Z4-forum.com

Just a quick guide on how to replace the electric fan.
The bearings on mine had gone, when spinning by hand it made a pretty bad noise and it would only spin about 1/2 a revolution per flick with your hand and it was showing an error on the ODB reader.

Cost: £35 - used fan with no cowling from ebay
Car: 2009 E89 3.0i Manual
Difficulty: Easy
Time: less than 1hr with tea breaks
Tools: T25,T30, 8mm socket or spanner & a flat blade screwdriver

Remove the x4 8mm screws, lift up the plastic cover and wiggle it free at the joint circled. Unscrew the x6 T30 screws Tilt the brace backwards (like opening a bonnet), then unclip the cable with the blue circles and set the metal brace aside. Unclip the pipe marked yellow and push it forward. Unplug the electric connection on the right in red. Unscrew the single T25 screw at the top left of the fan cowl (screw head faces the engine) Now the only thing holding the fan housing in place is a plastic clip at the top right of the fan housing, push this and wiggle the fan housing until you get it past the clip. Now you just need to wiggle the fan/cowling up and out of the engine bay. Now just reverse the steps with your new fan and you are good to go.

I didn't take any pictures of installing the used ebay fan into my existing cowl but it was only x3 10mm(or maybe 12mm) bolts and a few cable clips

Resurrecting this thread.
Thanks, I'm just about to do this myself, I'm replacing the whole unit though.
Good to know the 'brace' is removable.

Good luck.

It was one of the few jobs that appeared to be right pain but turned out pretty easy.

N52 layout (plus long nose bonnet) engines seem quite easy to work on, thank goodness, having changed a starter motor and the cam cover.

FYI, mine had an additional torx screw on the bottom holding a small cooler on circled in blue.
I had to remove the 200 screws holding the undertray to get to it
If anyone wants a fan and housing they are welcome to the old one from my car, it could be the fan or the switch that was faulty.
Might be of use to someone, the fan does run smoothly enough.

Sorry, only seeing this now.
Weird that yours had that attached and mine didn't. Mine must have been off in the past with a previous owner who never reattached it.