E30 Zone

bit of a sticky one.. ive got a leak on a motorised valve right next to my heater matrix on the passanger side. its a small motor that sits vertically on top of a black pipe that comes from the engine bay. i managed to pull the valve off to find some sort of rubber diaphram (if thats how you spell it) and its completely shagged, ive looked on gsf and cant find anything, so i was wondering if anyone knows where i can get one from.

thanks edd

Try www.eurocarparts.com

They list 2 types:

212110080 for facelift cars with the plastic pipe £80

212110090 for pre facelift cars with a metal pipe £59.99

Or try your BMW dealer:

WATER VALVE 64111386707 $150.66, same part listed for all years of E30 according to www.realoem.com

Cheers,

Iain T

thanks mate. do i have to buy the whole valve or can i just get the rubber bit.

mwarrior wrote:thanks mate. do i have to buy the whole valve or can i just get the rubber bit.

Complete new valve I'm afraid.

Ian.

You dont mean the black rubber O ring do you?

The valve should be riveted together. You shouldn't be able to get into the rubber diaphragm!
Get one from a scrapyard for a few pence - avoid any with green stains coming from them!
Also check that your radiator pressure cap has been replaced under the recall from a few years ago.

i just pulled the valve up and it was on 4 pins, should this have happened.

mwarrior wrote:i just pulled the valve up and it was on 4 pins, should this have happened.

Nope, the pins are/were rivets. That's why I asked about the pressure cap recall.

i dont know anything about the pressure cap, how can i tellif its been recalled and if it hasn't then what do i do, ive got a 1991 325i sport if it helps. ive also ordered the valve today it should be here tommorrow so i can fit it next week. one more thing have you ever fitted a valve? thanks by the way your beeing a great help.

The inside of the pressure cap should have a yellow 'button' inside iirc.

The originals were all black.

Cheers,

Iain T

What's wrong with the all black cap?

What happens?

Ah.......... i think mines black. when was the recall and do i need to do something about it.
thanks

All the replacement caps I've seen have had a yellow disc underneath them, but following a thread on here on the subject, it seems there is also a replacement cap around which is black underneath.
The problem with the original cap was that the pressure release valve can jam and over pressurise the system.
I've had one case of a definitely faulty cap, which blew the seal at the end of a radiator, and another that I suspect was faulty, which blew a heater valve apart, just like yours.
The safety recall was because a failure in the heater area can spray superheated water over the occupants legs.
Your dealer can tell you from the VIN if the cap has been replaced, and, if not, should replace it for you FOC.
If it has been replaced there's no guarantee that the replacement cap is still with the car, so ask your dealer if your cap is the newer one.

mwarrior wrote:. one more thing have you ever fitted a valve? thanks by the way your beeing a great help.

I've fitted a few - it's quite a common failure - often because the heater hoses have been put on the wrong way around.
There's a self tapping screw which is difficult to get at because of the brake mechanism, and two small bolts at the flange joint. Fix the small square nuts in place with a piece of electrical PVC tape around the valve.

got the valve today looks quite easy to change ill have it done sometime tomorrow. i think the leak was caused by a split in the diaphram letting water into the unsealed motor part of the valve, ill ask about the cap, thanks for all your help brianmoooore, ill put another message up tomorrow to tell you how it went.