radiator plastic

[JayGotti]

hey guys, so i have a 87 325is and my lower rad hose was slit by the belt next to it( i think power steering). so i went to buy a new hose and replaced it, but while i was swapping out i try to move the radiator so it would not hit the belt( i didnt remove it just loosed the bolts) but i ended up making it not rub. but the fan clutch plastic is touching the fan and wont let it spin. i put it in all the clips and it wont fit properly. so i was wondering if i could just take it out? would it have any affect on cooling?

[FLG]

Yes it will, i wouldnt say a fan shroud is a must, but it does make a large difference in cooling, especially in traffic and more so if you have air conditioning. Plus by removing it your not fixing the issue, just finding a way around it.

There should be a bracket which that lower hose goes through, as seen here

http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=1113&mospid=47309&btnr=11_1168&hg=11&fg=35

Assuming the hose is routed correctly, my guess is your motor mounts are shot and thats the root cause of all this.

[jlevie]

If the radiator is fully in its mount and the shroud properly attached, the motor mounts are probably what caused the hose failure and is causing the fan rub. The fan shroud is pretty important. Overheating in traffic may be a problem if you remove it.

[JayGotti]

If the radiator is fully in its mount and the shroud properly attached, the motor mounts are probably what caused the hose failure and is causing the fan rub. The fan shroud is pretty important. Overheating in traffic may be a problem if you remove it.

i dont really want to put money in to the old m20 because i have other plans, but does the zf 320 tranny use the sam cross member as the getrag it comes with?

[jlevie]

I dunno, I suspect not.

Motor and transmission mounts aren't expensive. As it is now you have a non-funtional car that should not be driven. Unless you can park the car until you do the M/S/50/52 swap, replace those parts.

[FLG]

If you need to drive it and you really plan on a swap soon to the point where you dont want to replace the mounts, remove the shroud and see what happens. If your cooling system is up to snuff and your AUX fan is working, you should be fine. I ran with no shroud even in 90+ degree heat, AUX fan working, and no A/C on and the car barely crept above the half way mark, mind you this is with new antifreeze, wp, and radiator. Though if i tried to use the A/C it wouldnt get much hotter, but the AC was useless.

[capitoljake13]

... If your cooling system is up to snuff and your AUX fan is working, you should be fine.

I thought the aux fan was just a condenser fan for the AC and would only be on when the AC is on.. That shouldn't have any affect on engine cooling, right?

Edit; forgot about OP. My car used to creep well over the middle of the gauge in stop and go traffic after the engine reached operating temp. It didn't have a shroud and after putting one in the issue was fixed. I'd say if you expect to find yourself in that situation then avoid taking it out. If you don't spend half an hour at a standstill each afternoon then you won't notice the missing shroud on your temp gauge... Can't speak to whether you'll be replacing a hose again soon though.

[MR 325]

If you plan to keep driving the car you need to replace the engine mounts, period.

Yes the fan shroud is important. The car should not need the AUX fan AT ALL if the cooling system is in good condition.

When doing a swap the ZF trans will use the stock E30 5 speed trans brace.

[JayGotti]

thanks guys and i can park the car ill just use my m3 for now =D

[jeffnhiscars]

During the 1st 2 years I had my M10 I went through a radiator, 2 water pumps, 2 fans clutches and 2 tstats trying to get it to stay cool. Then I realized it had no shroud.

$23 and 10 years later and the gauge hasn't moved since