BMW Fan Removal Methods - Remove Impossible Fan Nuts!

[@DiscoFang]

4 years later and I want to thank you for making this vid. I swapped in an electric fan and your trick of removing the blades and shroud from the clutch gave me decent access to the nut. Your other trick of using a prybar gave me the technique to use a crescent and a tire iron to loosen the nut. No special tools required. Unless you consider a length of steel pipe to extend the leverage of the crescent, as a special tool. Many thanks again!!

[@danielberling2662]

I've been struggling for 3 days now since I didnt have a pully holde, but only an adjustable wrench, now with method number three, I am completely releaved This vid alone deserves a like

[@jordanbruno4610]

Hey man, I'm a former BMW technician and I didn't know about that 3rd method. Thank God you did because you just saved my ass. Keep up the great content.

[@DEATHCON51]

I wish I saw this video earlier, I'm going to have to resort to the third method. I smacked my fan clutch nut for over two hours and nothing. I use your videos for reference all the time, they're just so perfect. Thanks a lot, man!

[@DEATHCON51]

@@walterhunter740 You mean your now-ex? Lmao

[@jonathanbock8435]

I'm curious, mine seems to be rusted and it's impossible to take it out even with special tools I got off from Ebay. Sigh. Third method. Did you use WD-40?

[@matthewschwartzkopf6326]

​@@jonathanbock8435 Hey! Sorry, I sold my e46 a few years ago. I think I just had a mechanic do it for me :P

[@allanredlin2821]

What a brilliant idea to remove those 3 small bolts on the fan, made this job doable for me. Thank you so much

[@tim1198]

Best videos come from you. Giving those options to take the fan out is valuable, since we all don't have the time to wait for a special tool. Thank you

[@bobbyraejohnson]

tim pham exactly

[@jackprofit7690]

Before you resort to option #3, try liberal amounts of Liquid Wrench and let it soak overnight. It worked for me!

[@Traceyi1000]

tim pham agreed the tools are not always available in my garage.

[@BulgadariXR]

I think it's important to note for those who are skimming through this video that the fan clutch is reverse threaded. I watched the video far enough to buy the tool an attempt to remove the fan from the water pump and failed to get it to work I ended up ordering a new pulley and fan clutch to mate to my new water pump. All of this was preventive maintenance for me on a car that's driven very rarely so this wasn't a major inconvenience. No amount of torque was going to remove mine because I was trying to thread it off normally. Great videos!

[@oakes1am]

M

[@rogerg3749]

I spent most of day triying to get that clutch nut loose...tuned in to your genius .and did the clutch removal..three bolts...you saved me ...thanks a million.

[@imstillw8ing]

50sKid Thank you so. Frikin. Much. I could not for the life of me get that damn clutch off. I cracked the water pump trying to do the 32mm wrench and hammer way. All I needed out of the way was the plastic part covering the fan. Now I FINALLY have access to everything and can inspect my belts. You. Are. A. E46. Saver.

[@773steve]

was looking at my cars fan and saw it spins freely with almost no resistance gonna take off the fan clutch what else should i replace while iam in there 110 k miles and should i buy a new cheap one on ebay 30 ish bucks

[@h.h.2172]

Big thanks to you!!! You saved my day! I did get that water pump pulley holder tool from Ebay. However, I spent about 2 hours still couldn't fit on two bolts at the same time. I didn't know the tool was not made properly at the moment... After watching your tutorial video I realized I just need to grab on one bold and can rest on the fan nut... It only took me 3 mins to break the nut loose using your method!!! Keep up the good work! Respect!!

[@speedracer76]

I just used method 3 to remove the fan clutch and water pump on a E53. I got the special tool but it would not break the nut loose and just bent the tool and spun on the nut. So method 1 failed. Tried method 2 and the nut would still not break loose. Thank you for making this and all of your BMW repair videos.

[@spazzyone]

thanks for going into detail on method #2. It worked for me on my S54. Other videos go over this a little bit but your video makes it clear to see what to do. I was going to try method #3 if it didn't work but it did. Broke the fan clutch nut free in 2-3 minutes after trying for an hour the previous night without wedging anything to hold the water pump in place. Other videos break it free without doing so. I used a long flat head and a 10" husky adjustable wrench with a 4lb sledge.

