Has anyone ever done this?

My fan fell off of it's mounting position last week and I guess-timate, it's the clutch bearing bracket assembly.

Basically, the housing, which is connected to the block is still in one piece. Although they're are metal shavings within it. I can feel broken bits of a destroyed washer of some sort. Is it as easy as unbolting this housing to check for damage? The fan and clutch is in good shape. The shaft, which is connected to the fan is in good shape as well.

I checked the parts bin catalog and there's no photo of it.

Can anyone help me verifiy the parts I would need?

Do I need anyone special tools to complete the job?

On a scale of 1 -10 (10 being the most difficult) Please rate the it


thanks

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Shoebox

Assuming you're talking about the 300E and assuming it has the M103 engine, it's not a very difficult job to replace the fan bearing. Do a search on 'M103 serpentine belt' or '300E serpentine belt' for 90% of the steps.

The fan bearing is part of an assembly that bolts to the front part of the engine. FastLane has the fan clutch bearing bracket for ~$105... if that's the right part. The price seems right.

You might have to disconnect a small coolant tube for proper access to the bolts that hold the assembly in place. There won't be a lot of coolant loss but you should probably replace the o-ring if you disconnect the tube.

Sixto
91 300SE
87 300SDL
81 300SD

Wife was driving down the fwy, saw battery light come on. Got off fwy onto surface streets, got stuck in construction zone. Car overheated and she pulled off the side.

When I got there, the fan was just sitting inside the shroud, the fan belt was loose.

My mechanic made the roadside visit, was able to replace right then and there. The fan bearing housing is as you described, basically a plate with the bearing. The housing just bolts on, then you add the fan. On my 86 300E, he had to loosen a small line that sits above it. He just loosened the mounting bolts, didn't remove it.

He had a special wrench that looks like a slim jim used for opening locked cars. At the end is the stub of an allen wrench for tightening the fan in the small space between the fan and the radiator.
Then he replaced the fan shroud and we were set.

Now I'm driving the car to make sure my wife didn't overheat it too much and did more damage.

--Craig