I recently had my alternator die in my 2001 530i and very green with the BMW mechanics and seeking wisdom. I purchased the new alternator and the 32mm fan spanner wrench for help with creating space for the reinstall. I know the fan bolt turns clockwise, but what else do I really] need to be doing as I turn it? Any expertise will help.
Nail the wrench with a hammer is what I do. Be careful not to break anything, but the shock should pop the nut loose. If you still can't get it, post back.
I got the fan out with ease and the air box. Now i am running into issues getting the fan shrouding out. I've gotten all of the little pop rivets out and the shrouding is free, but has a few large tubes running the the radiator overflow bottle. Should I just disconnect the lines from the bottom of the bottle...is there a better location? How much coolant is going to run out? Do I just replace the amount of fluid that ran out when all finished? Please advise
Update..... All finished. Took around 2.5 hours including a trip to Harbor Freight. Seems my car had some surprises along the way that weren't really written about in the threads I found. If anyone has questions about what I ran into please respond. Thanks!
