e36 98 motorsport2 m44 over heating problem

[speedee]

hi guys, i need some help! wonder if any of you had the same problem or can help me find the solution.

my car and i are having heated arguments lately. started happening last week. i was on my way home, drove about 6km and i noticed the the heat gauge move over the half mark, just before it reached 3/4 i pulled over and waited for it to cool.

it happened twice this week, and the funny thing is i checked the water level before driving home and it was normal. sometimes the minute i turn up an inclined road to maybe pull over the gauge drops to half and stays there. the gauge is not faulty. 2 days ago i drove home without hassles and left the car idling for 15min, then i noticed the gauge moving and switched her off.

i checked the radiator cap for signs of oil or a rainbow effect but theres nothing. the oil cap is also normal, no signs of moisture. same with the dipstick.

ive driven to franschoek with my car in december and had absolutely no problems. i also dont drive my baby over 3000rpm, very seldomly would i drive over that rpm range. :roflol:ive had the car for almost 2 yrs and it was only driven on a saturday and sunday.

ive been researching all over the past few dAys, no solution. anyone have the same problem? please advise.

im thinking of changing the thermostat, coolant and water pump. also please advise me on what good replacement brands are i should use. else im gonna head over to the stealership for some parts.

 

[Doomsdaya]

im thinking of changing the thermostat, coolant and water pump. also please advise me on what good replacement brands are i should use. else im gonna head over to the stealership for some parts.

Well my cars previous owner once had an overheating problem. He had the thermostat, radiator and water pump replaced but all of it was done as the stealers which costed an arm and a leg. Whats the mileage of car the moment ?

 

[Yuvan]

Im guessing the Thermostat not opening when it suppose to, be careful bud!

 

[speedee]

about 250000km. i was going to trade the car in yesterday on a e90 320i but then the car was sold. thats how much i hate having these kinda issues on my car:argh:

 

[///MALCOLM325]

The cheapest and easiest fix would be to change the thermostat and then breathe your system properly, top up coolant and check. Sometimes air in the system causes overheating. Let us know what happens!

 

[Jandre]

I had a similar problem with my e36 318i (M42) just after i had the engine rebuilt.

Came back from langebaan, and the car started doing the exact same thing. Stopped, opened the bonnet, and the engine was at operating temp. Nursed her home, and the next day I took it back to the mechanics. They replaced the temperature sender unit, and I never had the problem again.

 

[speedee]

I had a similar problem with my e36 318i (M42) just after i had the engine rebuilt.

Came back from langebaan, and the car started doing the exact same thing. Stopped, opened the bonnet, and the engine was at operating temp. Nursed her home, and the next day I took it back to the mechanics. They replaced the temperature sender unit, and I never had the problem again.

il check it out!! im so scared to drive in traffic id rather sit at office and go home late. tuesday it overheated, parked off, put my seat back and slept for an hour:roflol:

ive never once heard my fan come on though, will check that out too.

---

i really appreciate the feedback guys!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

should i go original parts or is there a aftermarket brand i should rather use? i dont mind goin to buy the original part but sometimes its the same thing..

 

[speedee]

Ok som I'm sitting in traffic just got thru de waal drive after 20min or more no issues, I did notice the gauge moves close to the quarter mark when I started driving normal again. Eventually back up to half after 5min or so. Then goes 2mm below half and after few min half again or just just 1mm under half.

 

[Solo Man]

I recently bought a 1996 E36 318iS with 300 000km on the clock. Upon driving off the temp needle would move to the normal 12 o'clock position and stay there untill you go downhill then it would come down and back up travelling level again. Replaced the thermostat and waterpump and no more problems. Check why your fan doesn't come on. Mine stayed on the whole time and i replaced the sender unit in the radiator and that fixed it. Now only comes on when aircon is on or when it gets past certain temperature. My advice is replace the waterpump and thermostat as soon as possible. Clean out the radiator at the same time. Nice, easy job for diy, especially on the 318iS as it has lots of room when the covers, etc. is removed.

 

[Gregmeister]

i also dont drive my baby over 3000rpm, very seldomly would i drive over that rpm range. :roflol:ive had the car for almost 2 yrs and it was only driven on a saturday and sunday.

