E30 Zone

Car had typical viscous symptoms two months ago so got a new fan clutch fitted with a new thermostat and a coolant flush - car came back from the garage airlocked but once I'd bled it the following morning all overheating symptoms passed .

Sitting in traffic last week and notice I'm heading for the red again so take a clear back road and the temp falls to half way . Put in a second new viscous myself a couple of days ago but the problem's still there . Tried the newspaper test and the fan stops with the temp gauge well past the 3/4 mark .

I've hot air from the heater - car only overheats in traffic OR at low speeds - no mayo under the oil cap - there is some white smoke from the exhaust but very little and only for a minute or two after the car's been sat overnight .

I can't believe I've had two duff fan clutches , spoke to a mechanic and he reckons the water pump but what do people on here think ?

Any help greatly appreciated .

I've just had similar problems with my 325 cab.
Car would over heat in traffic.
I changed Viscous Fan,Thermostat and flushed radiator........no change.
Then replaced water pump (and cam belt)........no change
Head off,Skim Head, replaced Head Gasket........problem solved.
The above is the usual routine for an M20.
So i would change the water pump next.

Nick

Nick325 wrote:I've just had similar problems with my 325 cab.
Car would over heat in traffic.
I changed Viscous Fan,Thermostat and flushed radiator........no change.
Then replaced water pump (and cam belt)........no change
Head off,Skim Head, replaced Head Gasket........problem solved.
The above is the usual routine for an M20.
So i would change the water pump next.

Nick

agreed.

patkenny wrote:Car had typical viscous symptoms two months ago so got a new fan clutch fitted with a new thermostat and a coolant flush - car came back from the garage airlocked but once I'd bled it the following morning all overheating symptoms passed .

Sitting in traffic last week and notice I'm heading for the red again so take a clear back road and the temp falls to half way . Put in a second new viscous myself a couple of days ago but the problem's still there . Tried the newspaper test and the fan stops with the temp gauge well past the 3/4 mark .

I've hot air from the heater - car only overheats in traffic OR at low speeds - no mayo under the oil cap - there is some white smoke from the exhaust but very little and only for a minute or two after the car's been sat overnight .

I can't believe I've had two duff fan clutches , spoke to a mechanic and he reckons the water pump but what do people on here think ?

Any help greatly appreciated .

Where I've highlighted:

Are you absolutly sure this is correct? Because that means the viscous fan is still NOT working.

How are you stooring it after you've bought it, it MUST be stored stood up right and not placed flat. Somemotorfactors don'tknowthis either and you may be buying duff ones each time.

March109

Had 1st one posted - it arrived with arrows on the box but who knows if it travelled that way the whole time . Bought the second one personally from a different motorfactors - it was handed to me flat but this was the way the arrow pointed on the box . The previous sachs box had this arrow on it as well .

Just been to the car and the arrows on the narrow side of the box pointing up ( store flat ) with the word top beside it . Both fan clutches have been this way .

The arrows are on a sticker so I suppose they could've been put on wrong . I've just gone to the wife as I'm worse for wear at the minute and she agrees I stored it how the box suggests .

It would make sense though to store it the same way it was fitted plus everything suggests a duff fan . Are the stickers on wrong on the two fan boxes ?

sounds like two duff fans to me, as March says. I've experienced this myself, so not unheard of, especially from GSF!

Yeah one from GSF and one from OTTO but both boxes had the arrows pointing as if the box should be stored flat !! so that's how I stored them . May go buy a third one so and make sure it's been stored correctly . Did a search earlier and I reckon March is correct in how they should be kept which means the stickers were put on the box(es) wrong .

On the plus side I'm not looking at a new water pump or a head gasket failure ( he says fingers crossed )

TBH not much I can suggest I have not ever come accross one that has been stored correctly the whole time it was boxed. Maybe from BMW themselves would be better, I couldn't afford a BMW part at the time, false economy as in the end I bought 2 new ones and a good known working s/h unit before I got my money back and then ended up buying a genuine bmw part from the stealer, even then the parts desk attendant put it on the counter wrong whilst counting my cash .

Because I ended up getting one from a breaker to see if it was indeed the problem, when it turned out it was I returned the two inneffective parts to gsf and educated the parts monkey myself getting an apology and a full refund.

Not a whole lot anybody can do when the bloody sachs box has the wrong arrows on it !!

I've checked it sober today and it does indicate to be stored flat - it does however have a small picture of the fan clutch in an upright position so it looks like the sticker has been on wrong all along . the sticker's from sachs too so I'd imagine it left the factory that way .

Anyway third fan it is so - I had the car booked in for Wednesday and a new water pump - think I'll fire ahead with this anyway as all these short sharp shocks can't be doing the old one any good .

Thanks for all the replies