[AoS810]

I finally attempted to replace the e-box fan on my E90 328i as my Foxwell NT510 was giving me code "2F71 Electronics-box fan, activation". I've tried replacing the 40amp fuse in the DME box as mentioned in this thread http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=577134 which unfortunately didn't fix my issue.

For reference, I am following these instructions on newTIS: https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...it-box/Oantz3T along with all the preliminary steps.

The issue I am running into is exactly the same as post #23 in the above linked thread. I cannot remove the fuse panel as instructed here https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...it-box/I6yOm3V. I'm having quite a difficult time accessing the the top-left and bottom left screws because the blower motor is in the way.. Does anyone have any tips/tricks to make this easier? It is such a cramped working area that its hard to get any leverage/access to the screws.. any help would be much appreciated.

I have confirmed that my e-box fan is in fact dead. I cleared the codes and tested the e-box fan (NT510 has this functionality) but it would not activate, and the 2F71 code would immediately come back. I plugged in the new fan I purchased part #12907531783 (I have an N51) and ran the same test and it spun right up and no codes came up after the test. So now its just a matter of getting the old one out to replace!

NOTE: I didn't post in the other thread because its in the N54 subforum, doesn't get as much traffic. Thank you for reading.

[AoS810]

Update! I was able to successfully switch out the e-box fan and fix code 2F71 yesterday night. A flexible screwdriver shaft is the key.

I bought this set https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-t...set-93916.html and it had the T15/T20 bit and the flexible shaft allowing me to access all 4 screws for the fuse panel. Note that the screws were on pretty tight, and the flexible shaft does contort but I just kept turning counter-clockwise even when the shaft was bending and it eventually broke the screw loose.

Note that on the newTIS link in my original post, I did not perform the below preliminary steps and was still able to replace my e-box fan, hopefully this helps save time as it wasn't necessary at all:
1) https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...it-box/P4bKRWt
2) https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...it-box/E7PKr3M

Use this link for pictures on how to remove the glove box: https://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/tec..._Replacing.htm

Once the 4 fuse panel screws are removed, and the top-left plug connection as noted here https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...it-box/I6yOm3V is removed, the entire fuse panel can be carefully tilted forward and then the glorious e-box fan is exposed. No need to disconnect the connections on the back of fuse panel. That top-left plug is a B**** to get off.. I had to ask for a 2nd pair of hands, one person holding in the clip on the right side of the plug, and me holding in the left side with a flat head screwdriver and index finger GENTLY pulling on the connector.

Note I tried performing the e-box fan replacement without doing any preliminary steps (DISCONNECT THE NEGATIVE BATTERY TERMINAL) in accordance with this https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...it-box/Oantz3T and I wasn't able to get the right angles to access the two (its either T15 or T20) screws on the e-box fan. On my second attempt (with the flexible shaft), I didn't do the step where it mentioned to "Pull back carpet. Release lower nut on fuse carrier holder. Pull holder slightly towards front." as the holder barely budged (there are two 10mm nuts for the fuse carrier holder, not just the one pictured in the link) so it wasn't helpful at all, and not necessary.

When putting it all back together, I didn't put the top-left screw back in the fuse panel as it is plenty secure with just the other three.

This is definitely one of those jobs that on my first go around took forever and was a huge pain. If I had to do it again it would be a breeze.

[e90yyc]

Thank you very much for sharing this! Posts like these are extremely helpful and add so much value to the community.

I'm currently waiting on a replacement to arrive (mine was just noisy), and my goodness are you right: those screws are an absolute bitch! I've already taken the old one out... The first 90% of the job went smoothly, but by the end I wanted to just strangle whoever put those screws where they did.

Like you, I also performed many of the preliminary steps as outlined on NewTIS and found them to be entirely unnecessary in practice. This will surely help other people who are about to do this job.

Awesome work man.

Side note: Did you go for a brand-new fan? I'm curious as to the noise level when it's running.

[AoS810]

Originally Posted by e90yyc

Side note: Did you go for a brand-new fan? I'm curious as to the noise level when it's running.