[@justaguy0809]

you can’t do method 2 with s54 dude

[@davidromo9371]

Thanks bud. I’ve done this a million times and some how I for got how to do the second method. Been a while cents I removed my fan. Thank you. Really appreciate it

[@Traceyi1000]

Excellent video I love that you show how to remove the fan with a pry and adjustable wrench. Thanks much

[@famegothits8509]

I freaking love you bro you don’t know how much money and frustration you saved me I almost gave up

[@Staygoldfarms]

Replacing my alternator and found out my water pump pulley is broken. That’s a good way to blow a head gasket. Ugh. At least I found it. One problem leads to another. Your videos are extremely helpful and for that I am very thankful.

[@porsche1959]

thank you so much, just started #3 method, I have the shroud and fan off. The 32mm nut is well and truly seized, tried air hammer, all tools mentioned (which broke under the force) and now have a broken adjustable wrench to replace so this video has been my life saver to keep the car running , will down PS pump as well while its all off 🙂

[@carlosalvarez5615]

Holy shit I just went through the exact same thing, I used the air hammer with a bolt breaker and still nothing!! Not even the fan clutch tool I wasted a lot of money. I guess I’ll have to try method number 3

[@herrakahmy6840]

Thanks Kid!!! Your trick number 2 worked for me in 5 mins!! Crowbar and large wrench, two whacks with fist was all it took to get fan nut off! You're my hero! ;D

[@jaygonzalez1795]

LIFE SAVER!!!!! im actually doing this now due to a possible bad power steering pump, but didn't have the special tool .... Thanks bro

[@50sKid]

+Jarrinson Gonzalez Nice

[@MarkRatermann]

Thanks, needed to know if the fan nut was left or right, you cleared that up. Dealing with all the cheap PLASTIC on BMW's has certainly made me question ever purchasing another BMw.

[@markabby15]

Hey man, been working on this for like 30 min trying the hammer method. No luck. Tried your method #2 using a screwdriver and it worked straight away. Had to come back to the computer to give you a like. Thanks!

[@50sKid]

+markabby15 Nice, glad it helped ya!

[@dennisrodriguez9420]

Thank you so much you are the best! Rebuild my engine from using your video! Now i got a 2001 BMW 330CI i got for 1100 cad that have the fan clutch bolt stuck and you helped me again! Thank you!

[@BiggRich95]

Mine just blew this morning getting the parts now and watching this wish me luck

[@mystreba]

Thanks for all you do. I have the same fan-removal tool set you showed (holder+wrench), and I've used it successfully to get the fan off my E36. But I could not get the fan off my E46 to save my life. Your third method at least allowed me to get the fan blades/shroud out of the way to get more room (though it was more difficult than you demonstrated because I had a hard time getting my hand in there). With the fan/shroud out of the way, I STILL couldn't get the fan clutch off. That holder tool is a B#$%H to get situated tightly on the pulley bolts. What I finally ended up doing was locating the holder tool on the underside of the WP pulley, resting the handle on top of the main pulley, to the right. It was in there tight and the main pulley provided the backstop needed to hold the WP pulley still. One crack with the wrench and it was free. THANKS!

[@user-zl3dg6hz7q]

This dude makes it look easy and anyone who’s tried it knows that it is not 😅😂

[@chadriddle3517]

50s kid I used 3rd method an had to bend my 10min open end wrench a little to get passengers side nuts off but it works!!! Ty when you going to post more

[@startingtech3900]

He injured his back and his garage flooded no more space

[@sandralopez3282]

The small prybar trick worked for me !!! Thanks a Million !!

[@samueltomer24]

Bro you saved my sanity on the third method… thank you sir!!!

[@ch47av8r]

Worked great on my 2003 e39 - 20 seconds and the nut was broke loose on the first attempt. I also used the long Harbor Freight Pittsburgh pry bar which is a very useful tool around the garage.

