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Car Forum / BMW Cars / October 2006E36 (K reg) Temp. overheat light
I'd be grateful if anyone could shed some light on the likely cause of this fault. I've had my car (a 1992 320i coupe) for 6 years and it's never let me down.... until the other day. All of a sudden the temperature needle shot to fully hot and the red light came on. I pulled over and opened the bonnet to see that the level indicator side of the radiator seemed to be about to burst but on the other side (presumabely the outlet) I could squeeze the hose quite easily. It also felt cold. Various people have suggested that I could have an air lock in the system. I was wondering whether it could it be that the thermostat has failed and is stuck in the closed position therefore not allowing any coolant around the system. I'd be really grateful for any advice as the front of my engine is currently in pieces. Many thanks. > I've had my car (a 1992 320i coupe) for 6 years and it's never let me > down.... until the other day. All of a sudden the temperature needle shot [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > I'd be really grateful for any advice as the front of my engine is > currently in pieces. Your water pump's plastic impeller has parted company with it's metal shaft. You need a new pump, I'd do the thermostat at the same time. About 25 for the pump and 6 for the thermostat from euro car parts.  SignatureWho needs a life when you've got Unix? :-) Email: john@unixnerd.demon.co.uk, John G.Burns B.Eng, Bonny Scotland Web : http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk - The Ultimate BMW Homepage! Need Sun or HP Unix kit? http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk/unix.html www.Strathspey.co.uk - Quality Binoculars at a Sensible price >> I've had my car (a 1992 320i coupe) for 6 years and it's never let me >> down.... until the other day. All of a sudden the temperature needle shot [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > shaft. You need a new pump, I'd do the thermostat at the same time. > About 25 for the pump and 6 for the thermostat from euro car parts. I'm with John. I said the tstat was gone, earlier. But, in retrospect, the water pump is a huge suspect too. In any case, replace them both. Just out of interest. What does the bottom of the rad look like visually? > I'd be grateful if anyone could shed some light on the likely cause of > this [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > I'd be really grateful for any advice as the front of my engine is > currently in pieces. Many thanks. Thanks to John, Jeff and Leroy for your comments. Really appreciated! I think I will change both the pump and the thermostat. I wasn't planning on changing the pump but I guess whilst most of the engine is in pieces I may as well! Leroy, with regards to your question, the bottom of the rad is clean. Well, it isn't showing any signs of leaking. I have had it suggested to me by a friend that the sudden jump from normal to hot on the temperature gauge could be an indication of an air blockage in the system. This would fit in with the fact that one of the hoses (exiting the rad) felt empty (no water inside) and cold! OK. The reason I asked was because I remember that there was a problem with the rads whereby the bottoms would bow out. I think that this was a year or two later though. > Thanks to John, Jeff and Leroy for your comments. Really appreciated! > I think I will change both the pump and the thermostat. I wasn't planning [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > fit in with the fact that one of the hoses (exiting the rad) felt empty > (no water inside) and cold! > Leroy, with regards to your question, the bottom of the rad is clean. > Well, it isn't showing any signs of leaking. I have had it suggested to me > by a friend that the sudden jump from normal to hot on the temperature > gauge could be an indication of an air blockage in the system. This would > fit in with the fact that one of the hoses (exiting the rad) felt empty > (no water inside) and cold! They are a pain to bleed. Have a look on google for the procedure. SignatureWho needs a life when you've got Unix? :-) Email: john@unixnerd.demon.co.uk, John G.Burns B.Eng, Bonny Scotland Web : http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk - The Ultimate BMW Homepage! Need Sun or HP Unix kit? http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk/unix.html www.Strathspey.co.uk - Quality Binoculars at a Sensible price Na, rubbish, the M52 can be a pain to bleed, not the M50. > They are a pain to bleed. Have a look on google for the procedure. > Na, rubbish, the M52 can be a pain to bleed, not the M50. I thought they had pretty much the same cooling system? I have an M52 but never had an M50. I know the M42 is a cut down M50, and they can be a pain. SignatureWho needs a life when you've got Unix? :-) Email: john@unixnerd.demon.co.uk, John G.Burns B.Eng, Bonny Scotland Web : http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk - The Ultimate BMW Homepage! Need Sun or HP Unix kit? http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk/unix.html www.Strathspey.co.uk - Quality Binoculars at a Sensible price I have never had any problems with M50, but M52 can be a right bugger sometimes. I am not sure what it is about M52's because it is not every one that is a problem. They will fill OK with water coming out of the bleed bungs and you also get a nice jet coming out of the top of the rad by the radiator cap, but then after running for a little while you can tell it's going to be a pain when the coolant level starts rising pretty quickly. I have tried all sorts of things like lifting the front of the car on a ramp when filling to dislodge any air pockets, lifting the rear of the car on a ramp, pressure testing the cooling system and opening the bleed bungs to let air escape... Strangely enough, it can be bordering on overheating with the coolant pressurising, leave it over night, top it back up in the morning, start the engine and the problem disappears. Strange. Again, with the M42 I have never had much of a problem. The cam tensioner rattles it's nuts off for about 10 seconds after removing the head, which can be a bit worrying, but that's about it. Maybe the M52 stands out because the engines have been apart more than the others. Saying that, the M42's heads used to come off at approx. 70,000 miles to replace the rubber seal between the head and the block. >> Na, rubbish, the M52 can be a pain to bleed, not the M50. > > I thought they had pretty much the same cooling system? I have an M52 > but never had an M50. > > I know the M42 is a cut down M50, and they can be a pain. Me thinks you have a stuck thermostat. > I'd be grateful if anyone could shed some light on the likely cause of > this [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > I'd be really grateful for any advice as the front of my engine is > currently in pieces. Many thanks. |
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