which cooling system is better???

[telski789]

hi,when i converted my 318i is to a 325i i used the cooling setup where the expansion tank is on the pasenger side,and the temp always sits at halfway,maybe a lil over sometimes,but i picked up my missus 320i touring and that has the expansion tank that sits on the drivers side and hers never go's over a 1/3 even after 170 miles and sat in traffic!! whats you ideas? cheers

Tel

[e30-320i]

change the themostat mate it's probably stuck open and cooling all the time

[telski789]

on which one? you mean the touring? are you saying its running too cool??

Tel

[e30-320i]

yeah the touring my 320i used to sit at about 1\3 on the temp guage and was real bad on petrol when i went to change the thermostat i found i didn't have one since fitting it now sits at half and gives better mpg.your car may just run cooler but i thought they should be on or around the halfway mark

[telski789]

ok cool,so mines ok and hers needs sorting! phew!! haha!

cheers

Tel

[Brianmoooore]

Niether of them need sorting, they're both fine. Missus's touring either has a slightly colder thermostat or a slightly different spec brown temp sensor.
Ideal position for the gauge is dead centre, but the centre section of the gauge is expanded and only covers a few degrees. Anywhere in the centre zone is fine, as long as it's well away from the blue and red zones.
A gauge that moves around with driving conditions is a different thing, and needs investigation.