[@vroomkeys]

Best video out there! Doing my 1991 BMW 325i tomorrow

[@justincase1588]

Got your pinky knuckle on that last one! Between you and Nathan you’ve saved me thousands. Thank you sit!

[@ckstanberry27]

oh!! Thank you so much. I knew how the rent worked. But I didn't know what to do with the other tool. I knew it went on something.

[@swellbros]

Chiseled the pulley off and removed the fan clutch while still attached to the pump. my water pump was 230,000km and the propeller inside still hadn't broken, amazing. I also went with a electric fan because I want to never deal with this again

[@tsherwoodrzero]

Dude, you're awesome!!! Pro tip: it also works on M62 V8s and M73 V12s in E38s

[@makonimotors]

I have the ebay tools and tried and failed today. I am now however deeply looking forward to attempting removing the fan clutch tomorrow after watching this excellent tutorial, many thanks!

[@makonimotors]

It worked! I was trying to align both holes in the tool instead of just the one and pressing down. Works like a charm!

[@drentide]

Duuuuuuuuuude!!! OmfreakinA! Man you are THE bimmer god hands down! I just started a project, 2002 325xi and needs basically everything replaced but was going to do the oil filter gasket first and my fan clutch is just seized! Wish I saw this first but I already took the expansion tank hoping to just get more room to pry around and cost me the trans thermostat :( which isn’t too bad but I’m trying to do things slowly and don’t have parts readily available if they break........ but thanks for this, gonna have to resort to level 3 technique! xD

[@pattrik522]

hey kid.,,, I used your tip of removing the fan Via the hex bolt. I had to use your tip because the 3 bolts holding the pulley were missing & the 1 had broken off after I got the car back from a mechanic ( I know , it doesn't make any sense.) but I was able to remove the fan to try to fix the my problem... again thxs a million!!

[@50sKid]

Awesome dude, glad that helped you out!

[@ValerioLettieri]

Hey Jason, quick question: I have to replace the deflection pulley, mechanical tensioner and belt. Can I use method 3 to just remove the fan blades? Or will the fan clutch be in the way? Thanks

[@94Whiskey]

Simple & straight forward ....and link for the tools! Thank u!

[@j3bus141]

You are str8 up the best KZbin mechanic and u work on my exact car dude str8 up the best

[@thomasprince8762]

Awesome method 2 worked like a champ. Thanks for posting this.

[@rbell7666]

You are a steely eyed missile man, Kidd! Used my big giant Channel Locks to hold the 4 bolts at once and hit the 32MM with a hammer. KZbin gave me the confidence. As soon as my knee heals I am going to Pick a Part and getting an electric fan out of an M/T car.

[@stevemartin7321]

Great now I know which way to spin the nut thanks

[@claudiohernandez9470]

Hi !! Thank you so much for all you help, I just replace the fan cluch 325xi, am just little nervous because not sure is I tie up enough... 😢 haha

[@mavricxx]

I know not everyone can afford this but if you can, just upgrade the crappy clutch fan to an electric fan. Trust me, it'll make your life a whole lot easier! You can use the electric fan from a manual E46 btw, in case you're wondering.

[@50sKid]

Personally I don't think it's worth the money. I only keep my fan clutch on lightly tight so that I can remove by just giving the wrench a tap.

[@fonkeemonkee]

First method worked like a charm for me, thanks for the awesome tutorial.

[@abdoulahsavage7371]

Man you are literally the best.

[@kijimasofficialchannel286]

I just stacked on two bolt-head problem on "Garage.com" tools, so this movie is cleared all, I take out my fan clutch. Appreciate your movie, I just repair WP and thermostat now. Very thanks for making video, I don't have to buy one more $50 SST.

[@venerated]

Thank you for this video! I saw this method on a forum but they said you have to break your fan and all this stuff.

[@punkinbclogger7326]

Thanks for that. Method 3 here! (and a lot of skinned knuckles).

[@adamclark-lynch6068]

2023 and thank you for this help!!!!!

