E30, shoehorn, m30. i knew it wasnt dead.

[Toby_Unna]

is the rad getting warm? if not i guess there's either a blockage or the water pump has an airlock in it and isn't pushing the coolant around.

[ric325i]

yeah the rad is hot.

blockage is my idea it just doesnt seems to pass round?

should not be a problem with the thermo.

pump is new so it 'should' work. i think i may book it into a garage for a look at it then they can pressure test the engine and have better knowledge about the cooling system. well be able to find the blockage etc - basically why it wont do what it needs to.

how much fun will it be giving a car like this to a garage..........
just to bleed it.

well to see whats wrong with it.

[Andy335Touring]

You only leave the cap off for the first couple of minuets.

One thing to check is to make sure the little pipe from the top of the rad to your expansion tank isn't blocked, shame you're not closer or i'd have poped round.

A couple of things i do is keep over filling the expansion tank and keep squeezing the top rad hose.

[ric325i]

You only leave the cap off for the first couple of minuets.

oh

cheers for the offer

and those pipes have been massarged soooooooo much, im good with my hands well atleast the girls say so

is theer a way to check the pump is.....pumping?

[Toby_Unna]

it can't really not pump unless the belt comes off or the impellor comes off...

or if it's surrounded by air.

[ric325i]

it can't really not pump unless the belt comes off or the impellor comes off...

had to ask im searching for all eventuallities

there must be an air lock of some discription, so can i get water down into the pump?

im going to search for some diagrams of the cooling system. see if i can figure it out?

any fault finding guilds etc

[ric325i]

well through a search and from what Andy touring said i need the cap on the header tank to add pressure to the system.

here is one guys problem

"just realised my coolant cap rubbers are fooked -this allowed coolant to pish out under pressure.

Replaced cap and purged the system again -seems to be ok for the moment..."


so with the cap on i may get some pressure so the pump will function and pump the water round the system
hey hey im a retard.

but i was getting lots of steam out the tank so i guess it still could be the header tank?

whats this Kseal stuff? i have heard it can be a life saver.........lets take a look on the inter-web




right had a look and it may be a good idea to try the K seal but i feal it will just get spat out the header tank?


bleeding the system is strange, as the cap needs to be on to let the pressure in the systems work but how does the air get out?

there is the over flow but its only a little pipe.......i may use the nipple just to check it?

more research needed - back to the web

[SPADGE]

bleeding the system is strange, as the cap needs to be on to let the pressure in the systems work but how does the air get out?

there is the over flow but its only a little pipe.......i may use the nipple just to check it?

more research needed - back to the web

Strangely enough the air comes out through the hole that the bleed screw (top of the thermostat housing) goes into mate

[ric325i]

yeah man but i have been told so many times i can bleed the car through the header.
but i plan to try the bleed nipple tonight - just to be different hey.


its always good to try something new

[SPADGE]

yeah man but i have been told so many times i can bleed the car through the header.
but i plan to try the bleed nipple tonight - just to be different hey.


its always good to try something new

If you don't use the bleed screw then you won't ever bleed it fully

[gareth]

the air bubbles should come out of the bleed screw and the thers will end up in the tank, dropping the coolant level.

have you tried pulling one of the blanking plugs out from near the thermostat? it works like the bleed screw in a way but is the other side the thermostat so may find some more air lurking?

[DRIFTBOY]

I do mine pretty much as the Haynes manual suggests (for once! ) and it's been quick and easy most times.
With heater blowing hot at full speed and the electric fan running.

Usually have to top up in the morning and job done!

