Discussion
If the engine warms up, the gauge shows it being warm, yet the rad is cold and nothing is flowing, then that sounds like the thermostat is stuck closed.
Try removing it from the housing, bolting it back up and then running it. It should warm up, slowly, and all the pipes should then fill up. You can check the rad is getting warm too.
If it still doesnt warm up, or perhaps only some parts of the rad warm up, it could be blocked.
Try removing it from the housing, bolting it back up and then running it. It should warm up, slowly, and all the pipes should then fill up. You can check the rad is getting warm too.
If it still doesnt warm up, or perhaps only some parts of the rad warm up, it could be blocked.
kodos said:
Im gunna do this again tommorow get the car in the air on the ramps.
Theres loads of guides on the internet anyone got one they have tried and tested?
Epic fail of a car project thread lol! Then again shows the troubles of a 14 year old 142,000 £850 car lol
This is why i drive around in a lifeless dull rep mobile can't be dealing with things braking all the time, but hey what do i know i just Drive around really smug thinking peasants can't achieve anything i can.Theres loads of guides on the internet anyone got one they have tried and tested?
Epic fail of a car project thread lol! Then again shows the troubles of a 14 year old 142,000 £850 car lol
These can be either really easy to bleed or absolute f***ers! I spent over a week trying to bleed mine.
Tried every technique in the book, ive never had any trouble bleeding other cars! The only way I could manage to bleed it was by sticking a hosepipe in the tank and running the car with the hose on and the top hose off then after a while sticking the top hose back on. Prob was, I then had no coolant in it! I gave up as I needed the car for work and after one specialist couldnt do it either, another specialist went and did it in under an hour.
No idea what was wrong there but I had the same "s
t its the head gasket" thoughts as you and now 3000 miles on, she purrs away fine.
Tried every technique in the book, ive never had any trouble bleeding other cars! The only way I could manage to bleed it was by sticking a hosepipe in the tank and running the car with the hose on and the top hose off then after a while sticking the top hose back on. Prob was, I then had no coolant in it! I gave up as I needed the car for work and after one specialist couldnt do it either, another specialist went and did it in under an hour.
No idea what was wrong there but I had the same "s
t its the head gasket" thoughts as you and now 3000 miles on, she purrs away fine.I had this with my 328i back in the day, I found the driving with heaters on full hot and cap loose worked but only after filling the small bleed hole with the nose in the air allowing the bubbles to escape from the main tank neck. So get a hose pipe, with engine running, remove both the filler cap and bleed screw, jack car up approx 25 degrees, heaters set to hot, fill the tank until overflowing from both the tank side and the bleed screw hole, then put the hose pipe over the bleed screw hole. My hose pipe fitted pretty flush. This back fills the tank, and if you 'stat is working and open then the system. It always amazed me how many more bubbles came out doing this. I would do this for a good ten mins. Then a blat round the block with the cap loose and bleed screw fasten tight (20p peice is ideal), then re check. Got there in the end.
Good luck.
Good luck.
Edited by Somesayhis on Wednesday 22 February 23:44
1bhp said:
kodos said:
Im gunna do this again tommorow get the car in the air on the ramps.
Theres loads of guides on the internet anyone got one they have tried and tested?
Epic fail of a car project thread lol! Then again shows the troubles of a 14 year old 142,000 £850 car lol
This is why i drive around in a lifeless dull rep mobile can't be dealing with things braking all the time, but hey what do i know i just Drive around really smug thinking peasants can't achieve anything i can.Theres loads of guides on the internet anyone got one they have tried and tested?
Epic fail of a car project thread lol! Then again shows the troubles of a 14 year old 142,000 £850 car lol
Bleed it on a slope should make massive difference. Spend hours trying to clear air bubbles (therefore trapped air) from my E30, then put it onto a slope and cleared it all in less than 30 mins or so.
That said nothing in the radiator implies a blockage of some kind, I had a similar problem with my GTI when I flushed it and changed the fluid. I put on a new radiator in desperation and problem solved. My conclusion on that one was that I'd probably dislodged some rad-weld put in by the previous owner causing a blockage.
Not intending to put a downer on things - but a mate had a 328 as well.
His didn't reach operating temperature either - and following that first very cold winter we had he also decided to replace the thermostat and pump etc.
It ran fine for about 6 months, and when summer came the overheating started - eventually he got rid of it because he just couldn't get it right.
I had the same problem with both a 520i (E34) and 523i (E39) I once had.
It seems that once the M52 engine starts giving cooling problems - there's just no fix for it.
ETA: fixed poor spelling.
His didn't reach operating temperature either - and following that first very cold winter we had he also decided to replace the thermostat and pump etc.
It ran fine for about 6 months, and when summer came the overheating started - eventually he got rid of it because he just couldn't get it right.
I had the same problem with both a 520i (E34) and 523i (E39) I once had.
It seems that once the M52 engine starts giving cooling problems - there's just no fix for it.
ETA: fixed poor spelling.
Edited by TonyRPH on Thursday 23 February 17:34
TonyRPH said:
Not intending to put a downer on things - but a mate had a 328 as well.
His didn't reach operating temperature either - and following that first very cold winter we had he also decided to replace the thermostat and pump etc.
It ran fine for about 6 months, and then onve summer came the overheating started - eventually he got rid of it because he just couldn't get it right.
I had the same problem with both a 520i (E34) and 523i (E39) I once had.
It seems that once the M52 engine starts giving cooling problems - there's just no fix for it.
i don't accept this, with respect.His didn't reach operating temperature either - and following that first very cold winter we had he also decided to replace the thermostat and pump etc.
It ran fine for about 6 months, and then onve summer came the overheating started - eventually he got rid of it because he just couldn't get it right.
I had the same problem with both a 520i (E34) and 523i (E39) I once had.
It seems that once the M52 engine starts giving cooling problems - there's just no fix for it.
take the thermostat out altogether, rebleed on an incline with heating full on, for way longer than you think you need to. if it still does it, get a hydrocarbon sniff done on the expansion tank next.
does it actually lose any coolant? the expansion tank on these likes to develop invisible cracks that only leak when at operating temp.
also, have you tested the efficiency of the viscous fan?
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