[@macdruxxx]

Dziękuję za film. Dzięki niemu dowiedziałem się że wystarczy złapać kluczem za jedną śrubę od pompy. Próbowałem za dwie i rozstaw otworów w kluczu był za mały. 👍

[@Residew]

Been taking off fan clutch nuts for years on multiple e46s but today I have been defeated on my new wagon. Bolt is seized. Fan clutch tools won't make it budge. Striking the 32mm tool or adjustable wrench won't make it budge. So I tried following method 3 to find out the hex head bolts are rusted and stripped. Back at square one.

[@addisonmccrary5907]

Did method #3 and it def worked. I need the fan clutch off though and kind of stuck on how to do that....

[@aquezada305]

Very Nice I have to do my thermostat this will help my engine running 🥶

[@carlitoscf8348]

Thx so much Bro..Almost losing my mind on it but got it loose now. Very helpful

[@scottiepipppen8933]

Method 3 tore my hands up

[@stephencooper5622]

Thank you for this video! That pry bar trick works brilliantly!

[@50sKid]

+Stephen Cooper Glad you found it useful!

[@Minerva___]

Thanks for this excellent video. Nice to see you're local as well, might just swing by and have you help me with repairs! :D

[@oogiemaster]

Well, I'll try to do the second and third versions while waiting for the proper wrench to arrive.

[@flowerpott26]

What do you do if two of the hex bolts in the alternate approach are stripped and you cranked the waterpump/bolt so much that the water pump pulley crumbles. Why are they plastic stock anyway? I also am very aware it is reverse threaded. Please help

[@blackpassenger]

very helpful, about to do my oilfilter housing gasket. pissing oil

[@johnjannis1504]

For methods one and two, which I use, I have a tip for getting the fan easily rethreaded. When you are unthreading the fan to take it off, just as the fan nut comes free, mark one of the fan blades with a plece of tape and note the position. This way when you are ready to screw the fan back on, hold the fan around the same position to easily re-engage the threads. Note: when the fan is loose, tape the nut and fan body together so that the relative fan to nut position does not change.

[@JWinger62]

Option number 3 sucks to do. I had to do it that way when I changed out my power steering pump and needed access to get the belt back on the pulleys.

[@1D0N]

I also have a set of 'Ebay special' tools and had to enlarge the holes for proper fitment.

[@DonQ150]

Thanks. I love the third method. LOL. You never know when you are going to get a stubborn one. Can you post a hand sketch of the special tool showing the specs? Like hole diameter and their separation? I have a lot of metal bars here and I will like to make my own.

[@mikechudzik1325]

When doing the remove fan clutch stuck to water pump method doesn't the radiator need to be removed as well since it's kind of in the way?

[@veritasvincit4178]

You are the E46 authority!1

[@drnubb762]

the fan blades on my e39 got shorn off and the remainder of the fan is left on the fan clutch. couldn't remove it the nut this time (even though i've done it a few times before successfully) with methods 1 or 2 for the life of me. didn't even think of using half of method 3, just removing the fan from the fan clutch and replacing it with a new fan right in the engine bay! thanks for this

[@zcronley]

Method #3! You’re a life saver

[@markferraro5250]

Thanks so much 50 hope u r well

[@mariusbaluta3225]

Hi,i see a car bmw e46 330ci 2001 and don't have the fun cluch. All the engine m54 have the fan cluch ?

[@samavilarealestate]

So. Question, I was able to remove the fan but I’m having a problem reinstalling the fan/clutch. It’s been a pain to get it to screw back on. Any tips to do this?

[@johnomi]

If the first two methods don’t work, try sticking the top of the spanner with a hammer to shock the bolt whilst applying downwards and clockwise pressure.

[@monkeywentbananas]

My 2000 E46 323CI sounds like a Jet just cruising around town. I'm pretty sure it's the fan clutch. What do you think?

[@jaciobe]

@50sKid how do you take off the clutch fan from water pump with last technique?

[@javettajohnson9079]

For method #1 what were the sizes of the tools used. You put one tool in then with the other then hit it on the right. What sizes were those??

