Driving home from work last Wednesday... BAM!
Thats right... two week old bumper, just replaced by insurance.
Apparently it can happen to anybody who pushes the envelope.
I left work on Wednesday, and not 3 minutes later, as I was downshifting to go through a corner, I realized I could hear the fan. Too late, it esploded. Seized fan clutch.
Somehow the fan blades damaged my new front bumper. I had to trace it, and apparently the blade went right through the brake ductwork and plastic on the passenger side, and hit the inside of the front bumper. In the above pic, you can still see the fan blade peeking through.
Obvious damage to hood, but I had trouble locating the coolant leak (all hoses are untouched!!). I finally found it.
So, I had to have a car to drive... and as I was standing there all pissed off I realized the 740iL that I'm working on for my cousin has an M60 in it. Lightbulb! In 1.5 hours I had my radiator, shroud, and fan out and had his installed in my car, and the system filled and bled. Good to go, for now!
Further carnage pics:
all done!
I'm considering doing an electric fan mod now. Checked into it briefly, and might go with the stuff available from Zionsville. I can't afford their sweet radiator, but the shroud and fan combo might be nice... thoughts?
Last edited by cdb3113; 11-09-2010 at 03:24 PM.
Wow, that is one nasty hood. I have the Zionsville shroud and works great. By the way, you can always buy the Zionsville radiator later and get it cheaper from UUC.
Dayyyuuuumm!!!
Imagine if you were peeking at the engine bay at that moment!
I don't know of any other car that has such a catastrophic failure as our E39s do. It's like a small nuke.
Last edited by crdiscoverer; 11-09-2010 at 03:38 PM.
Resident Third World Country Advisor
Maintence > M5 bumpers
Going into my TENTH YEAR of providing high quality reproduction BMW fabrics!
PRICE CUT on ALL FABRICS
Offering the best prices on the best quality reproduction fabrics!
I just showed this to my wife and said I might replace mine just to be sure. She said, "If it happens, we'll just have to get an M5.". Then I told her I was going to post up what she said, and she said, "That is the SUV, right?" (X5). LOL!
OP,
Sorry to see the damage.
these cars are such headaches f our lives
I shoulda changed the fan clutch long ago! I'm now thinking back on all the maintenence I've done... and the fact that I've now put 100k miles on this beast. Some of it is going to recur soon... hahaha. Incoming front suspension rebuild (upper and lower struts), pre-cat 02's... actually I think thats the worst of it. Everything else only has ~30k miles on it. :stickout:
Replace it! ~$130 now, or ~$2000 later?
Last edited by cdb3113; 11-09-2010 at 03:50 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
After seeing all of these threads, i think im gonna jump on the electric fan bandwagon...
2000 M5, Carbon Black on Caramel
2001 X5 4.4, Alpine White on Tan
2005 F-250 6.0 Turbo Diesel
1997 540i/6 07/1996, Aspensilver on Aubergine- - Sold
Last edited by cdb3113; 11-09-2010 at 04:03 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
That's why I will swap to zero pressure NPG+ this or next week. No high pressure, no leaks, no low coolant, no whirring fan.
Looking for a DIY? Parts? Check this out, it might be your ticket
Stable: e92is, e53 N62, e46M54B25, Tribby & e39 M54B30 R.I.P.
I replaced my entire cooling system (everything) 1.5 years ago, before Zionsvillle made the shroud. Not to long ago, my fan clutch stop working (less than 10K / Borg Warner), the fan would spin up crazy, almost sounded like the clutch (not fan clutch) was slipping. You are right, it will cost you $600, but it was worth it to me. I didn't get the radiator because mine was new when I replaced it. I just wanted one less worry with my car.
holy crap .... how many miles on your blown fan clutch ? Have you check it when replaced W-P/T-T ??
this why i asked why you don't drive your 12 years old car in winter time ?
but the good things you again have fun no ?
After Drive shaft, Rear sub frame and tons of bushing you replaced this one is easy for you !
LOL, keep us updated
Last edited by champaign777; 11-09-2010 at 06:04 PM.
I believe I maintain my car quite well, as you can see in my build/repair thread in my sig. I didn't understand the comment, because I don't feel it applies to me. Not to mention that this is my 3rd stock bumper. I don't want an M5 bumper on this car. Besides, an M5 bumper would scrape.
Fan and clutch had at least 100k miles on them. Maybe more, but I don't know for sure. Somebody did replace the radiator before I owned it, pre-2006. The water pump had been done before too, as was evidenced by the presence of only one dowel (should be two).
The least I can do for my paint is to not drive it in the wintertime. I don't really do much else for it... also, I like having ground clearance for snow. Maybe I should build an E39 540i/6 T with a little lift kit? I wonder if I can get an all-wheel drive? LOL
Last edited by cdb3113; 11-10-2010 at 02:11 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
this guy is a E39 masochist
Last edited by champaign777; 11-10-2010 at 02:21 PM.
As far as maitenence is concerned this was due to a failing fan clutch or a loose bolt associated with the clutch.
Sorry to hear about it man. It seems all to common here aka "boom it went through my hood' thread
cdb3113/Brother,
This should not have happened to a dude like you. True your paint is more effed up than Lindsey Lohan's left nostril after a party, but when it comes to maintenance, you are one of the leaders of the pack. This is a rude, cruel thing to take place.
See here and read post # 1, 42, 45 and 50:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1547212
I've had three (3) fan clutches now. In fact at the Oil Filter Replacement (see thread and pics) we did a fan-shroud-partial-delete (so replacing my damned belts, pulleys, water pump/thermostat and fan clutch will be easier).
Get your car back together and either use a SACHS clutch (only...and this is my three cents) or do the SPAL fan. I'll say this though, a dude did a SPAL fan and I was reading about it somewhere and he wrote about how is Auxillary Fan was coming on a lot---it should not! Perhaps the dude who was writing either didn't have a SPAL fan with enough CFM or he was using his air conditioner at the time? Get a fan with lots of CFM (pull) and RPM:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Fan-Calcul...-CFM&id=935874
So get your girlfriend over at some point. Ask her for a massage so you feel better. Then watch Top Gun in BluRay (if it's available) and drink a beer. Then go on-line and order the SPAL set-up. This is a mere setback for you bro. It's a kick in the left nut cause you have regret and self-doubt but dude, I have a lightsaber too and I was nearly fooled by my own fan clutch. It happends. You're not known to be a great sailor until you navigate a long distance or a short distance where a storm is invovled. Either way it's not easy to be Captain Picard's # 1. So make it so and get your car fixed. I'm sick just hearing about it as I almost almost almost went through fan clutch chaos and seeing your Enterprise in-dock.
Drink some Earl Gray tea, HOT and make a plan.
Keith
"I'd smash that (Jennifer Connelly) like a failed coup in sub-Saharan Africa."
~Macktheknife in my epic Jennifer Connelly OT Thread
This begs the question... does this only happen under load, or could this happen when I've got my ear to the valve cover noise hunting?
I love to flap my paddle..
"I'd smash that (Jennifer Connelly) like a failed coup in sub-Saharan Africa."
~Macktheknife in my epic Jennifer Connelly OT Thread
I fail at step 1.
However, I will perservere and install a SPAL fan on a Zionsville shroud (with expansion tank). I just need to get some dollars together for that. Hopefully my overtime check comes this month! I just sold one of my snowboards so I can afford a new radiator, too.
Bookmarks