How to Replace Fan Clutch & Cooling Fan on a BMW E39 5 Series

DIY: BMW E39 5 Series Fan Clutch and Blades

Why:

A failing fan clutch can cause overheating conditions and catastrophic engine damage if ignored. Over time the viscous fluid has leaked or dried up causing the clutch to seize. Other conditions such as bearing failure can cause too much play and not enough drag. You can test clutch friction by spinning the fan blades when the car is turned off. If you are able to freewheel and spin the fan without any tension the fan clutch is bad. Other symptoms aside from overheating include rumbling, rattling, or scraping noises and weak air flow.

To make a potentially bad situation worse, the plastic fan blades become brittle and fragile over time. Cracks may develop or blades start to disintegrate causing the fan to shatter sending fragments into the radiator, pulleys, belts, hood, power steering reservoir and hoses. A bad water pump bearing or pulley may also send the fan into the radiator causing it to explode. 

To prevent these damages from occurring, proactively replace the clutch fan and blades when overhauling the cooling system between 60K - 90K miles or immediately when symptoms arise. 

This DIY is specific to inline-6 E39s and may apply to E46s. The steps are similar to V8 E39s, the difference is the fan shroud does not need to be removed on M5s or the 540i.

Tools:

• Flat head screwdriver or plastic body panel removing tool

• Phillips screwdriver (to remove expansion tank bleed screw)

• 32 mm open ended wrench
• BMW special tool 115040 
• Assenmacher 32mm Fan Clutch Wrench works well with the thin design and steel construction. 
• Powerbuilt 32mm Combo Wrench is good if you want something strong and cheaper than the special tool. 

• Cooling fan counterhold wrench.
• BMW special tool 115030
• Fan Clutch tool by itself 
• Fan Clutch Wrench and Holder tool together. 
• I bought the holder tool separately because the wrench included are made from low quality metal. 

Taken from Bentley Publishers E39 manual.

Parts: 

• Fan blades Part # 11521712058. 
• I bought the MTC fan and I wish I read other driver's comments before the purchase. MTC fan blades are built in China and have reported to crack in a year. Stick with OEM or Febi fan blades. 
• Fan Clutch Part # 11527505302.
• Hella Behr is OEM. 
• Three screws attaching fan to clutch
• Optional if original screws are in good condition
• Part # 07129905536

Recommended:

• Anti-seize
• Removing fan clutch in the future much easier. 
• Fan shroud rivets Part # 1711712963 
• In case you lose or damage them removing fan shroud.
• Penetrating oil
• PB Blaster or Kroil works wonders. 
• Expansion tank cap seal Part # 17111723580
• In case of damage while removing. 

Steps: 

• Pop open or remove rivets on both sides of fan shroud. Circled in red below. 
• I used a small flat tip screw driver to pop open the rivets. A thin plastic body panel tool will work just as well. 

Driver side rivet.

Passenger/Expansion tank side.

• Use Phillips screw driver and remove bleed screw on expansion tank. Blue dot in picture below.

• Use flat tip screwdriver or fingers and remove expansion tank cap seal. Red dots in picture below.
• Squeeze two plastic tabs together and pull seal out.

• Push expansion tank backwards out from fan shroud. 

• Reinstall bleed screw.

• Place fan clutch holding tool on two water pump pulley bolts.
• Use the appropriate side of the holding tool depending on which two pulley bolts are easiest to get to. 

• Place 32 mm wrench on clutch fan nut to remove clutch. 
• Turn wrench clockwise while holding counterholding tool on pulley bolts to loosen fan clutch nut.
• Nut may be very hard to remove so use PB blaster or other penetrating oil on the nut. Be careful not to spill any oil onto the belts. 
• A lot of force may be necessary to loosen the nut. 
• Remove air intake box to get better access to water pump bolts with counter hold tool.
• If you are overhauling cooling system or changing the thermostat, removing the radiator to thermostat hose will help greatly in getting access to the water pump pulley bolts. 
• I was not able to get good pictures of the clutch nut so I scanned and added Bentley manual pages below.

• One the nut is loose, spin fan blades clockwise until clutch is off water pump threads. 