[@jacolbyjohnson7367]

U just saved me so much time now very much appreciate it

[@abtransport13]

For some reason my pulley is missing a bolt and only has 3, can hooking it on one bolt only still work. (Facing the front of car) when I put the tool on do I turn left with the holder and right with the wrench ? When I turn the wrench to the right I am afraid to put more pressure in fear of breaking the pulley

[@tolgac9975]

Method 3 is probs best for me as am already stripping the car down taking everything out. And I don’t need to buy more tools 😂.

[@SteelJM1]

Question, hopefully someone will be able to answer: the electrical connections that you have your hand on at 3:20, what do they go to? I'm fixing a friends BMW whos fan blew up and took out a bunch of things, two separate electrical connectors included that were attached to the passenger side of the fan shroud.

[@UobuZPolska]

great videos about e46, very useful and helpful. Thanks for that and keep going with it :D

[@elwero705]

How do you know when you're clutch fan is messed up.. or if it's you're water pump ???

[@geesea6455]

this video saved me today. thanks dude.

[@sgill7304]

What size is the tensioner torque size ? I tried using an Allen wrench and nearly striped it I think. First I thought it was the top pulley for my e36 99 323is but I used a socket wrench and nothing moved.

[@DjTiggerMusic]

Hey man. What size are the actual game blade bolts. I’m replacing a clutch fan And they didn’t send the bolts to link the clutch fan to the blades

[@Chachobosch]

I have a question? If i use te first ir second Way, te fan clucht come out side up? And can i take out first the fan?

[@anthonyalcantara4312]

hey i was wondering if one of the three nuts that hold the fan that connects to the fan clutch if one of the skids what should i do

[@jogtindell1262]

You are AWESOME! Thank you for posting such a great, instructional video!

[@louiemalvessi]

Hey 50's kid, Is it easy to separate the clutch from the water pump pulley once they are out together?

[@toughie2722]

Replacing my AC belt, in theory i should be able to do method #3 and not even remove the clutch to access and replace the belt. will give it a crack anyways and see, although its probably easier to take the whole assembly out with method #2

[@kennethstanton5407]

Thank you sir! I have also seen video of someone using the belt itself rather than the crappy special tool to hold the pulley. That means 4 methods! :-) Or there's always the great big FH appraoch. >:->

[@nachocurupa]

Hi! Greetings from Argentina. Great videos! I wanna know if yoy can help me. There is a way thath you can send me a draw or sizes of the water pump pulley that allows me to buil the holder? Because here in my country is so dificult to get. Or if you know a web site that haves this sizes? Thank you so much!

[@jowylandd6420]

Hi buddy nice vids .. Is it possible to convert or add one of theese fans to an x3 2007 ??? From electrical to manual ??? Just curious

[@becomematrix]

Hey thanks for this. Would an open ended box spanner work the same as the wrench? And for the 'special' tool, I'd consider making one myself and drill the bolt holes to size.

[@SpartanA31xx]

hey great video man. Im planning on does a vanos rebuild/VCG change and I was thinking instead of removing the whole fan if I should just use the method you used by just unbolting the fan blade? would it leave me with all the room I need ?

[@jaymaine4343]

Hey dose your fan clutch make that loud windy or sucking noise on a cold start? sounds kinda like the ups truck/school bus sound just not as loud. my fan sounds like that on a cold start and gets louder and louder the farther i push the throttle, it sounds like it stops around 3000 RPM. there is a lot of misconception on the forums about this. is this normal?

[@05kittycat1]

What if you break the water pulley and my fan is aftermarket so it doesn’t have that bolt

[@nathanrobertson3714]

you are a freaking savior! been fighting my stuck fan bolt for hours now! btw anyone know if its ok or will help to spray pb blaster on that nut?

[@josefinocabalquinto3043]

I don't think there is enough room to use method number 3, I have 325 ci 2003 and even with the shroud loose there isn't enough room to remove the fan. Even if you can do method #3, I wonder if you have enough room to pull them all out with water pump, the pulley and the clutch radiator fan still attach to each other without hitting the radiator. At any rate, it's a very informative video