E39 Fan & Shroud Procedure

The following information is provided for reference purposes only and should be used at your own risk
In no event shall Beisan Systems, LLC or its members be liable for incidental, consequential, or special loss or damages of any kind however caused. This includes following the E39 Fan & Shroud Procedure described below.

Fan & shroud removal

From under car

Raise front of car and place on jack stands (follow appropriate procedure; chock both sides of both rear wheels).
Note: Work under car can be performed without raising car, but will be under tight space.

E39 Fan & Shroud Procedure
Remove large engine compartment shield underneath front of car (Philips).

E39 Fan & Shroud Procedure
Disconnect coolant hoses from fan shroud bottom. Note hose mount sequence for reinstallation.

E39 Fan & Shroud Procedure
Disconnect auxiliary water pump electrical connector at bottom corner.
Disconnect coolant hoses from fan shroud side.

E39 Fan & Shroud Procedure
Slide pump out of fan shroud sleeve. Keep horizontal hose in shroud clip to allow pump to slide strait out. Once pump is out of shroud sleeve disconnect hose from shroud clip.
Note: Some coolant will leak from coolant hose connectors when manipulating them.

Lower car from jack stands (follow appropriate procedure).

From top of car

Open front hood.

E39 Fan & Shroud Procedure
Remove AUC (smell) sensor from fan shroud right side.
Press in on electrical connector side clip and pull up electrical connector. Move electrical cable/connector to side.
Push up on AUC bottom and pull top away from shroud. Push down on AUC top and pull bottom away from shroud. Remove AUC sensor from engine bay.

E39 Fan & Shroud Procedure
Remove rivet at each top corner of fan shroud. Pry out rivet center pin (tack lifter), then fully pry out rivet from base (tack lifter).


Remove retaining plastic clip at expansion tank bleed crew. Press in at both wings and lift up (2 flatheads).
Note: Unscrew/re-screw expansion tank cap as needed to remove clip.


Remove rubber seal between fan shroud top and car frame (hand).
Note seal orientation for reinstallation.


Lift fan shroud up and to rear.
Unscrew overflow hose clamp at radiator right top (Philips).
Pry hose off radiator overflow neck (flathead).
Remove hose clamp from hose to keep from loosing.

Note: If overflow hose clamp original, pry open clamp to remove (small flathead) and replaced with adjustable hose clamp.

Place fan shroud back into install position to facilitate space for fan removal.
Lift fan shroud up, pull forward, and drop down to mount into lower frame slots.


Belt static friction method:
Remove fan / fan clutch from water pump shaft.
Place open wrench on fan clutch nut (32mm combo wrench). Place wrench forward on nut to avoid hitting vanos body and thermostat hose connector. Strongly strike wrench side at top with heavy hammer to break nut seize (sledge hammer); left hand thread.
Note: Nut is left hand thread, thus unscrew by hitting wrench top from left to right (car front orientation). Serpentine belt static friction on water pump pulley facilitates large enough opposing force to break nut seize. It is important to use a heavy hammer to produce a high instantaneous jerk. Several attempts will be needed before nut seize breaks. Rotate open wrench to reposition for better access.

If belt static friction method is not successful, attempt pulley holding tool method.


Pulley holding tool method:
Remove fan / fan clutch from water pump shaft. Position water pump pulley for holding tool access. Water pump pulley has 2 (adjacent) pairs of mounting bolts. Position one of the bolt pairs with left bolt at just to right of top center (picture) (32mm combo wrench).

First, install the water pump pulley holding tool onto the pulley bolts. Next, position the holding tool to the right and align its indent curve against the fan clutch nut. Then, mount the tool’s end hole onto the pulley’s bottom left bolt and secure the second hole onto the pulley’s right bolt. If needed, reposition the fan clutch nut for better access to the holding tool (see picture).

After that, place an open wrench on the fan clutch nut (32mm combo wrench). Finally, counter-hold the tool and break the clutch nut seize using the 32mm combo wrench; remember, this is a left-hand thread.


Note: Nut is left hand thread, thus unscrew by turning wrench from left to right (car front orientation).

If fun clutch nut seize difficult to break, apply lubricant to nut/threads contact surfaces (spray lubricant).