• Carefully hold fan and raise fan shroud.
• Other DIYs and manuals say to remove cooling hoses from the bottom and side of the fan shroud. I did not do this because I only raised the fan shroud a few inches to slide the fan and clutch out. Just be careful not to damage any of the hoses if you don't remove them. 

• Slide blades and clutch fan up and away from shroud. 

My original fan coated in grime. 

• Remove three screws holding blades to clutch. Red dots on picture below. 
• They are 5 mm Allen/Hex screws. They have a lot of grime and may be difficult to remove. Penetrating oil will help greatly. Be careful not to strip the bolts. Part # 07129905536 if they are missing or damaged. 

• Place new fan on new clutch. Ensure blades are going the right direction and not installed backwards.
• Install three 5 mm Hex screws to attach fan to clutch. 
• Use new screws if original are in bad condition

I bought MTC fan blades. Do not make the same mistake.

• Carefully raise fan shroud and insert fan into shroud. 

• Screw fan clutch nut over water pump threads. Spin fan counter-clockwise to tighten nut. This may require some time and patience.
• Add anti-seize to pulley threads for easier removal in the future. 

• Tighten clutch nut onto water pump. Torque figures are in the picture below. 

Installed!

Bentley manual torque figures.

• Remove bleed screw and push expansion tank back into fan shroud.

• Reinstall expansion tank seal.

• Reinstall bleed screw.

• Ensure fan shroud is correctly seated.
• Reinstall any cooling hoses if they were removed. 

• Pop in or reinstall two rivets on each side of fan shroud.

• Start E39 and observe fan clutch operation. 
• There should be much more air flowing through the fan and no growling or rumbling noises. Do not put your hands or fingers in fan!  

Notes:

V8 equipped E39s do not need to remove fan shroud to access fan clutch nut.

Do not put your hands or fingers in the fan while the car is running. I would not try the newspaper test because the fan blades can be brittle and may shatter when inserting the newspaper. Test clutch friction and tension by trying to spin the blades while the car is off or replace the unit during cooling system overhauls. Also, if there are strange noises, cooling is weak, or fluid is leaking, change the clutch and blades. 

This is a perfect time to replace the unit while changing cooling parts. 

The coolant hoses may need to be removed from the fan shroud. Safely jack up E39 and put on jack stands. Remove under body tray and remove coolant hoses from fan shroud.

I have seen negative reviews for the MTC blades and I would stick to OEM or equivalent. I bought MTC blades and will be changing them out. 

I noticed a significant amount of air being moved and faster fan speed with the new Hella Behr clutch. I am so glad I replaced the clutch before it failed and the fan blade shattering. Google BMW fan blade shattering or explosion and see the catastrophic damage done.

RealOEM parts diagram below.

BMW E39 5 Series Oil Fill Cap

I replaced the oil fill cap on my E39 530i because it was very difficult to twist and remove. The rubber seal had hardened into plastic and covered in sludge. The seal is bad so I did not use silicone grease on the seal to ease in removal.

The two plastic prongs over the metal tabs are missing on the original cap. I don't know if it came from the factory without the two prongs and were added to new caps or if the previous owner broke them.

I have been working on resolving the intermittent P0171 and P0174 codes as described here and have been reading various BMW forums for solutions. I came across a few posts that say a bad oil filler cap seal will cause these codes. It seems like a stretch but I needed to replace the cap anyways.

Picture of the old oil filler cap versus new.

Oil filler cap Part # 11127509328 

• Compatible with E36, E46, E60, E53, E34, E66, E65, E70, and E85 BMW models.

DIY: BMW E39 5 Series Cabin Air Filter

How to replace cabin air microfilters on the BMW E39 5 Series (1997 - 2003)

Parts:

• Cabin Air Filters. Choose any of the brands below. I went with the Mann filters. 
• Mann CUK2736-2
• Bosch C3821WS
• Meyle 64112182533 (Charcoal activated)
• Meyle 64319069927 (Paper filter) 
• Mahle LAK 73/S

Recommended:

• Vacuum, towels, all purpose cleaner, Lysol or Einszett Klima AC cleaner. 

Steps:

• Pop open hood

• Locate two cabin filter service covers. One is located on the driver side and the other on the passenger side behind the strut towers. 

