M54 warm-up in cold weather - bad thermostat?
Discussion
Hi all,
In the current weather it seems to be taking a long time for my compact to warm up properly (per the dash) - with the heater set at 18.5 it can take nearly 20 minutes of driving before it's fully up to temperature, it gets up to and then usually stays just at the 1/4 mark (presumably where the stat starts to open) in about 5 minutes.
I know the thermostat is heated, is there an easy way to diagnose it? Anyone with experience finding similar?
In the current weather it seems to be taking a long time for my compact to warm up properly (per the dash) - with the heater set at 18.5 it can take nearly 20 minutes of driving before it's fully up to temperature, it gets up to and then usually stays just at the 1/4 mark (presumably where the stat starts to open) in about 5 minutes.
I know the thermostat is heated, is there an easy way to diagnose it? Anyone with experience finding similar?
Does the gauge eventually reach the middle point? If you get a cheap Bluetooth obd dongle you can read the actual temperature as the needle is in the middle as soon as them gets to 80 degrees or thereabouts.
The thermostat is heated but that feature is used to open it up as soon as the temp of the engine starts climbing above certain (high) threshold. Think of hot summer fast climbs followed by a stop and idling (lots of residual heat needs to be moved away quickly and circulation has slowed down) )
The thermostat is heated but that feature is used to open it up as soon as the temp of the engine starts climbing above certain (high) threshold. Think of hot summer fast climbs followed by a stop and idling (lots of residual heat needs to be moved away quickly and circulation has slowed down) )
Edited by naturalaspiration on Sunday 3rd January 16:56
Bring up the hidden dash menu and let it display the engine temps whilst you're driving it
Yes it's cold out there, but 20mins is too long; I'd say time for a new stat and whilst you're at it, replace the water pump too
Meyle water pump is c£25 and the Walher stat is c£40 from 'bmwmotormec' on eBay
http://www.ebaystores.co.uk/BMW-MOTORMEC?_rdc=1
Yes it's cold out there, but 20mins is too long; I'd say time for a new stat and whilst you're at it, replace the water pump too
Meyle water pump is c£25 and the Walher stat is c£40 from 'bmwmotormec' on eBay
http://www.ebaystores.co.uk/BMW-MOTORMEC?_rdc=1
Thanks all, sounds like it might be knackered after all.
It does eventually get up to temperature in the current weather, and in the warmer months it's not noticeable, as it's not tanking the heater the same way it is at the moment.
I'll get my laptop set up and log the warmup for interest, but I suspect a new stat and water pump will be on the cards. Poorly timed, but when are these things not?
It does eventually get up to temperature in the current weather, and in the warmer months it's not noticeable, as it's not tanking the heater the same way it is at the moment.
I'll get my laptop set up and log the warmup for interest, but I suspect a new stat and water pump will be on the cards. Poorly timed, but when are these things not?
Little update, new thermostat arrived, and it's not gone well. Two of the 10mm bolts have just snapped off right below the head, leaving some impromptu studs.
Everything was ridiculously corroded and I'd say it's never been apart since it was new. Fingers crossed I can get the bits of bolt out without having to take the cylinder head off...
Everything was ridiculously corroded and I'd say it's never been apart since it was new. Fingers crossed I can get the bits of bolt out without having to take the cylinder head off...
And another just to close the thread off. After judicious applications of blowtorch and GT85, these weren't for budging.
So out with the welder... Neither came out easily, both of them snapped almost flush with the head after the first attempt, thankfully a bit more patience and they wound out.
New thermostat, water pump, flushed radiator and block with the hose, fresh coolant and bled out and it's warming up much quicker now. Job jobbed.
I would heartily recommend anyone who turns a spanner on their M54 to undo and re-do the bolts on the thermostat housing every service just to be sure they don't crust up too much.
So out with the welder... Neither came out easily, both of them snapped almost flush with the head after the first attempt, thankfully a bit more patience and they wound out.
New thermostat, water pump, flushed radiator and block with the hose, fresh coolant and bled out and it's warming up much quicker now. Job jobbed.
I would heartily recommend anyone who turns a spanner on their M54 to undo and re-do the bolts on the thermostat housing every service just to be sure they don't crust up too much.
Krikkit said:
And another just to close the thread off. After judicious applications of blowtorch and GT85, these weren't for budging.
So out with the welder... Neither came out easily, both of them snapped almost flush with the head after the first attempt, thankfully a bit more patience and they wound out.
New thermostat, water pump, flushed radiator and block with the hose, fresh coolant and bled out and it's warming up much quicker now. Job jobbed.
I would heartily recommend anyone who turns a spanner on their M54 to undo and re-do the bolts on the thermostat housing every service just to be sure they don't crust up too much.
Top work, especially in such col weather. So out with the welder... Neither came out easily, both of them snapped almost flush with the head after the first attempt, thankfully a bit more patience and they wound out.
New thermostat, water pump, flushed radiator and block with the hose, fresh coolant and bled out and it's warming up much quicker now. Job jobbed.
I would heartily recommend anyone who turns a spanner on their M54 to undo and re-do the bolts on the thermostat housing every service just to be sure they don't crust up too much.
Might be worth applying a dribble of antiseize to the bolts for those who like the preventative sort of maintinence.
The advantage to welding is two-fold:
1) The heat of the weld is like a super-direct blowtorch on the bolt/stud itself, helping to loosen it up without having to bake the whole area
2) Adding material that lets you get a good grip on the stud/bolt that you didn't have before.
In this case what was left of the stud from a couple of mm above the block face wasn't strong enough, even reinforced with new metal, to let me get good purchase. Adding more material at the freshly-fractured face meant I could slowly (to avoid putting too much heat into the head) add material until I could get a good grip on it with some vice grips.
With a bigger/more awkwardly-placed stud I'd have welded a nut onto it instead, but this sufficed. You can see how much material had snapped off compared to the bolt which did wind out. Originally they'd snapped just under the captive washer.
1) The heat of the weld is like a super-direct blowtorch on the bolt/stud itself, helping to loosen it up without having to bake the whole area
2) Adding material that lets you get a good grip on the stud/bolt that you didn't have before.
In this case what was left of the stud from a couple of mm above the block face wasn't strong enough, even reinforced with new metal, to let me get good purchase. Adding more material at the freshly-fractured face meant I could slowly (to avoid putting too much heat into the head) add material until I could get a good grip on it with some vice grips.
With a bigger/more awkwardly-placed stud I'd have welded a nut onto it instead, but this sufficed. You can see how much material had snapped off compared to the bolt which did wind out. Originally they'd snapped just under the captive washer.
OP, thanks for the update.
I kind of twigged after I posted that you might be welding a nut on to help, but didn't realise you could build up metal like that with a welder.
I might remind my wife about the time she asked if I needed a welder and I couldn't think of anything.
Now I have good reason Not that I have broken any bolts yet.
I kind of twigged after I posted that you might be welding a nut on to help, but didn't realise you could build up metal like that with a welder.
I might remind my wife about the time she asked if I needed a welder and I couldn't think of anything.
Now I have good reason
Not that I have broken any bolts yet.Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff