My long fight with the blower on my beast is over. After several weeks of hot weather and
having to listen to it squeak and squeal, I ordered a new blower and took the plunge to install
it.
Here is the blower. ( BMW part no 64118385558 ) I ordered it from ECS tuning. ~ $175
( BMW Toronto quoted me over $1000 for the part with installation. )
Many people told me the job was not difficult, just time consuming. I am hear to say that
they are indeed correct. You only need a set of torx, a few sockets and a Phillips screwdriver
for tools.
Removing the dash was a multi step process.
( I advise disconnecting the battery before doing any of this. )
done.
The above took about 30 minutes.
After that, it was just a matter of removing a bunch of screws and two bolts that hold the dash down.
The dash simply lifts out. I was amazed at how easily it was removed. With the dash out of the way, I
removed the foam map ( sound insulation ? ) and the ventilation duct that's right in front of the blower
cover.
Removing this duct is tricky since the ducting on my car was not like the ones in the pictorial. I did figure
out how to remove it after a few minutes. Not difficult, just take your time. To replace the blower I removed
the blower cover which is held on with a few clips, and the blower itself is held with a few screws. Very
easy.
Putting things back together was also very straight forward. Total time to do this was about 4 hours. I
went very slowly and took my time. If I were to pull the dash again, I could do it in about 30-45 minutes.
Oh, and the new blower works great, quiet and powerful. BTW The original lasted 80K miles.
The files / pics that document this are posted on the site. (PM me if you need them)
The pic shows the blower motor in the center right above the GPS on the firewall.
having to listen to it squeak and squeal, I ordered a new blower and took the plunge to install
it.
Here is the blower. ( BMW part no 64118385558 ) I ordered it from ECS tuning. ~ $175
( BMW Toronto quoted me over $1000 for the part with installation. )
Many people told me the job was not difficult, just time consuming. I am hear to say that
they are indeed correct. You only need a set of torx, a few sockets and a Phillips screwdriver
for tools.
Removing the dash was a multi step process.
( I advise disconnecting the battery before doing any of this. )
- Remove the HPS A-pillar covers ( torx )
- Remove the passenger airbag
- Remove the instrument cluster ( torx again and small phillips )
done.
The above took about 30 minutes.
After that, it was just a matter of removing a bunch of screws and two bolts that hold the dash down.
The dash simply lifts out. I was amazed at how easily it was removed. With the dash out of the way, I
removed the foam map ( sound insulation ? ) and the ventilation duct that's right in front of the blower
cover.
Removing this duct is tricky since the ducting on my car was not like the ones in the pictorial. I did figure
out how to remove it after a few minutes. Not difficult, just take your time. To replace the blower I removed
the blower cover which is held on with a few clips, and the blower itself is held with a few screws. Very
easy.
Putting things back together was also very straight forward. Total time to do this was about 4 hours. I
went very slowly and took my time. If I were to pull the dash again, I could do it in about 30-45 minutes.
Oh, and the new blower works great, quiet and powerful. BTW The original lasted 80K miles.
The files / pics that document this are posted on the site. (PM me if you need them)
The pic shows the blower motor in the center right above the GPS on the firewall.