• Unclip wire latch circled in red below. Do this on both sides. 

A screwdriver may be used if it is difficult to unclip.

• Pull filter cover out towards you. Be careful not to damage the two rear plastic tabs. 
• Part # 64318379627 left and part # 64318379626 right in case they need to be replaced. 

• Remove old cabin air filters. 

Old micro filter.

• I don't think the previous owner ever changed the filters. Look at all the dusty, mold, and crap that on the old filter. Yuck! New Mann filter looks so much better. 

• Clean filter box by vacuuming leaves, wiping away any dirt and debris. Ensure intake and drain holes are clear. 
• Now is good time to spray any Lysol or A/C cleaner into the air box intake to remove nasty and funky smells. 

Previous owner never cleaned the box so there is dust and debris everywhere. 

• Install new filters by placing them in box. 
• There are directional air flow arrows on the Mann filter which tells you which side is up. 
• Many filters have less pleats than before and do not fit perfectly in the air box. There may be some gaps on the side and distortion. Unfortunately, I haven't found a brand that is a perfect fit. 

• Install covers by inserting rear tabs in first

• Reclip wire latches onto covers.

Notes: 

You want to replace the microfilters regularly to ensure pollen, dust, harmful gases, and spores are removed from the ventilation system. Spend the extra money and get the charcoal filters for optimal filtration. 

If you do not replace them, they will look as nasty as the old filters and you will be breathing all that crap. This is a 5 minute job and the filters are cheap, just do it yourself. A mechanic will charge too much to replace the filters and may not remove the debris hanging out in the box. 

The filters come in pairs.

Helpful picture below. Taken from BMW Parts manual.

Here is a Top Gear clip of Jeremy Clarkson banging on the cabin air box with a hammer. Jeremy thinks it is a fuse box and Richard and James correct him.

Why: 
Microfilters clean the air in the cabin of your BMW. A dirty and clogged microfilter means you and your passengers are breathing in that polluted air. Microfilters remove contaminants, pollen, pollutants from the air going into the cabin. This is the quickest and easiest jobs you can do and I am shocked that the previous owner never changed them. 

Lean Codes P0171 & P0174 on my E39 530i

I recently purchased a E39 530i and had an emissions check done. P0174 was listed on the emission sheet but the check engine light was not on. I was able pass and register for the year.

A week later, I was pulling away from a stop at an uphill intersection and the service engine light came on. Codes P0171 and P0174 (Lean bank 1 and bank 2) showed up on my ODBII scanner. Luckily I just passed emissions so I have a year to resolve the issue. 

I have completed these steps to resolve the code, but they still show up. 

• Clean MAF sensor

• Replace engine air filter

• Replace oil filler cap

• DISA valve from previous owner is brand new

• Clean idle control valve

• Clean throttle body 

• Replaced small vacuum hose attached to F-elbow on upper intake boot. It was super brittle and snapped into many pieces when I gently pulled the hose. 
• F-Elbow Part # 13327503677

• Inspected all the other vacuum hoses and I can't see any cracks or brittleness. 

What I have planned:

• Replace fuel filter 

• Replace upper intake boot. Part # 13547505838
• I found a small crack in one of the areas that bend and meet the lower intake boot. You can barely see it and I didn't even noticed it until the third time I took of the boot. This is most likely the culprit and I hope this will clear the code. 

• Replace Vanos oil line. There is oil leaking from the banjo bolt near the thermostat. I don't know if this contributes to the P0174 code.  

• Replace valve cover gaskets. Could a brittle valve cover gasket result in mixture too lean? 

• CCV: I started the 530i and removed the oil filler cap. No strange noises and there was good suction so I don't think the CCV is to blame. 

I believe the previous owner encountered this code and brought it to the dealer to have it fixed. The DISA valve and many vacuum hoses are new, and the MAF sensor was very clean and didn't have grime anywhere. None of the attempted fixes cleared the code so the owner probably got fed up (along with the other issues) and sold the 530i.

Update #1: I changed the upper intake boot  and I haven't seen the service engine light come on. I am hoping the light was intermittently showing up because of the crack in the intake boot and brittle small hose on the F-elbow.

