💪

[@excircusstar]

wow, that saved me $150 for an hour of labour at the shop. I'm a fan (pun).

[@theRealRobFord]

Your videos are the best buddy. Fellow Canadian here.

[@robertmooney1229]

I have the same problem with my heater blower. Thank you for an excellent video. I will try the same fix.

[@KozmikEl7]

Good job!! think im gonna do the same just as preventive maintenance.

[@TheMacieiski]

if one day you come to Italy, I'll buy you a beer Thank you so much man.

[@amabeza]

Best video of fan motor removal I've seen. 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@jehpowell]

Thanks for this video. It gave me the confidence to do this. It only took about 5 or 10 minutes. I have a 2008 BMW 335i, 106k Miles. The squeak at low fan speed was bugging me for a few months and then I saw your video. I ordered a new fan off Amazon for about $40 and installed it just a moment ago. Squeekless again! My wife thanks you too as it was driving her crazy as well. Now if I could just work up the guts to replace the oil pan & gasket to get rid of that leak... I bought a Quickjack on-sale at Costco ($999 delivered) to help me do that. I hope to drive this car to 250k miles.

[@gansalloadedeji3525]

Please can u send the link for the fan ???

[@philstidwell-gt4uo]

Thanks very helpful mine is noisy aswell going to try same thing

[@danielesfilio4038]

Ottimo video illustrativo! grazie a al tuo video sono riuscito a sistemare il problema senza spendere centinaia di euro 💶!very good

[@razvaninca]

Took a while to put it back in, but the squeaking is gone. Thanks a lot for the video!! I used wd40 to get inside the rust and dry wax to grease it.

[@gansalloadedeji3525]

After following all ur steps ....:.my blower no longer works ,

[@mariusgevelt123]

Am so far from a mechanic and i did this without problems! Thank u for this video it helped a lot when non of my wents ware working and now they do! 👌🏼

[@swicked86]

Mother son of a.... Why would you pull the glove box!

[@iz954]

I saw that same video where they took everything apart. Great job. Im going to do my resistor this week.

[@keisonb5519]

Great video. I had a weird noise on my bmw ac and I followed these instructions and it was very easy to take out but got me a little frustrated trying to put back in but after several tries it locked back in..now no noise. Thanks for the vid!

[@gautebruno]

Thank you! Nice video! Saved me a lot of time and money 👍

[@encodedevil7843]

Do I need the unplug the battery before doing this?

[@mohag6933]

Thank u what do u think put after market one?

[@johnjannis1504]

Excellent video. Thanks much.

[@cakeismtrader4227]

All I did was wrap a copper wire around broken fan blades lol

[@Bavarian_M]

Try turn to tackle this issues tomorrow thank you.

[@robertkenney6002]

What tab exactly? I can’t seem to get the one I think it is

[@marcov.7938]

Thank you so much for the video. So easy to remove the fan, then oiling it. The squeaky noise totally disappeared.