I was literally cussing while taking out that top-left fuse panel screw. The engineer who decided to block that with the blower motor housing bracket has a special place in engineer hell.

I did order a brand-new fan from FCPEURO. When I was searching for the part I came across 2 variants, I used the one for the N51 engine.
1) https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...an-12907531783
2) https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...an-12907547141

It was pretty noisy when I ran the "activate" test with my NT510. But in normal operation I don't think the fan spins up to that test speed. I can take a video with my phone tonight and upload to youtube for reference as I haven't put the glovebox back in yet.

[e90yyc]

Thanks man!

Hmm, I am a bit concerned about you the fact you're saying it's still noisy. If your new one is doing that, then I'm sure my used one will be. I won't be surprised if the fan I'm replacing is functioning perfectly, and the noise I'm hearing is actually normal. LOL...

I've received my replacement, so I'll also run the activate test with INPA and see how it sounds. Right now I'm driving around with no e-box fan. Others in far hotter climates than mine have reported doing this with "success", but I don't really want to be the jamoke who fries his DME... That fan actually moves a LOT of air; if it was dinky and weak I'd take the risk and just leave it out.

I'm in Canada so Harbor Freight was a no-go unfortunately. I ended up going with a Wera 392, which feels/looks awesome. And for $35 CAD (about $2 USD at current FX rate) it had better be!

Now that I've had a chance to play with it in the non-erect position, I've realized it'll probably be very handy for other jobs too.



Edit:

This is how I felt trying to get that stupid f*&#ing electrical panel out of the way...

[AoS810]

Originally Posted by e90yyc

Right now I'm driving around with no e-box fan. Others in far hotter climates than mine have reported doing this with "success", but I don't really want to be the jamoke who fries his DME...

To provide my own experience, I didn't get my NT510 till August 2017, and that's when I first discovered the 2F71 code, so who knows how long my e-box fan has been dead for (I just fixed it 2 days ago) and I live in Los Angeles, CA so it gets pretty hot. I've monitored the ambient temperature regularly on longer trips w/ my NT510 just for shits and giggles and the temperature on my normal drive to work never really exceeds 105F to 120F. The only time that I've ever seen it climb to a much higher than usual range was when I was driving 4+ hours to Las Vegas, NV in about 90s sunny temperature and it actually said the ambient temperature in DME box was 147F highest. Car never had a hiccup though and was as stable as ever.

I've been driving with my glove box off still the past 2 days because I wanted to know when the e-box fan kicks in, and I've noticed that the e-box fan isn't always on. It activates quickly when the car starts up just to check if its working but then turns off. It seems to kick on when the ambient temperature in the ECU box is at 124F (according to my NT510). I'm not sure if it ever shuts off again after it turns on because from what I've observed so far it has stayed on till I get home from work where the temperature was at 117F.

*EDIT* also, I said its noisy but its not bad at all. It's a very smooth sounding movement of air whooshing sound. Not a bad fan bearing sound or clicky so if that's what yours sounds like then there may be an issue. I'm also driving with the glove box and sound deadening panel (below the glove box) off so I hear EVERYTHING when that e-box fan turns on.

[e90yyc]

Awesome info! Thank you!

I suspect the failure rate of DME's due to bad e-box fans is incredibly low, unless you live somewhere like Abu Dhabi.

It always sounded to me like the fan was either on or off; no variation in speed...

Thanks for the clarification on the noise. Mine did sound like the bearing was perhaps bad. I don't mind a smooth whooshing sound (similar to what you'd hear from blower motor), but this was more of a whirry grind. It sounded almost like a bad input shaft bearing does on a MT car at idle. It definitely didn't sound like something BMW would have considered acceptable when new, so I'm hopeful my replacement part will improve things

[Anthony199]

Man this is great. Couple months ago, I learnt that my ecu fan is the source of the noise under the glovebox. Looking at that ocean of wires behind the blower motor and being told that to remove it I'll need access from the top in the engine compartment, I decided to live with it.

