1997 BMW 316ia overheating!

[kelly00527 0]

Hello all...this is my first go so any help is much appreciated:

My little 316ia is overheating on me,especially on idle.(when stoped waiting for the lights)

1.weeks ago, I changed the thermostat,but gave me an instant overheating!

2.some says the airblock,so I put in lots of hot water in,and it did work,just fine for nearly 2 weeks until now..is back on me again

3.on the start, the car is very tremble,looks like the idle speed is too low? start up at about just over 500rpm and gets better.

4.some says would be the waterpump

5. when the car is overheating,i checked the water level..doesnt seems to be that bad at all!

6.I'm lost

Is there any good garages around AKL? so i can popin get checked at?im located at WATERVIEW!

Thank you for everyone and happy holidays!

Edited December 27, 2007 by kelly00527

[international 0]

Hello all...this is my first go so any help is much appreciated:

My little 316ia is overheating on me,especially on idle.(when stoped waiting for the lights)

1.weeks ago, I changed the thermostat,but gave me an instant overheating!

2.some says the airblock,so I put in lots of hot water in,and it did work,just fine until now..is back on me again

3.on the start, the car is very tremble,looks like the idle speed is too low? start up at about just over 500rpm and gets better.

4.some says would be the waterpump

5. when the car is overheating,i checked the water level..doesnt seems to be that bad at all!

6.I'm lost

Is there any good garages around AKL? so i can popin get checked at?im located at WATERVIEW!

Thank you for everyone and happy holidays!

I aint no mechnic myself, but my radiator levels are low, before I was going to add water in there, my dad advised me of using radiator coolant instead of just pure water? Suppose radiator coolant offers are better heat capacity over water. As to your overheating problems, I would suggest that you take the car back if that is possible to the place where you had the thermostat replaced. By the way, how many Ks have you clocked on it?

You can try Yellowpages for the closest mechnic to you.

Hope you get your problem sorted out ASAP...

[kelly00527 0]

cheers mate, but i changed the thermostat myself...lol

[Grant 4]

Hi and welcome

Sounds to me as though the fan clutch (viscous coupling) has gone, especially if the problem is while idling (or at the lights). Does the car cool a bit while in motion (i.e. not needing the fan to cool it?). These have failed on both my E36's and I have had them both replaced.

From Waterview, the closest place is probably the BM Workshop (www.bmworkshop.co.nz). However I'm not sure of their opening hours over the holidays (if at all).

Good luck

Cheers

Grant

[kelly00527 0]

Hi and welcome

Sounds to me as though the fan clutch (viscous coupling) has gone, especially if the problem is while idling (or at the lights). Does the car cool a bit while in motion (i.e. not needing the fan to cool it?). These have failed on both my E36's and I have had them both replaced.

From Waterview, the closest place is probably the BM Workshop (www.bmworkshop.co.nz). However I'm not sure of their opening hours over the holidays (if at all).

Good luck

Cheers

Grant

yes it does cool down a little bit while in motion! any idea how much the fan clutch would be?

Edited December 28, 2007 by kelly00527

[Braeden320 0]

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[kelly00527 0]

i did in the morning,they are off until the 7th!...............

i will try the cellphone tho. thanks mate!

Edited December 28, 2007 by kelly00527

[ducatiss 1]

I aint no mechnic myself, but my radiator levels are low, before I was going to add water in there, my dad advised me of using radiator coolant instead of just pure water? Suppose radiator coolant offers are better heat capacity over water. As to your overheating problems, I would suggest that you take the car back if that is possible to the place where you had the thermostat replaced. By the way, how many Ks have you clocked on it?

You can try Yellowpages for the closest mechnic to you.

Hope you get your problem sorted out ASAP...

Make sure you always use proper coolant - it raises the boiling point, and protects against freezing, but most importantly, will protect against corrosion something that is very very important in a car with an alloy head. You will ruin your engine if you dont! The coolant will lose its effectiveness after a while so change it every 2 years.

Edited December 27, 2007 by ducatiss

[kelly00527 0]

thanks for all of ur help here.....so in terms of proper coolant? any 'brand' suggestion?

and that fan clutch, is it hard to replace? coz most of the places are closed for the holidays..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[ducatiss 1]

thanks for all of ur help here.....so in terms of proper coolant? any 'brand' suggestion?

and that fan clutch, is it hard to replace? coz most of the places are closed for the holidays..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

BMW branded is probably safest but any good quality low phosphate Ethylene glycol based coolant such as Castrol anti freeze/anti boil mix should be fine. I would stay away from the cheaper mixtures sold at the warehouse. Buy it in full strength (rather than pre mixed if you can) and mix it 50:50 with water. If you want to get really technical you should use a soft or distilled water but most just use everyday tap water. Keep a bottle in your boot already mixed for any top-ups so you don't dilute the mix over time if you add water.

[kelly00527 0]

cheers man! Glenns is located oversea for holiday...any other good place i can get this down?

[Yuen 16]

Have you checked with BMWorkshop? They are reputable and you should go there if they are open.

As Grant has said it sounds like it's the fan clutch. I would expect it to cost upwards of $200. If it was the water pump it should overheat all the time, not only when you're idle.

As for coolant, I wouldn't use anything other than BMW coolant. It's blue in colour and sold in 1.5L bottles at the dealer (concentrate) and costs ~$14.xx + GST per bottle. If you buy Prestone concentrate from Repco/Supercheap etc it costs $30 for 3.75L. To me paying that little bit extra for BMW coolant is well worth the peace of mind. And you'll only need around 2 bottles anyway depending on what the mix is, I usually do 40-45% coolant. What colour is the coolant in your car now? If it's anything other than the BMW stuff, I would drain it all before putting in the BMW stuff, mixing them may not be a good idea.

As for water, I use distilled water - NZ Pure Dew water. I buy it in 10L containers from Countdown/Foodtown.

Make sure to bleed the system well after doing the coolant change - the water level being high may be due to air in the system and could cause the overheating.

radiator coolant offers are better heat capacity over water.

AFAIK water has more heat carrying capacity than coolant, but we use coolant to raise the boiling and lower the freezing points of the water and for its anti corrosion properties. If coolant could carry more heat then it wouldn't make sense to use water at all other than cost.

[kelly00527 0]

thanks YUEN that make sense..i will contact the workshop after the 7th....

thank you everyone.

Edited December 28, 2007 by kelly00527

[HELLBM 1557]

Call me on 0212435526.

We have all the parts you need and are available anytime.

Located on the North Shore, Glenfield at Bavarian Motors

Regards Ray

0212HELLBM