Fan Clutch "chirping"

[goldenbb]

I searched the archives, but didn't find anything related to this. My clutch fan, which the PO says was replaced (but not at what mileage), makes this obnoxious chirping type sound. It seems to lessen after I drive the car a bit. Is this normal? I suspect the fan clutch because I had a Mustang with one and had to deal with that awful POS. Is the clutch going bad on this BMW one or is it just an annoyance?

[golde30]

check it to see if its bad. roll up a newspaper and stick it into the fan CAREFULLY while engine is running. if the fan stops, clutch is no good, if it just shreds up the paper and keeps going, its working fine.

[Tzzantaru]

Sorry if I'm a little late.

@Golde30 : Not exactly.If the fan stops at operating temp is still good.The idea is to not overheat.

The coupling should be no more locked on a hot engine (one that is at its normal operating temperature) than a cold one. It's only when the radiator can't cope, and the temperature half way across the core has risen to a significantly higher temperature than normal, that the air coming from this area is hot enough to trigger the coupling.

So , just be careful.If the engine is not overheating , mostly in traffic @idle , then is all good.When overheating @idle happens , that's when you need to worry about the fan clutch.

[Sirotto]

Most fan clutches dont chirp anyways, I would bet money says its a belt or bearing some where else. To make sure, remove fan clutch and go for a short drive. If the sound is gone, you have your answer.