With these instructions, it looks very doable. Remove the glovebox, remove the fuse box, and everything should be exposed. I do have a question though, I can see the picture attached in post #2 where the right bolt is shown with the flexible shaft attached to it, but I can't see the left screw. Is it because the left one is easily reachable from the driver side of the glovebox?

[e90yyc]

This doesn’t answer your question, but might sway your course of action depending on how hot the climate is where you live.

I was shipped a used replacement e-box fan by a forum member, but after plugging it in prior to install to test it out, I realized it was just as noisy as the one I was removing.

After seeing that a new replacement fan was over $150, I decided to just take my chances and leave it unplugged. I ended up just leaving the fan out and covering the hole.

It’s cold enough where I live that I’m not too concerned. I also considered the opinions of a few other people who had removed/disconnected theirs, many of them in much warmer climates than mine.

All I remember is that every damn screw or fastener was obstructed just enough to make removal a monumental pain in the ass.

Best of luck!

[AoS810]

Originally Posted by Anthony199

Is it because the left one is easily reachable from the driver side of the glovebox?

I don't recall any frustrations removing the screws that hold the e-box fan to where it mounts. As long as you have a flexible screwdriver shaft everything will be okay!

[NashN54]

Had my fan completely die. It took me a good bit of seraching, but I found two things to add to this thread found in others.

1) How to activate the fan in INPA

• Choose you vehicle (E90 in our case)
• Go to Engine and choose your engine (N54 for my case)
• Select Actuator Activation (F6 in my version)
• My version then has Activation 1 & 2, I needed 1 (F1 for me)
• E-Box Blower Fan - not E-Blower which is the radiator fan (Shift+F1 for me)
• Turn it on with E-Box Blower on (F1 for me)
• Note: It does time out and turn off, but you just turn on again if needed. Test for power at the plug if you confirm your fan isn't running

2) Someone over at Bimmerfest tracked down the OEM supplier US distributor

• Here's the link
• Fan Supplier Model RV40-18/12H, which was actually listed on my old fan for the PN along with BMW's PN
• The amperage draw is a little higher it seems, but should be no problem
• You'll need to trasfer your plug over from the old one and solder to the new one

[e90yyc]

Originally Posted by NashN54

Had my fan completely die. It took me a good bit of seraching, but I found two things to add to this thread found in others.

1) How to activate the fan in INPA

• Choose you vehicle (E90 in our case)
• Go to Engine and choose your engine (N54 for my case)
• Select Actuator Activation (F6 in my version)
• My version then has Activation 1 & 2, I needed 1 (F1 for me)
• E-Box Blower Fan - not E-Blower which is the radiator fan (Shift+F1 for me)
• Turn it on with E-Box Blower on (F1 for me)
• Note: It does time out and turn off, but you just turn on again if needed. Test for power at the plug if you confirm your fan isn't running

2) Someone over at Bimmerfest tracked down the OEM supplier US distributor

• Here's the link
• Fan Supplier Model RV40-18/12H, which was actually listed on my old fan for the PN along with BMW's PN
• The amperage draw is a little higher it seems, but should be no problem
• You'll need to trasfer your plug over from the old one and solder to the new one

Good stuff on finding the supplier! Even at places like ECS, these fans are outrageously expensive ($150+). My original fan was noisy and had started to annoy me, so I had someone send me a used replacement. Turned out the replacement one was also noisy so I just removed it altogether.

I’m curious how quiet a new unit is. I thought perhaps it’s just inherently noisy, but am not entirely convinced.

[trickstar]

I have two questions. Mine is an 09 128i, supposedly similar setup

1. When going in through the glovebox, is it still necessary to pull the electrical box under the hood on the other side of the firewall?

2. Why do all of the charts say that it is a 10 amp fuse, but it's a 40 amp fuse?

Thanks,

Jimmy

[e90yyc]

Originally Posted by trickstar

I have two questions. Mine is an 09 128i, supposedly similar setup

1. When going in through the glovebox, is it still necessary to pull the electrical box under the hood on the other side of the firewall?

