Cooling fan problem

My wife told me that when she started her 2001 330XI E46 she heard loud clunking noises. I had her start the car and I can see the cooling fan is wobbling severely and banging something. The shaft that the fan is attached to is clearly wobbling. My first thought is “oh my god, please don’t let it be severe engine trouble (It’s new to us)”. I thought that the shaft may go in to the engine block. I’ve since searched the forum and it appears the fan attaches to the water pump and the water pump is the likely problem. So I ask….


Does the fan bolt to the water pump?
Can someone give me a summary of how tough of a replacement this would be for a good DIY’er like myself.
Or how much I would pay for a pro to do it.

Thank you very much.

The fan is not too hard to get off if you have the right tools. Bavauto has a wrench type of tool to hold the water pump shaft, by the pulleybolts, stationary while you use a 32mm open-end wrench to rotate the fan nut clockwise(reverse thread) to remove the fan from the engine. then wiggle it out from between the engine and radiator cowling then you will be able to get to the waterpump (with some moderate difficulty workspace-wise). Best to get a Bentley, haynes Chilton book or something like that and learn your car, what with the price of repairmen these days.