hebdog

Ok, and yes please let us know.

hebdog

Any news?

hegar817

Glad I stumbled across this thread as I am also having very similar issues with my 03 s55. Initially my radiator had a hair line crack right next to where the upper radiator hose connects and that was a project to work on. OMG that was exhausting. After replacing the radiator my AC would blow warm as well and over heat a bit. I replaced the thermostat and to my surprise it still would overheat so my next analysis was the water pump. I removed the water pump and it seemed to be good. I contacted a buddy of mine that works on BMW cars and explained to him what I have gone through and the symptoms and he asked me to check the radiator fan. YEP it seems to be that fan as it does not come on at all, not when AC is turned ON or when the car starts to overheat past the normal operating temp.

Not to thread jack but my fan shows to be 850w and I have also found the ebay fans but those are 600w. Would it be safe to install a 600w fan for 300ish vs spending twice as much for an 850w fan?

My pockets are not deep by any means so I am looking for the best deal without sacrficing any major performance or harm to the car.

Thank you

hauker

Great news (for me anyway): Replacing the fan assembly did indeed fix all the problems.

The 3rd party fan-assembly for $275 was surprisingly good (plug was a bit tight leading to me breaking the flimsy plug mounting bracket on the inside, but no problem)

I have now tested the vehicle for a while and am happy to report that no more warning lights are popping up and the AC is once again an arctic blast from the start.

Thanks for all who chimed in to help troubleshoot this - in particular hebdog ! - I owe you a cold one next time you happen to be in Austin ;-)

When I have some time (might be a while) I'll try and do a more succinct write-up and maybe even edit some footage I shot during the process and put it up on YouTube.

hauker

... no problem, but your question might be better answered over in the E55 forum (https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w211-20/) - they might be better acquainted with the car's specs/likes/dislikes ...

I just looked on ebay and saw a lot of options for fans-only options for your car. For me the only option was the entire assembly (MB# 1645000193) which would have been around $700, so I went the "OEM replacement" route: The seller (yourradiator) had a good score, claimed drop in fit (he was correct) and offered ebay's money back guaranty. I never questioned the wattage, but I don't think I've ever heard the fan run on full power - and I have several months worth of 100 F (+) where I live.

I assume your part-# is 2115001693 (?) - a search on that brought up items starting @ $450.

I'm not an expert, but performance-wise I would assume 600 vs 850 W would not be the end of the world, unless you are in a very hot area and make a lot of stops (the fan won't be on after you pass ~35MPH anyway), and less watts mean, you're not overloading the circuit.

The key question for me would be: Does a potentially different amp-draw confuse the ECU and your problem continues ... luckily, there are far more intelligent people here that might be able to answer this. - good luck

hebdog

Hey man no problem, it is what I do! Glad it worked out bud!

With it being a MB, I would pay special attention to the spec of the current unit when replacing with a new unit. As I have stated before MB is very picky when it comes to anything electrical. If it needs, and has, a 850w power supply then you should replace it with an 850w unit. If you do not want to replace it with a factory part that is understandable. Find a OE replacement. When you try and go cheap, cheap things can happen. Like the fan control module compensating for the lack in voltage thus increasing the draw of power down the line which can cause faults. Be it a fuse being blown or warning lights on the dash. Worst case it could cause a fire or permanent damage to other systems.

Euler

I know this is a bit out of date, but I ran across this as I am having similar issues with my ML550. The temp does not go much above 80C and the fan kicks on full speed when I stop. I am trying to figure out if the fan responds to coolant temp in the engine or coolant temp in the radiator. I believe that my thermostat may be stuck open. The rad hoses get warm soon after startup from cold and then engine never gets to full temp. Then the fan goes to full speed as the rad warms up. I replaced the factory fan a year ago and it still appears to be working fine. Anyway, you seem to have an issue with your fan power 600W vs 850W. The 600W is the standard fan and the 850 W is for models with the towing package. If you are not towing the 600 W should be fine.

hauker

Well ... it's been almost 2 years and everything has been working great (so far - knock on wood). I do have the towing package and did not verify wattage on the replacement fan (nor on the one I replaced) - maybe I just got lucky for a change ...

I can only repeat what I said before: You guys rock. The help troubleshooting this problem I have received in this thread alone what incredibly helpful.

Euler

I'm glad I ran across this post. None of my symptoms would have led me to the fan being faulty. I put in a new fan and all is well. I also replaced the thermostat and the temp sensor, but the fan did it. Thanks for keeping up with this post and the repair.