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Registered
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 10
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E36 aux fan failure... again
About two months ago I determined the aux fan on my E36 had stopped working. I determined that it was the fan itself (wouldn't come on when A/C was called for, or when the temp switch was jumpered per the Bentley manual), and replaced said fan, and the new one worked. I thought it was an open-and-closed case.
I noticed yesterday that the new aux fan isn't working suddenly. It won't come on when A/C is called for when previously (as in a few days ago) it would. I haven't had a chance to look at it much yet, but how likely is it that I got a defective fan? Is there anything I can check for that might be killing the fan prematurely? Pertinent info: 1997 BMW 328i, 5-speed, 187,200 miles. |
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08-16-2010, 05:00 AM
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Registered
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Sacramento CA
Posts: 1,147
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You will check the power supply before investing more $, but I can't imagine anything that would cause it to fail prematurely.
I'd be interested in knowing what brand of fan you got. The fan is dead in one of my '97s. I have been putting off replacing it because I have two other cars with problems that are more urgent. When I get to it, however, I might look to see if there are other options on suppliers if I know what brand you got. On a related note, I put a Graf water pump on one of my '97s a year and a half ago. It only has about 5k miles on it, and it is leaking. I know Graf is an OES for BMW, but the next one will be a different brand. I used to maintain a fleet of Volvo 240s for my extended family and I learned that NAPA water pumps cost half as much and lasted twice as long as the Volvo branded water pumps that came on the cars new. On the other hand, I learned NOT to go to NAPA for brake rotors. Seems like half of car maintenance is figuring out where to get good parts and keeping up as suppliers are bought and sold and relocated to China and India. Last edited by Manolito; 08-16-2010 at 05:27 AM.. |
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08-16-2010, 05:19 AM
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Registered
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 10
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The fan I got is a VDO brand from Pelican Parts (theirs was the cheapest easily, and OEM!).
I really need to check to make sure the damn thing didn't just come unplugged, I'll feel really dumb if that's the case. Last edited by shivan000; 08-17-2010 at 06:27 AM.. |
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08-17-2010, 06:25 AM
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Registered
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Florida
Posts: 668
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Dito on all of that, my fan just stopped and I have also been procrasti-----, (too long a word for me to spell,) putting it off. I also have had such limited sucess with the same exact aftermarket parts mentioned above, that I am hesitant to act on several low cost options that I have found on Ebay.Ponying up the price for the item at the local, authorized, BMW stealer, even if it is a better value over time, just doesn't satisfy my has been my mission for around three decades.
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74 911 targa blk on blk, Carrera fend., tires & whls. gone, missed 85 325e bought new, totaled after 20 years & 465K miles, trouble free service. 01 Ford Ranger 4dr stpsd 4wd. I drive,here 88 325i convert. only 98k miles,gone, sold 93 325i.here, 98 Z-3 roadster. gone, 08 128 cabro gone |
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08-18-2010, 08:53 PM
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