Hello,
Just tonight my 1995 850t started smoking. I parked immediateldy and smoke from the radiator fan was apparent. it smelled like burnt plastic. Electrical burnt smell coming rightt front the engine on the fan center itself. Also alot of steam and white smoke from the cap of coolant resoiver as well. I need help please. Is the fan or relay or burnt wire? Do have a bad radiator? Any advice where to go or do will he helpful. I know its late but i am guessing radiator fan at jw to be replaced asap

 

could be the wiring or the fan motor - did you notice if the fan was running when the car started to over heat? Time to replace the thermostat and the overflow tank's green cap too since you can't be sure if the fan was running too long due to engine temp (ie stuck thermostat or possibly failed water pump) or if the fan never was running. Try jumpering the relay to see if the fan starts up and runs freely. If it draws too much current the wires will heat up as well so you know to replace the fan motor. I'd probably plan on doing the thermostat and green cap just the same.

 

Thanks for the advice, it turns out to be a bad fan relay on the radiator shroud.

I did have to replaced my cooling fan anyways with used one from the junkyard, as the old one the motor seized the wires burnt and melted at the center of the fan.
When i turned the car on after the fan replacement, the temp. gauge still started to rise past 3'oclock postion.
I shut it off and still notice steam coming from the cooling cap reservoir. I replaced both the green cap of the reservor and cooling fan relay as well. Now it the car drives well.

---one the side note, the Fan is not hard to replace. you need a 15 torx to remove the 2 top bolt of the fan, and just loosen the 2 bottom bolts, remove all vacuum and wires in the way, and slowly lift the fan. you will have to turn the fan and maneuver it a bit the slide out the space between the intake manifold and the radiator in front. I was able to do it without removing the plastic shroud on top of the radiator. Just take your time and make sure the fan its not caught on anything(especially the throttle body cover, which I did remove when I install the replacement.)