Non-M Electric Fan Fitment

[George Hill]

Nothing wrong with the cooling, I just didn't like it cosmetically and it was a pain to work on.

Went back to stock.

[nextlvel]

Yep, M3 rad and oil cooler with non-m fan and expansion tank bracket all trimmed at the bottom to clear the oil cooler shroud.

I don't do this anymore, not worth the effort IMO.

Do you feel like cooling was subpar? What did you end up switching to ?

[George Hill]

What's the setup you're running here? M3 rad with the non-m expansion tank bracket? Minus the expansion tank.

Yep, M3 rad and oil cooler with non-m fan and expansion tank bracket all trimmed at the bottom to clear the oil cooler shroud.

I don't do this anymore, not worth the effort IMO.

[e46IX]

What's the setup you're running here? M3 rad with the non-m expansion tank bracket? Minus the expansion tank.

[George Hill]

[Stilt]

As requested, here are some photos, don't mind the eyesore that my engine bay is.






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[Stilt]

I can send pictures in the morning but it's not the prettiest thing, I was pretty lazy when I installed it and used zip ties. Some people use the oem shroud, that pairs with the clutch fan, and then use brackets to retro fit the efan but I was too lazy for that.

If you want something with a nice fit and finish I suggest using the N15 designs efan paired with the Mishimoto fan. Although the fit and finish is pretty jank I couldn't resist the ease of just plugging in the fan rather than wiring it up with a controller .


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[SkunkWorks]

A bit more context from me. Originally, I bought a fan that fit a manual 330i from eBay, but it did not fit because of the motor size. However, I then went and bought an original/oem efan from another manual 330i that was being parted out. I didn't have to do much trimming if I recall correctly, but this bottom did need to be trimmed.

Do you have any pictures by any chance? How did you mount it?

Only the passenger side mounts lined up when I tried. Didn't have the appetite to trim the bottom section when I mocked it up so not sure how driver's side would mount as the non-Ms have the large bracket there that also holds the coolant reservoir.

[Stilt]

Does anyone know if the non-M electric fan from the manual transmission cars fit the M3 radiator and shroud?

I'm about done with my M3 touring swap and had originally planned on running a Spal with the N15 mounts but I heard I could just reuse the original fan from the touring...

A bit more context from me. Originally, I bought a fan that fit a manual 330i from eBay, but it did not fit because of the motor size. However, I then went and bought an original/oem efan from another manual 330i that was being parted out. I didn't have to do much trimming if I recall correctly, but this bottom did need to be trimmed.

[Stilt]

Does anyone know if the non-M electric fan from the manual transmission cars fit the M3 radiator and shroud?

I'm about done with my M3 touring swap and had originally planned on running a Spal with the N15 mounts but I heard I could just reuse the original fan from the touring...

I bought the efan from a non m, 330i manual, car and it fits fine. I just plugged it in, and it works well.

[0-60motorsports]

Yep it works fine for me, no cooling issues. I'll take that advice!

I did notice today what appears to be an oil residue around the fan circumference suggesting some sort of "leaking" from the fan clutch as shown below. Is this indicative of a failure? With engine off, the fan spins by hand, but it's by no means "loose" in that it REALLY spins with minimal input.

End of life approaching for the fan clutch, not expensive to replace so I recommend you go ahead and do that.

[PSUEng]

go to FCP and get the OE fan brand and fan clutch and dont give yourself a headache if this system is working perfectly for you.

Yep it works fine for me, no cooling issues. I'll take that advice!

I did notice today what appears to be an oil residue around the fan circumference suggesting some sort of "leaking" from the fan clutch as shown below. Is this indicative of a failure? With engine off, the fan spins by hand, but it's by no means "loose" in that it REALLY spins with minimal input.

[0-60motorsports]

Bumping this as I'm researching the whole electric fan thing. My fan clutch and blade assembly is original, 85k, miles. I"m going to do the belts again and this time hit the tensioners, and "while I'm in there" has flared up and I'm wondering if I should replace the fan clutch/blade while I'm getting into this. I've read the newspaper test and I'm not having any cooling issues, just wondering if these things detonate, or what happens when they fail. Mahle OE for the clutch? Which fan brand?

go to FCP and get the OE fan brand and fan clutch and dont give yourself a headache if this system is working perfectly for you.

[PSUEng]

Bumping this as I'm researching the whole electric fan thing. My fan clutch and blade assembly is original, 85k, miles. I"m going to do the belts again and this time hit the tensioners, and "while I'm in there" has flared up and I'm wondering if I should replace the fan clutch/blade while I'm getting into this. I've read the newspaper test and I'm not having any cooling issues, just wondering if these things detonate, or what happens when they fail. Mahle OE for the clutch? Which fan brand?

[Arith2]

The clutch fan works really well and last 10 years. It's also very cheap and there is not extra engineering. The clutch fan should still fit and then you use the lower temp clutch. The Aux fan is absolutely enough but the clutch fan also can drop the engine bay another 10 to 15 degrees.