Once nut seize is broken, remove tools and spin fan blades to unscrew nut; left hand thread.
When nut is close to shaft end, turn fan slowly while continuously holding fan blades. This will keep fan from falling and damaging radiator fins when fully disconnected.


Lift fan shroud up while maneuvering fan / fan clutch out of fan shroud and engine bay.


Remove fan shroud from engine bay.
Remove expansion tank bleed screw, dislodge expansion tank from fan shroud, then reinstall bleed screw (Philips).
Pull up on fan shroud while removing expansion tank and hoses from shroud. First, tilt the fan shroud to the right side to assist with removal. Then, pull the overflow hose out from the shroud access slot. Next, carefully remove the shroud from the engine bay. After that, place the expansion tank in a high location within the engine bay .Also, position the overflow hose high to prevent coolant from draining out. Note: Coolant will leak from the radiator overflow hose. To minimize leakage, keep the expansion tank at a lower height.

E39 Fan & Shroud Procedure

Fan & shroud installation

From top of car


Install fan shroud.
Position expansion tank at engine bay left side to mate with fan shroud.
Tilt shroud right side up and slide shroud into position while attaching expansion tank to shroud.
First, insert the expansion tank overflow hose into the shroud access slot and lay it on top of the radiator. Next, remove the expansion tank bleed screw (Philips). Then, fully install the expansion tank onto the shroud and reinstall the bleed screw (Philips). After that, align the shroud by pulling it up, moving it forward, and then dropping it into position.


Insert fan/clutch in fan shroud. Lift fan shroud up and forward while maneuvering fan/clutch into fan shroud.
Note: Fan is oriented with clutch nut to car rear.
Align shroud by pulling up, forward, and dropping down into lower frame slots.


First, mount the fan/clutch onto the water pump shaft. Next, lift the fan and carefully position the fan clutch nut onto the water pump shaft. Then, rotate the fan to find the best alignment between the nut threads and shaft threads. At the optimal fit, the fan will hang on the shaft without threading (see picture).Once the fan is hanging independently, slowly turn the fan blades to thread the nut onto the shaft; remember, this is a left-hand thread. Finally, fully thread the nut onto the shaft.


First, place an open wrench on the fan clutch nut (32mm combo wrench). Then, lightly hit the top of the wrench one time with a heavy hammer; remember, this is a left-hand thread (use a sledgehammer). Next, note that the serpentine belt’s static friction on the water pump pulley provides enough opposing force to tighten the clutch nut.

Fan opposing spin also tightens fan clutch nut.


First, lift the fan shroud up and toward the rear. Then, insert the overflow hose clamp onto the overflow hose, ensuring the clamp bolt head is at the bottom and facing forward (see picture). Next, mount the overflow hose onto the radiator overflow neck. After that, position the hose clamp onto the radiator overflow neck and tighten it (Philips). Finally, ensure the clamp bolt is positioned at the bottom of the radiator neck to allow for proper fan shroud fitment.


Fully install fan shroud. Lift fan shroud up, pull forward, and drop down to mount into lower frame slots.
Note: Fan shroud should insert fully and align with car frame.


Install rubber seal between fan shroud top and car frame.


Install retaining plastic clip at expansion tank bleed screw. Push down clip until it snaps in.
Unscrew and re-screw expansion tank cap as needed to facilitate access.


Install rivet at each top corner of fan shroud. Pry rivet center pin out, fully insert rivet base into shroud, then press in rivet center pin.


Install AUC (smell) sensor onto right side of fan shroud. Place sensor at mount position on shroud. Push down from sensor top and insert bottom clip, then push up from sensor bottom and insert top clip.
Install AUC electrical connector.

From under car (E39 Fan & Shroud Procedure)

Raise front of car and place on jack stands (follow appropriate procedure; chock both sides of both rear wheels).
Note: Work under car can be performed without raising car, but will be under tight space.


Insert auxiliary water pump into fan shroud sleeve at bottom left side. Insert horizontal hose in shroud clip to allow pump to slide strait in.


Attach the auxiliary water pump electrical connector.
Secure the coolant hoses on the fan shroud at the left side..


Connect the coolant hoses on the fan shroud at the bottom side.


Position the large engine compartment shield underneath the front of the car (Philips).

Lower car from jack stands (follow appropriate procedure).

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