Radiator Fan

[rendoll911]

I've noticed my car's temp gauge went to the 3/4 mark a few times when sitting idle. I changed the thermostat about 3 months ago so i dont think its that, and i just bled the radiator again to make sure there aren't any air bubbles in the tank. One thing i did notice was that my radiator fan wasn't turning on at all, even when i turned on the A/C. Could this be the problem? Is the fan suppose to go on no matter what when the A/C is on? What should i check to make sure the fan is working?

[rendoll911]

bump

[Mad-Machine]

might want to check the waterpump too.. the E36 series is supposed to have some pretty short lived pumps in the straight 6s.. no idea about the 4 cylinder version

[tol4o]

Check the low speed fan resistor (it's right on the one of the fan supporting ribs). My was gone and the fan wasn't working at low speed but it worked at hi.
Check your temperature sensor too, the one that is on the left side on the radiator. If you have the Bentlely Manual the test for the fan is explained at page 170-5.
Unplug the raditor temperature sensor, with ignition ON, make a bridge between black/green and brown and the fan should work on low speed. Bridge between black/gray and brown turns it at hi speed.
Make those test and let me know whatever you find out. If it's the resistor I'll guide you where to get it and how to replace it. BTW Thanks for the springs

[bmwrovers]

hey guys,
i'm working on this same problem as we speak. i've narrowed it down to the resistor, but i've not been able to locate a replacement... tol4o, can you advise?

[tol4o]

Originally Posted by bmwrovers

hey guys,
i'm working on this same problem as we speak. i've narrowed it down to the resistor, but i've not been able to locate a replacement... tol4o, can you advise?

That was 5 years ago but as I can remember I got it online from http://www.mouser.com/
The resistor itself was 1 or 2 ohms you gotta check that and it was 25W I think
Check out this one, it was looking something like this. Just make sure about the specs
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/...lLEmRPcJ5KE%3d

[bmwrovers]

where did you get your spec data? i've read other sites that said 75-100w and only .25-.5 ohm resistors...

[DDubbs]

bump. What's the spec on that darn resistor? Anybody?

[BeemerMeUp]

Hey i have a question my fan wont turn on and its not any air in the system. and it also wont kick with the ac. so what should i replace to make it work relay temp sensor and where can i get them for cheap. also how would i know if my fan was just burnt out.