other ways of cooling

Mon Sep 01, 2008 2:02 pm

hi guys
need your help,
i did a search and have come to the conclusion that the viscous fan thingamajiggy is at fault,,,i did the newspaper trick and the fan stopped dead
is there any other way to keep the car cool until i get a replacement viscous coupling or used fan,

i tried my local factors but they havnt got a clue they are just are total arses when it comes to things like this,so im going to have to get someone to order me one from gsf, but i still have to use the car until then
could i wire up a seperate fan, also where could i put it

cheers steve

Mon Sep 01, 2008 2:09 pm

Electric fan conversions are pretty common, not sure how it's done or what needs using though as it's on my "to do" list, I'm sure someone here will point you in the right direction though.

Mon Sep 01, 2008 2:14 pm

An E30 doesn't need a fan at all once moving at a reasonable speed, and turning the heater and fan to full will make a reasonable job in traffic, but watch the gauge carefully. Also, spin the old coupling and fan back on in the meantime.
What was the problem with this car that inspired this work?

Mon Sep 01, 2008 2:21 pm

mines got an electric fan in front of the radiator. . . iv done it so that it comes on as soon as the car starts and the car still heats up nicely and it doesnt take long

Mon Sep 01, 2008 2:23 pm

sounds like your water pump might be on the way out if its over heating??? could be wrong but i would consider changing that too?

http://www.e30klubben.com/xls_trad/Elschema.pdf

thats an electric fan diagram (dont know what size fuse to use?) but i woul avoid it and get the part ordered from gsf or ecp as soon as.

p.s, the brain (brian) your a brave man........just drive it fast

Mon Sep 01, 2008 2:35 pm

The standard viscous coupling is going to be far more reliable than any electric fan, and any power gains to be obtained by the use of an electric fan are negligible to non existent.

Mon Sep 01, 2008 2:38 pm

i fully agree with you brian!

electric will drain power etc, so why do it????????? im only doing it cause if i used a viscus fan on my m30, half the fan would stick out the bonnet! so i have to use an electric fan

might cut a viscus down so i have one in there too???

thats how much i want one. jaffro's a fan of the viscus and will do anything to get one in

Mon Sep 01, 2008 2:42 pm

jaffro's a fan of the viscus and will do anything to get one in Very Happy

haha yeh even got one on the m50

Mon Sep 01, 2008 3:29 pm

cheers guys
i think i may have to wait till i get the new part from gsf,
the only prob ive got with that is after reading other threads when guys have fitted a new one its still knackered and they have to send it back for a replacement because of the way it was stored in the first place that knackered it
thats why i was wanting to know if there are other ways to keep cool,
the car heats up instantly and goes straght into red ive tried running the heater at the same time but doesnt make any difference ,it only creeps back a little and i aint got warm air either
i know electric fans will consume power but when you havnt got any power to lose (1600) it doesnt matter
when i was checking the car out earlier i noticed that all pipes from rad were cooking like they were ready to pop and the expansion tank was hissing away like a goodun, but there was definitly no leaks

Mon Sep 01, 2008 3:50 pm

oh balls.

air lock or water pump?

so how is the water pump........? i think you either have a blockage or your pump is failing? this could be why the fan isnt doing its job?

does the fan move back and forth? if so you could be looking at a failed pump?

other might say different but if COULD be the problem?

p.s i hate cooling systems.........they scare the pants off me.

Mon Sep 01, 2008 3:59 pm

stevieallstars wrote: the car heats up instantly and goes straght into red ive tried running the heater at the same time but doesnt make any difference ,it only creeps back a little and i aint got warm air either

when i was checking the car out earlier i noticed that all pipes from rad were cooking like they were ready to pop and the expansion tank was hissing away like a goodun, but there was definitly no leaks

Im thinking the viscus is the least of your problems, have you checked the pipes to the heater? and the bleed point too to make sure it's not air-locked?

If it's not got an air lock in there then i would be changing the pump and not using the car untill it's done.

Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:21 pm

if it goes straight to the red and the heater is cold dont you think it could be the thermostat stuck shut feel the heater hoses coming out of the bulk head if they are cold thats your problem

Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:25 pm

The heater is not controled by the thermostat though, its part of the engine cooling circuit, not the radiator circuit.

Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:28 pm

if the thermostat is stuck shut the coolant wont get to the heater matrix as the system is closed and it will overheat

Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:33 pm

change both! will cost about £50 or something like that and it clears out if its one prob or another.

get a new header tank cap while your there.

Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:37 pm

ric325i wrote:change both! will cost about £50 or something like that and it clears out if its one prob or another.

get a new header tank cap while your there.

thats what i would do realy but start with the easy and cheap thing to change first and go from there

Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:47 pm

good plan.

can you do the water test? pan on hob gently warm the water and see if the thermo (removed from car

) opens?

would let you know if it works i guess.

i remember when my water pump went on the a19 up to my girlfriends.......was not a good move. and was messy. i dont think you should drive the car as it could go pop.

Mon Sep 01, 2008 4:48 pm

town325i wrote:if the thermostat is stuck shut the coolant wont get to the heater matrix as the system is closed and it will overheat

Heater will work with the thermostat shut or open. If the heater doesn't work, then there is probably an airlock at the back of the head, and using the car in this condition will soon crack the head.
If you haven't been messing with the cooling system lately, then the next question is where did the airlock come from?

Mon Sep 01, 2008 6:06 pm

right guys im gonna order water pump,viscous fan coupling and a stat too

so i`ll keep you posted

can i reverse flush to clean cooling system out or is it not a good idea on a bmw
ive did it on my other cars when ive had no heat and it worked

thanks for your help

steve

Mon Sep 01, 2008 7:07 pm

Reverse clean an E30 heater with any kind of pressure, and it'll never work again!
Why are you throwing all these new parts at it, when you haven't determined what the problem is?

Mon Sep 01, 2008 7:47 pm

ordered new viscous coupling as thats the only thing i can find faulty
while i was in there i pulled stat out and boiled it and it does open
also the water pump has no play in it and theres no grinding noises so is there anything else i can check
so hopefully its just the coupling and that will be it sorted

so its just heat i need from the heater now

Mon Sep 01, 2008 7:54 pm

stevieallstars wrote:ordered new viscous coupling as thats the only thing i can find faulty
while i was in there i pulled stat out and boiled it and it does open
also the water pump has no play in it and theres no grinding noises so is there anything else i can check
so hopefully its just the coupling and that will be it sorted

so its just heat i need from the heater now

and get rid of the airlock

Mon Sep 01, 2008 11:00 pm

the viscous coupling tightens up its grip on the fan by feeling the warm air from the radiator passing over it (thats why it has little fins all over it)...... no hot water in the rad cus its airlocked means theres no warm air getting to the coupling so it wont be working will it???

bleed it up first, before you waste anymore money...... bob the upper heater pipe off where it passes thru the baulkhead, check you have water here, then do the bleed screw on the thermostat housing, top up thruout as required.

if its still the same with a cold heater........ take the waterpump out and check the impeller is still attached..... do the thermostat in the pan thing too (95% of the time the thermostat is ok)

Thu Sep 04, 2008 4:31 pm

i think i sorted it, air lock in system got heat now (yeehaa)
but car was still overheating so i fitted new viscous coupling
and now ive got my whoosh sound back when it kicks in
needle sits around the halfway mark now

thanks very much for all your help