Replacing radiator

[SteveD]

I am replacing the radiator on my 2000 540/6sp this weekend and the Bentley manual states that the fan must be removed to replace the radiator. It looks possible that there might be enough room to lift the radiator out by sliding the shroud over the fan without removing the fan.

Has anyone tried this or knows if it would work?

Thanks,

Steve D

[edw1]

I don't know about the E39 but I could remove the radiators in my E28 and E30 without removing the fan.

[victory1auto]

I think you can do it with the fan in place if you are careful. That said, it is so easy to remove the fan and shroud, why not?

-Vic

[jim325is]

I did mine 1999 540/6. Left the fan on but have to remove fan shroud .
The whole job was 2-3 hours. Not a real tough job
Jim

[SteveD]

I did the job last Saturday and it did take about 3 hours. I took the fan off - a good wack with a dead blow hammer on the end of a 12" wrench and then it spun right off. I was amazed at how clean and free from rust and corrosion the threads were. Car has 52K miles.

It is actually an easy job, the hardest part being wriggling the radiator out and in past the AC hoses. However it is quite a messy job, with antifreeze splashing all around. For bleeding, I followed a combination of the Bentley manual and a collection of posts from various BMW forums and it worked fine.

While the fan and shroud were off I did notice cracks in the ribs of the drive belts and probably should replace those soon. How long do belts on BMWs typically last?

BTW, I got the radiator, expansion tank, cap, various fasteners, and a gallon of BMW coolant from Hunterdon BWM on Saturday and got the extra 5% discount so the whole thing only came to $220 with tax.

Steve D