2. Why do all of the charts say that it is a 10 amp fuse, but it's a 40 amp fuse?

Thanks,

Jimmy

1. Didn’t realize pulling DME box was necessary, though it’s been a long time since I did this job

2. Are you sure you aren’t looking at the fuse for your electronic fan (E-fan)?

[gbalthrop]

Originally Posted by trickstar

... the term E-fan and not E-box...

This thread is QUITE "Messed-up". Folks have posted here, or attached links to other threads, regarding BOTH what INPA and ISTA call:

1) E-Fan: Electric Radiator Fan, and requires a 40+ Amp fuse; that fuse can be located in the E-box on some models (such as N54), or on JB (Junction Box) Fuse Panel;

2) E-Box Fan: small fan on Passenger Compartment side of firewall, at JB area (NOT in E-box), which pulls air from E-box & uses 10-Amp fuse on E9x models; fuse is located on JB fuse panel after 3/1/2007.

If you need specific wiring or component location diagrams, please provide the Last-7 Characters of your VIN, and I'll attach ScreenPrints from ISTA. If you have a Windows OS Computer (either Laptop or Desktop), see attached pdf for link to FREE (MEGA) ISTA+ Download, which contains ALL the "SSP" Wiring Diagrams, REP Repair operations (like how to access/remove E-box fan), FUB Functional Descriptions of how systems work, etc.
George

[trickstar]

Thanks for the clarification, I forgot that this is about the E-90 vehicles, and mine's an E-88, and this is as close as I could find to get information about this. There's not much information about this on the 1-series forums.

[gbalthrop]

Originally Posted by trickstar

Thanks for the clarification, I forgot that this is about the E-90 vehicles, and mine's an E-88,
and this is as close as I could find to get information about this. There's not much information about this on the 1-series forums.

Actually, it appears your E88 has SAME basic setup, related to E-box Fan, as 2009 E9x.
ISTA works for most any recent BMW Model. Attached are following ISTA ScreenPrints for 2009 128i E88:

1) SSP Wiring Diagram for E-box fan, powered by F16, 10-Amp fuse, and F16 Location on JB Fuse Panel (NOT F06).

2) E-box Fan wiring diagram with Component Location (Passenger Compartment side of Firewall).

3) REP Procedure for Replacing E-box Fan, 2 Screens; Disconnect (-) Battery Cable & Remove JB Fuse Box.

4) REP Procedure for Removing JB Fuse Box, 2 Screens.

I intentionally did NOT include the "Preliminary Task" of removing Glovebox, as BEFORE you undertake ANYTHING MORE
than simply checking/replacing F16, you should do some diagnostic testing of the E-box Fan Circuit, since fan removal is QUITE involved.
E9x vehicles had Blower Harness Recall announced in 2017. That procedure required removal of JB Fuse Panel to access Harness.
I would check to see if there is a similar recall on YOUR 128i E88 that has NOT been performed BEFORE accessing E-box Fan.

Please let us know if you have INPA, ISTA, or a Windows Laptop, and we can suggest steps to DIAGNOSE FIRST.
You didn't say WHY you believe there is an issue with E-box Fan, or WHAT/HOW you have tested. Details would help.
George

[trickstar]

Originally Posted by trickstar

Thanks for the clarification, I forgot that this is about the E-90 vehicles, and mine's an E-88, and this is as close as I could find to get information about this. There's not much information about this on the 1-series forums.

I've done other electrical work, and when I looked in the glove compartment fuse block for the 10 amp fuse in the position for the e-box fan, THERE WAS NO FUSE, just an empty socket. Did I remove the fuse before while troubleshooting other items?

I put in another 10 amp fuse, all of the e-box fan issues went away. Imagine that.

[gbalthrop]

Originally Posted by trickstar

... THERE WAS NO FUSE, just an empty socket. Did I remove the fuse before while troubleshooting other items? [ISTA can save LOT$ of Problem$.]
I put in another 10 amp fuse, all of the e-box fan issues went away. Imagine that.

That's why we should ALWAYS check the "Stupid Easy" stuff FIRST.
Glad you found the problem.
George