I've been having a problem with my Turbo M3 over heating. I drive for about 15 miles and it overheats. My heated inside the car gets warm for a minute or so but then it goes cold. i was on my to bringing it to the shop the get fixed. it overheated and pulled over and let it cool off. when it did i kept driving and it didnt overheat anymore i was even stuck in traffic for a long time and it never overheated. the A/C or heater was not freezing cold but it was nowhere close to warm after the first overheating on the way to the shop. now its in the shop they cant figure it out cuz its not overheating anymore. but i know once i take it home its gonna overheat again. I have been trying to figure out the overheating problem for a while. its been in and out of the shop for 2 weeks. any ideas or directions would be greatly appricated

Thank
Ryan

Is your aux fan functioning properly?? My car was overheating sometimes cause i didnt have enough coolant, and it was submersing the switch...

Check that out, especially if you have an IC, it limits air flow tremendously as idle...

-Keith

i know for a fact that my aux fan does not work automaticly and it is ran by a switch but i have had the switch on the whole time and i know it is running cuz i can hear it

if it overheated so quickly i would suspect that the t-stat didn't open, it may have popped open and then you didn't have the overheats.

when is the last time it has been changed?

no heat is normally a sign of air in the system and/or low coolant.

i assume ur talkin about my thermastat and it was just replaced 4 weeks ago... so im still not sure... maybe my stat went bad again... but i doubt it

do you have a air pocket int your Rad. system???? try ideling it with the bleed valve open for about 5 min with the heater on high....

i had an airpocket that lead to my HG blowing.:( Check your plugs to see if any oil/coolant mixture is present or take off the oil cap and look inside for a yellowish blend. I kept filling my cooling system over and over till ICS discovered my HG blew. Hoping thsi isnt your case. I changed teh thermosst and yet it still was overheating.

I've been considering the possibility of a v-mount. I don't believe it's been done yet on the e36 much, maybe it is not ideal for it.

Yeah i dont think my HG is blown... yet. but i am definatly losing coolent but that my be from overheating cuz my radiator cap boils over. i've replaced the thermastat, water pump and checked my compression. i also replace a hose line... but i forget what it was for... lol. i mean how many more things can it be?

sorry to bring it up again but i do all those you just mentioned and finally it was my HG. Im hoping its not but do investigate the plugs.

thanks... i'll check again... but lets hope not

I just replaced my composite water pump (that failed Thrusday on the way home from work) with a good metal impeller one. I had the t-stat opening after the car went to the 3/4 mark on the t-stat. after opening the system was still full (of air and anitfreeze). I drove the car for about 8 miles with the temp reading in the middle. After stopping to check for leaks I also opened the bleeder screw until antifreeze came out after a lot of air. Low coolant OBC came on and I added more antifreeze. System completely bleed and working fine except for a small leak around the resovior.
Your condition sounds like air is still entrained in your cooling system. You said you replaced the t-stat. Was that because it failed open? If all was well before you had this done then it sounds like air. If you replaced other things as well then it might be a failed new component.

For the record my composite impellor was spinning around the shaft and had a crack in the impellor. I put it in a vice to see how strong the impellor was. I hit it with a 2 lb hammer a number of times not doing any damage at all. I was surprised as I would have thought it to be brittle.

Good luck on your cooling issue...

I've been having a problem with my Turbo M3 over heating. I drive for about 15 miles and it overheats. My heated inside the car gets warm for a minute or so but then it goes cold. i was on my to bringing it to the shop the get fixed. it overheated and pulled over and let it cool off. when it did i kept driving and it didnt overheat anymore i was even stuck in traffic for a long time and it never overheated. the A/C or heater was not freezing cold but it was nowhere close to warm after the first overheating on the way to the shop. now its in the shop they cant figure it out cuz its not overheating anymore. but i know once i take it home its gonna overheat again. I have been trying to figure out the overheating problem for a while. its been in and out of the shop for 2 weeks. any ideas or directions would be greatly appricated

Thank
Ryan
If your not low on coolant, its a blown headgasket. Its pressurizing the coolant system. (an Air pocket), is it an MLS?

Im not sure what kinda of HG i have but it was replaced but they guy who had it before me. thicker HG with ARP studs, new radiator, new water pump (which failed again and i replaced). i Replaced t stat, water pump, and new radiator cap (cuz it was warpper). Im not sure if the lack of coolant is becase there is a leak somewhere or if its just from the overflow out the cap. when it overheats it seems like my fluids in my radiator boil over and come bursting out the cap. but if it were my HG wouldnt it be a constant thing... this seems a bit more random the constant. cuz it doesnt always overheat.

It possibly could be your HG. When you drive the car, pull over and feel your upper radiator hose. If it is rock hard then you are pressurizing the cooling system. That hose should be real soft.

