325i Fan fouling crank bolt

[goosiegander]

Annoying one,

Figured that after installing the fan blades into the viscous coupling CORRECTLY (and lunching two rads in the process)! The nice new genuine jobbie care of BBB would be safe...

Now attempting to install the fan back onto the waterpump drive the blades hit the crank bolt before the viscous is tight,

FFS what am i doing wrong? Could it be the wrong fan attached to the viscous?

[hongkongfuey]

What engine? Correct blades for the car may not be the correct one for a different engine

[hongkongfuey]

What engine? Correct blades for the car may not be the correct one for a different engine

[daimlerman]

Cannot think what's wrong,Goosie,but I can get a finger between crank bolt and fan on my M20.
Waterpump is a potential culprit,assuming the crank bolt is fully secured....

[goosiegander]

What engine? Correct blades for the car may not be the correct one for a different engine

M20 dude

[goosiegander]

Cannot think what's wrong,Goosie,but I can get a finger between crank bolt and fan on my M20.
Waterpump is a potential culprit,assuming the crank bolt is fully secured....

Do you have a reference picture you can post up of the bolt relative to the face of the pulley wheel?

[daimlerman]

Dunno if this helps you...



It's almost impossible to get the camara into a position where you can see the fan/front pulley with the engine in the damn car!

Just a thought,you have fitted the right pulley to the crank nose?

[goosiegander]

there are two possible mounting positions for the m20 fan blades in the foremost position the fan just shaves the rad cowling which, if revved past 4k will probably result in dead rad care of fan blade,

With the fan mounted at the rear of the viscous the blades touch the crank bolt as above.

perhaps its the front end damage as Penton suggested as the fan is closer at the bottom as opposed to the top...

get the feeling that the ratchet straps will be coming out later!

[daimlerman]

Your thoughts are that the radiator is too close at the bottom?
This would probably match any front end action,as the bumper mounts are at a similar hieght.

Fan should sit square(ish!)in the cowl,with a similar gap all round.

There's not a lot of spare room at the front of an M20,but if things are a bit bent,would an easier option be an electric fan mounted in front of the radiator?

[goosiegander]

Your thoughts are that the radiator is too close at the bottom?
This would probably match any front end action,as the bumper mounts are at a similar hieght.

Fan should sit square(ish!)in the cowl,with a similar gap all round.

There's not a lot of spare room at the front of an M20,but if things are a bit bent,would an easier option be an electric fan mounted in front of the radiator?

Considered that Malc,

Will go big guns with the ratchet strap this evening and see if that provides suitable clearance, will cross further bridges if no success

[Brianmoooore]

Fan blades should be mounted on the viscous so that they are closest to the radiator.
Have you checked your engine mounts? Could be the engine sitting too far forwards.
Look for ripples that shouldn't be there in the deformable section of the chassis rails, between the strut towers and the bumper mounts,
Check for washers between the bumper mounts and where they bolt to the end of the chassis rails.

[goosiegander]

Ratchet straps are now away, slam panel now fettled out and fan blades behave, well unless braking heavily,

New engine mounts ordered up so hopefully thats the end of it