[ric325i]

honestly do you guys think im stupid?

i would forgive you for thinking such a valid point.

after the car has been bled infront of me by Andy gall (who is now selling his 335i check for sale section i will post pics for him tonight) through the header tank and the guy at the garage doing it through the header tank, i thought i could do it through the header tank.

but couldnt.

i guess the air lock was causing problems? but i think i got it and thats think.

last night i tried to bleed it, but this time i put the lid back on the tank when it started getting warm.
then i opened the one of the blank plugs and let some water out, then i used THE BLEED NIPPLE!!!!!

so everytime the system has been bled i have never had the header tank lid on. but as suggested by you guys i have left the header tank lid on and it must have created some pressure to make the pump work as intended?

so with some water out the over flow, engine hot, i openned the bleed valve to a splutter of air / water (usual) and then all water

so i did added some water to teh tank and did ti again, few bubbles but only a few out the nipple mostly water.

let it cool did it again and only water - then i realised the blowers are kicking out hot air!!!!!!!!!!

oh yes water is getting circulated! hot air no air bubbles and the temp dropped to a nice steady half way

i will hook up the fan and the fix the rest of the car together and take it for a drive see if it all works




couldnt do it last night as the beer was calling. few dodgy beers while watching a stand up comedy show. sweet.

but i still have fears.......just because i need to see it works right and lots of water was sucked in after the 1st bleed.



i could be on the road again tonight

[gareth]

result!

i've been out playing in mine this morning... i've done 250 miles now after having it off the road for 18 months! so much fun!

[SPADGE]

honestly do you guys think im stupid?

In a word errrrr......................YES lol

Only kidding as a stupid person would chop their prop in half in the wrong place

Glad your finally (maybe) sorted

[ric325i]

oh yes i will join you on the 250miles of fun - infact i plan to do many many more

18 months off the road i bet you happy now!

it took 12/13months to get this work done but its coming together!

i am still not happy with one on the engine mounts going to put a spacer under it tonight after i buy a cheap angle grinder


but i dont think i should be aloud and angle grinder......

i will need it to put a centre box in the exhaust as its too load!

[ric325i]

honestly do you guys think im stupid?

In a word errrrr......................YES lol

Only kidding as a stupid person would chop their prop in half in the wrong place

hey it wasnt the wrong place it was just more than one place

it ain that bad and the tube wasa bit rusty so i was happy to cut it out



i dont mind i have made a few mistakes but im getting there..


its like what a teacher says to the special boy at school "its a learning curve - its how we learn"

i have never heard that before

[gareth]

i am indeed chuffed! and you should be too!

[ric325i]

i am indeed chuffed! and you should be too!

i will when it im driving it again and safe in the knowledge i can drive it round.

i have always been in fear of some things like the fan etc - my eyes constantly on the temp gauge in fear!

and when it slightly less LOAD i will be happy cause 3inch exhaust with small back box is.....

also its mot and tax time at the end off the month

[Andy335Touring]

Nice one dude, continous hot air out of the heater = sorted

Sorry, i'm not digging at you but you have a loud not a load exhaust, with my frankly sh!t spelling i'd be a right tosser if i were trying to take the p!ss but i'm not, honest !

[ric325i]

oi i will spell words how i like to spell words! ok!
i created the english language and thenm sold it to the fat americans to make sheed louds of cash! and my car is mega load!

so screeeeeeeeew yoooooooouuuuuuu.


yeah thats a joke

for some reason the heaters stoped and went cold? so i tried again and got teh hot air but i dont think i have the system sorted yet? i dont get enough time on a night but on thur i wil check again, i think i put air in te system by mistake?


but i will try again i think i am getting closer?

[ric325i]

well i took the 335i for a drive last night and the thing had air in the system again.
i think that was my fault, just because the system sucks loads of water back in and sometimes its more than the expansion tank can take.

so after the drive i tried to bleed it again and i got hot air through the blowers agian

so my plan is to drive it agin and see if i need to bleed it again?

i noticed the small pipe at the top of the rad that goes to the header tank is damaged on the rad so that may be letting air in?

i will patch that up, get some K-seal and pump that round the system before i drive it agian. really make sure.


it was a good drive though, just enough to get the engine hot and then i booted it a few times

my mates face was a treat

he told me that nothing was faster than his seat leon cupra (not the cupra-R) but i think i scared him last night

[ric325i]

right she runs and runs well!

temp is good and holds good!

heat through the blowers is hot and constant i know i have a few little things i need to adjust but thats fine.