Also, when you look at your oil cap, does it have yellow muck on it. If it is then you are getting coolent in the oil.

Im not sure what kinda of HG i have but it was replaced but they guy who had it before me. thicker HG with ARP studs, new radiator, new water pump (which failed again and i replaced). i Replaced t stat, water pump, and new radiator cap (cuz it was warpper). Im not sure if the lack of coolant is becase there is a leak somewhere or if its just from the overflow out the cap. when it overheats it seems like my fluids in my radiator boil over and come bursting out the cap. but if it were my HG wouldnt it be a constant thing... this seems a bit more random the constant. cuz it doesnt always overheat.
If the system was properly bleed and it still overheated, its 100% the headgasket, next time, it runs hot, pull over and see if the upper radiater hose, looks like it swallowed a bottle of viagra. Dude sorry to say the headgasket is finished, bleed the system drive it around without boosting it, it will work fine, once its boosted then the problem starts. Im here to help.

thanks... well if it is that then the next time i post it will be on how to replace my HG ;-) cuz there is no way in hell i am paying the shop it is at now $1K for labor. they are nice guys but im not the car retarded.

thanks... well if it is that then the next time i post it will be on how to replace my HG ;-) cuz there is no way in hell i am paying the shop it is at now $1K for labor. they are nice guys but im not the car retarded.
$1k for labor with a turbo manifold, RnR along with the turbo is a steal, you should try it yourself and see what its all about. B/C once the head is off, you'll need to send it to get resurfaced and checked for cracks, meaning, the head needs to be stripped down, and then reassembled, its a timely job. Dont be cheap, b/c you'll get what you paid for, and you'll be doing it again, its not a chevy, its a BMW.

Ive seen my own car get a HG done and let me tell you it looks like quite a job. If you have time and patience, which i didnt have God bless you, do it yourself. Just make sure everything is properly tqed, cams properly timed, and installation is done right. Its a good 16+hr job for a professional. If your not too technical as a mechanic and dont have all the necessary tools i advise you dont attempt it. Good luck man.

Ive seen my own car get a HG done and let me tell you it looks like quite a job. If you have time and patience, which i didnt have God bless you, do it yourself. Just make sure everything is properly tqed, cams properly timed, and installation is done right. Its a good 16+hr job for a professional. If your not too shabby as a mechanioc and have all the necessary tools i advise you dont attempt it. Good luck man.
Its much more time consuming to do a turbo car with an AA manifoild, over a s/c car, boy let me tell you.

it sounds easy but im sure its a far cry from being easy ;)

it sounds easy but im sure its a far cry from being easy ;)
So I hear from the grape vine that your bimmer will beat down your brothers Ferarri's and Lotus T/T, I was told by alittle birdy. :cool

no not the Lotus but the others yeah. ;) im sure my little bimmer can play with the big boys though.

If it is blowing hot, then cold...that sounds like a waterpump failure. I had that happen on a previous car. The pump would work a little, and the coolant would flow thru the heater core, then it wouldn't and the heat would go cold and the temp needle would go up.

Check into the pump, but sounds like maybe headgasket as well.

Nick

If it is blowing hot, then cold...that sounds like a waterpump failure. I had that happen on a previous car. The pump would work a little, and the coolant would flow thru the heater core, then it wouldn't and the heat would go cold and the temp needle would go up.

Check into the pump, but sounds like maybe headgasket as well.

Nick
The water-pump was already replaced.

The water-pump was already replaced.

Ah! Missed that as I was quickly reading through..

$1k for labor with a turbo manifold, RnR along with the turbo is a steal, you should try it yourself and see what its all about. B/C once the head is off, you'll need to send it to get resurfaced and checked for cracks, meaning, the head needs to be stripped down, and then reassembled, its a timely job. Dont be cheap, b/c you'll get what you paid for, and you'll be doing it again, its not a chevy, its a BMW.

Its not that i think im getting ripped off. its that id rather put the time into the car myself cuz i know im gonna have to do it again so i should know what im doing to i dont end up waisting 5k over the next year. plus i spend most of my money fixing the other problems on the car (vaccum leak, weak BOV, O2 sensor, fuel pump and all the other things i mentioned earlier) it gets really spendy to have a shop do it. i might just start the car all over and get a 3.2L and fully build the motor. i guess we'll see what happens

Its not that i think im getting ripped off. its that id rather put the time into the car myself cuz i know im gonna have to do it again so i should know what im doing to i dont end up waisting 5k over the next year. plus i spend most of my money fixing the other problems on the car (vaccum leak, weak BOV, O2 sensor, fuel pump and all the other things i mentioned earlier) it gets really spendy to have a shop do it. i might just start the car all over and get a 3.2L and fully build the motor. i guess we'll see what happens
Good luck, if you need any assistance P.M me. :)