My 320i cabbie realy doesnt like slow traffic

[andysheep]

So as the title says normal driving back and to work up and down hill,no problems,but in a short time in traffic the temp rises quickly,to the point a couple of weeks ago it got realy hot,this m20 is on a switchable auto,my others on a manual and it never got this hot in traffic,is it time for a electric fan or is there bigger issues to combat first thanks for your input fellas

[MPOWERCRAZY]

Hi,
Its worth changing the fan clutch and coolant, once the fan clutch has been changed the fan will spin faster to cool the engine better.

[andysheep]

Coolant is 1500 miles old and i was thinking of the fan clutch,any recomendations rather than the stealers a febi ect?

[aimlessrock]

my first port of call would be to test the coupling via the news paper test (check the wiki).

I replaced mine with a new one from Euro (from memory) when I overhauled the cooling system and it works fine.

is the heater blowing out hot air by the way?..

[Gert_8]

Someone will come along and tell you off for doing the newspaper test...!

[Gavt]

Ensure the water pump/fan belt is still tensioned correctly.

[milescook]

Thermostat working? If it looks ancient, replace it anyway. Mine was the original I think, definitely seen better days...

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... Thermostat

[jmc330i]

What are you calling really hot? Assuming you mean past the last white mark and towards the red, did the temp drop back down once you were on the move again?

[andysheep]

Sorry for not replying guys,this has cheered me up no end got taken to hospital with intense muscle pains and loss of feeling in my hands,pretty crap when your a chef at the seaside in july,as soon as i get my cabby back cos i cant drive,too many pain killers and i havnt taught my miss's to drive an auto(i built it for her and then wouldnt let her have it till its fully sorted )milescook i put a new quality thermo in it . Jmc it rises quickly when rolling slowly or stoped,and to the last white marker(this happend 10 years ago when my 316 moredoor chucked its water pump)none of my m20 engines warm up like this and a simple belt check sounds like first port of call,and im off to wiki to check the news paper test,will try and get better first,got new bits lying on the bed for a couple of my e30s and cant walk to to loo,bummer
Thanks andy

[Gert_8]

/\ /\ obviously, you're still on your medication...!

Hope you make a full recovery.

[jmc330i]

it rises quickly when rolling slowly or stoped,and to the last white marker

And did the temp drop back down once you were moving again?


Anything up to (or even just past) the last white mark is normal and ok - the scale between the white marks is only a few degrees. Most 6cyl cars will run with the needle around the 1/4 mark while on the move and will rise up to the 1/2 (or even 3/4 in hot weather) while stationary, the viscous fan will do its job and stop the temp getting any higher.

[Malky320cab]

Interesting enough I have the same issue with a auto cabbie, interesting to know what would be involved in a electric fan upgrade!

Glad to hear your on the mend.

[andysheep]

From years on here iv learnt the centre on fuel and temp is linear ,so yes the centre is just a few degrees,its just my 320i manaul doesnt do this ,maybe its because its also cooling tranny fluid,so when i can move again make sure the belts good and tight,i didnt change the clutch on the fan and i think my ocd is coming out,after i renewed so many other renewables,i didnt do that one thing i checked out amazone today for a laugh and the febi clutch was only £40,i dont want asian or second hand ,any thoughts guys,
And malky the elecy fan sounds like good insurance
Andy