Why don't you like going over 3000rpm, if I may ask?

 

[speedee]

i also dont drive my baby over 3000rpm, very seldomly would i drive over that rpm range. :roflol:ive had the car for almost 2 yrs and it was only driven on a saturday and sunday.

Why don't you like going over 3000rpm, if I may ask?

I drive mostly in peak traffic to and from work. I used to be a hooligan on the road so I've been rehabilitated. And above all its a 4cylinder, so I'd rather cruise!

 

[Gregmeister]

i also dont drive my baby over 3000rpm, very seldomly would i drive over that rpm range. :roflol:ive had the car for almost 2 yrs and it was only driven on a saturday and sunday.

Why don't you like going over 3000rpm, if I may ask?

I drive mostly in peak traffic to and from work. I used to be a hooligan on the road so I've been rehabilitated. And above all its a 4cylinder, so I'd rather cruise!

Fair enough speedee, cruise on brother! :thumbs: My mech has always advised me not to "baby" the V8 too much. He's always saying "just drive the damn car"...which I do...and then sometimes I feel guilty, as I have alot of mechanical sympathy and the engine's in such good nick, but I always keep it smooth, which I believe is the key to longevity.

 

[speedee]

i also dont drive my baby over 3000rpm, very seldomly would i drive over that rpm range. :roflol:ive had the car for almost 2 yrs and it was only driven on a saturday and sunday.

Why don't you like going over 3000rpm, if I may ask?

I drive mostly in peak traffic to and from work. I used to be a hooligan on the road so I've been rehabilitated. And above all its a 4cylinder, so I'd rather cruise!

Fair enough speedee, cruise on brother! :thumbs: My mech has always advised me not to "baby" the V8 too much. He's always saying "just drive the damn car"...which I do...and then sometimes I feel guilty, as I have alot of mechanical sympathy and the engine's in such good nick, but I always keep it smooth, which I believe is the key to longevity.

i do to some extent agree with your mech.. if we always "baby" our cars and decide to actually give it a well deserved beating one day it could just break! guess i need a highway this weekend, to open my car up. driving smoothly is definitely the key to longevity! some ppl think drivin at 200kmh everyday will damage the car. its not the speed but rather how you get there. we might drive smooth thru the gears and in the final gear run the car to 200. then theres the idiot who drives the car into cutout in every gear everyday. thats what causes the damage.

 

[Theo D]

My 318is is doing the same thing, when it gets hot in traffic I just switch the aircon on to cool it down(avoid overheating) as the fan automatically switches on when you do this. My mechie replaced the fan switch on the drivers side of the radiator and the thermostat and its still giving me hassles :bangdesk: He suggested a new radiator.

Mileage is 356 000km

 

[Raybimmer]

Whe the gauge is at normal temp stop the car and feel by hand the temp of the engine , do this when it is at 3/4 and see if it is feeling much hotter . If not then temp sender may be faulty . I suspect thermostat , check with guys about suppliers in the Cape . Goldwagen also not bad .

 

[speedee]

My 318is is doing the same thing, when it gets hot in traffic I just switch the aircon on to cool it down(avoid overheating) as the fan automatically switches on when you do this. My mechie replaced the fan switch on the drivers side of the radiator and the thermostat and its still giving me hassles :bangdesk: He suggested a new radiator.

Mileage is 356 000km

well my aircon has been disconnected and that rules out the aircon playing any role in it.

 

[speedee]

Ok so I took the lazy way out..I run my a/c all time. But I honestly don't have much spare time and I need my car for work so can't leave it by my machi anymore like I used to. Car used to go for service and I fetch it more than a month later..

Anyways today I'm waiting at my parking bay, had a smoke while car was idling and the heat gauge moved up again.. I noticed water dripping a lot at the bottom so switched off and left the car there.

Should I buy the original fan switch or after market? I'm going to bredasdorp on thurs and I'm screwed!

 

[hoosain]

Check where the water is comming out from if its from the overflow pipe then your water pump is stuffed
the water is not circulating and pooling in the water bottle