Hi
My 325i is overheating by the looks of it. The tempreture gauge will be at 3 quarters when the car has been running for a while. Is it a simple fix as replacing the thermostat?
Thanks
Over heating
Moderator: martauto
could be various things. old knackered radiator , or blocked. if you put the heater on full blast hottest setting and temp comes down , normally mean the radiator can,t cope with the engines demands.
water pump , thermostat, fan issue, engine timing out, loose fan belt, head gasket slight leak. air lock in cooling system.
but my advice is get it fixed asap otherwise your do alot of damage to the engine.
coolant temperature sensor , wiring , even a faulty gauge can all cause what appears overheating.
water pump , thermostat, fan issue, engine timing out, loose fan belt, head gasket slight leak. air lock in cooling system.
but my advice is get it fixed asap otherwise your do alot of damage to the engine.
coolant temperature sensor , wiring , even a faulty gauge can all cause what appears overheating.
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Brianmoooore
- E30 Zone Team Member
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- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm
Does it get to 3/4 and then not move any further?
Does it get into the red section at all?
Does this only happen at idle, and then come down when moving at speed?
Any work been done on the cooling system lately?
Does it get into the red section at all?
Does this only happen at idle, and then come down when moving at speed?
Any work been done on the cooling system lately?
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aimlessrock
- E30 Zone Squatter
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- Location: Manchester
could be any of the above points raised, do not let that engine get into the red and over heat- B25 blocks can crack.
E30 320i Convertible (1989)
190 Mercedes (1988)
"there is nothing more expensive than a cheap E30"
190 Mercedes (1988)
"there is nothing more expensive than a cheap E30"
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Cloggy Saint
- Old Skooler
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Have you tried giving it a whack? I had a similar thing where my temperature gauge would steadily creep up and stop around the 3/4 mark. A few knocks and it would spring back to between 1/4 and 1/2 but it kept happening. I replaced the temperature guage and all was well. It's a long shot but worth a go.
E30 zone - promoting adult illiteracy since 2004
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Brianmoooore
- E30 Zone Team Member
- Posts: 49358
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm
If it's not reaching the red section, then it's NOT overheating - it's just running a few degrees hotter than it should. The gauge is not linear - the whole black section only covers a few degrees.
If the gauge remains stable when driving, then there's nothing wrong with the cooling system per se.
One possibility is a gauge fault, as Cloggy Saint alludes to. There's a small brass nut on the back of the instrument cluster case, which fixes the gauge in place. This nut also provides an electrical connection for the gauge, and if loose, or missing, will make the gauge over read by about 15% or so, so this is the first thing to check.
If all is in order here, then it's time for a new thermostat. The genuine BMW item has a tendency for one side of the bridge piece to break, and this might be what has happened.
If the gauge remains stable when driving, then there's nothing wrong with the cooling system per se.
One possibility is a gauge fault, as Cloggy Saint alludes to. There's a small brass nut on the back of the instrument cluster case, which fixes the gauge in place. This nut also provides an electrical connection for the gauge, and if loose, or missing, will make the gauge over read by about 15% or so, so this is the first thing to check.
If all is in order here, then it's time for a new thermostat. The genuine BMW item has a tendency for one side of the bridge piece to break, and this might be what has happened.