K-seal is still on teh cards but im happy.

took it for a short drive to the cinema to make sure its happy (with plenty of water in the boot just incase) and it worked like a treat

drove it to work for the 1st time this morning and i am still happy
but i need to change the back box its tooooooooo loUd ( )


so off to jetex web site to get the biggest centre box i can find they are cheaper that back boxes.
then some standard bmw back box brakets will hook it up as standard


then the police may stop looking at me with such anger

[Andy335Touring]

Nice

[johnl320]

Well done fella. All that patience has paid off

john

[ric325i]

almost.


i have done a few trips in it now but i have just done a 5 min drive to work and the bloody thing spat water everywhere

i was driving it round everywhere last night and it was fine

so there has to be air getting into the system some where? i have a few ideas and one of them is the head gasket but it must not be too bad so its progress but there is a way.


K-seal as intended and see if thats good. it can be bled so the K-seal will run round the system so it can be fixed in theory.


not too bad as it happend only 5 mins from house

better than it happening with a car full of shopping from asda - the girlfriend would have unleashed hell !

[gareth]

dude, does one of your neighbours have a voodoo doll in the shape of your car? it definately sounds like you're cursed!

mine seems to be properly bled but still keeps sitting at the 2/3 to 3/4 area my fans could do with some improvement but they would do very little at over 30mph and the heat seems to be irrespective of what speed i'm doing. if i put the heater on and blast the fan at full whack, the temp drops to midway after about 30 secs to a minute.

it's almost like the thermostat is the wrong rating

[Geeman]

K-Seal is wonderful stuff. Cured a MAJOR problem I was having with a Mk2 GTi... never saw the problem again.

[ric325i]

i like using the blowers

everytime i have used the car i have put the fans on the help circulate the system but i didnt this time as i was in a super rush and forgot.

voodoo dolls the lot!

i will get it done the carrot is being dangled infront of my nose there is hope and i want to do a journey in it next weekend

hum is that a wise idea........

[ric325i]

K-Seal is wonderful stuff. Cured a MAJOR problem I was having with a Mk2 GTi... never saw the problem again.

can i get that stuff from halfrauds?

i dont know any parts places round here

[DRIFTBOY]

dude, does one of your neighbours have a voodoo doll in the shape of your car? it definately sounds like you're cursed!

mine seems to be properly bled but still keeps sitting at the 2/3 to 3/4 area my fans could do with some improvement but they would do very little at over 30mph and the heat seems to be irrespective of what speed i'm doing. if i put the heater on and blast the fan at full whack, the temp drops to midway after about 30 secs to a minute.

it's almost like the thermostat is the wrong rating

Exactly the same as mine Gareth!

And I have found that switching the fan on (I have a manual switch as well) sometimes helps even cruising at 69.5 mph on the motorway.

Switching the heater on full works a treat too but it isn't much fun on a baking hot day!

[gareth]

i'm gonna get warm on the way to santa pod!

where is your fan switch fitted? mine is in the thermostat housing. not that it should matter a lot though as the fan shouldn't be helping at speed

[Toby_Unna]

sticking thermostats or something Martin/Gareth?

mine and andy335touring's both run a fraction under half way when they get as hot as they get (stationary just before the fan comes on), cooler when on the move. and my rad is shielded over its full area by the IC.

mine only gets hotter after it's parked up, i'd like an aux electric water pump or something?

thermo housing is the best place for the fan switch Gareth. Mine's in the far side of the rad and doesn't react very well compared to what the temp gauge says

[gareth]

it might be...

a thought, can the thermostat go in backwards?

[ric325i]

mine when it was working sits just below the half way when the fan is on manual switch if you never noticed my prolems with that.

but i have never done a motorway run since then.

but when the car was running the electric fan did bring the temp down at 70 mph but not much the blowers is the best way

sweating like a bit++