The difference between the new and old intake boot is astonishing. The rubber on the intake boot is so soft and pliable whereas the original is hard as rock. I had some difficulty removing the F-elbow and small air box at the bottom of the boot because of the rubber aging.

Update #2: I haven't had the lean codes show a month and a half later. The culprit is the upper intake boot crack and the small hose on the F-connector. I went ahead and changed the fuel filter since it has never been changed.

Installed new small hose on F Connector

Leave a comment if you have encountered and resolved the codes on your E39. Any help is appreciated.

How to Change Engine Oil on a BMW E39 530i

DIY draining and refilling engine oil on 6 cylinder E39s. May apply to other models with the M54B30 or M52 engine.


Tools:

• 17 mm socket
• 35/36 mm socket 
• Ratchet(s)
• Oil drain pan
• Ramps or jack and jack stands

Parts:  

• Oil filter. O-ring and gaskets are included. 
• Mann, Mahle, Bosche, Genuine BMW filters all work well. 
• Engine oil. 
• I used Mobil 1 0W-40 for this guide. BMW approved LL01 oil will work. I have used Castrol 0W-40 and BMW's 5W-30 in the past. Mike Miller, the columnist in Roundel uses Red Line's 0W-40 for his BMWs.

Recommended:

• Any shop rag, towel, oil eater pad, kitty litter or oil absorbent to clean spills, gloves. 
• Jack point adapter to prevent damaging jack point. 
• Funnel

Steps: 

• Drive BMW for a short period to warm engine oil.

• Drive onto ramps or use a jack and jack stands to lift front end. 
• Use jack pad adapters to prevent crushing plastic jack points. 
• Place wheel chocks on rear wheels and set parking brake to prevent BMW from sliding.

Jack points in the Bentley Manual

• Open hood

• Use a 35/36 mm socket and ratchet to remove oil housing cap and filter. I use the Lisle 35/36 mm socket for its low profile and strength.
• Place rags or pigmat around filter to soak up any oil.
• Set the oil cap and filter aside after removing. 

Lisle socket on oil filter cap

• Get underneath vehicle and locate oil drain plug. The plug is right behind the front jack point.
• Your E39 may have plastic paneling or trap door that covers your oil pan, my 530i did not. I do not know if the vehicle did not come with the panels or the previous owner removed them. 

Oil drain plug highlighted in red.

• Use 17 mm socket and remove drain plug. 
• Place oil drain pan where you think the oil will come out. The plug is not facing downwards so oil will shoot out towards the passenger side. I use my Lisle Black Pan for its large capacity and spout.  
• Do not use an impact wrench to remove or install plug. 

• Remove the old filter from cap while the oil is draining.
• Pull filter straight out. This may require moderate force. 

• Replace large o-ring on oil filter cap. 
• Use a scribe or small flat head screw drive to remove old o-ring. Be careful not to damage oil filter cap.
• Check condition of two small o-rings and replace if necessary. Part # 11421744001
• Coat new o-ring with new oil and install. Please note proper location of O-ring by referencing picture below. 

• Install oil filter and filter cap. 
• Use 35/36 mm socket and torque to 18 ft-lbs
• Optional: Install filter cap after inserting oil drain plug. I put one quart of oil into the oil filter housing and the rest into the engine.

• Place new copper gasket on drain plug and install using 17 mm socket. 
• Torque to 25 ft-lbs. 
• I installed a MTC magnetic drain plug because the original plug was complete rusted and the previous owner rounded the plug head. 
• Reinstall any body paneling or trap doors if equipped. 

MTC magnetic plug

MTC magnetic plug installed

• Remove wheel chocks

• Carefully lower BMW by driving off ramps or jacking and removing jack stands. 

• Remove oil cap and fill with 6.5 liters or 6.7 quarts. 
• Use dipstick to check if oil is within limits, add more if necessary. 
• Use a funnel to prevent spills. I use the Hopkins funnel and it works fine.

Oil filler cap location and locking funnel.

• Reinstall oil cap. 

• Close hood and take a 10-15 minute drive. Check if there are any leaks. 

Notes: 

I used Mobil 1 because of their 5 quart rebates. Amazon and Walmart sell their 5 quarts for $23 and with the $12 rebate it only costs $11.