I have put about 400 miles on the car since I did the install. The installation was a breeze. Thanks to the very detailed instructions.

The only issue I came across was that I couldn't get my fan clutch off of the water pump. I tried the trick with the wrench and hammer and couldn't get it off. I also used a long screwdriver and couldn't get it. I ended up buying the tool for 27 dollars off of eBay and when I tried using that it was still extremely difficult. I am a pretty strong guy and it wouldn’t budge with all my weight on it. I had to hold the pulley holder with one hand and then had to whack the wrench with the hammer about 10 times before it finally broke loose. Not sure why it was so hard, but it’s possible that the last person who reinstalled my fan clutch over torqued it.

In my initial attempts to remove the fan clutch with the hammer method I accidently broke one of my upper radiator hoses and put a crack in my thermostat housing (most likely from the 2 hours of hopelessly smacking the wrench with a hammer). My recommendation is to just buy the freaking tool the first time and save yourself the effort and for me an extra $100 in parts. This will also put less strain on your water pump over time.

I could tell a difference as soon as I started my engine. My exhaust note was much deeper and the car just sounded more powerful. Accelerating out of turns in second gear the car now has plenty of power and doesn’t act like it needs a downshift. I have also noticed that my traction control goes off a lot more when I get into the gas.

Besides the increase in power I have been feeling in lower RPMS the main improvement has been my fuel efficiency. I always got great mileage on the highway (30-34mpg), but as soon as I got into the city my avg would drop to about 22-23. Now my average stays around 28mpg. I have been driving more HWY miles than normal, but I would say my gas mileage has improved overall by around 10-15%. I have over a quarter of a tank left and have gone about 400 miles since I last filled up.

If it feels this great with around 100 miles of city driving and 300 miles of Highway driving, I can't wait to see how much of a difference there is after the full break in.

Very happy customer!! Thanks!!

• 2003 e39 530i 5sp M54 80k miles - benprunkle 2008-07-02 18:07:54 (144 views)
  • Thanks for the feedback! (nt) - Rajaie 2008-07-02 20:11:02 (47 views)