Overheated for weeks!!

[Dmthekid]

Heyy guys, i bought a 2000 323i a little over a month ago and it always seemed like it was running hot but the gauge always went right to 12 o'clock....i have a coolant leak which looks like it is coming from under thermostat housing but it has been leaking for about 3 weeks and i refilled it about a week ago. As i was driving today the thermostat went to from 12 to the red in about 5 seconds so i let it sit for a little while and then i turned the key to the second position and the needle went off the red back to 12. i drove to my friends house 2 blocks away to let it cool, i popped the hood and i could hear boiling from the expansion tank. So ime guessing that this car has a faulty thermostat and has actually been overheating for the past couple of weeks, but it always goes right to 12 like a normal e46 should????I am going to pick up a thermostat and housing within the next couple of days...But my baby will just have to sit in the driveway for now.....Help!!

[pegcity]

don't drive it until you get those items replaced, a tow to a mechanic is alot cheaper than a new engine

[Dmthekid]

yea i kno but money is just a little tight....i do have enough to replace the thermostat and housing and i think i will replace the water pump.....luckily i live about 2 mins from a bmw parts store

[sockethead]

Sounds like you have a bad water pump seal. there is a hole in the body of the water pump to allow expansion and contraction of the seal. when the seal start leaking. Coolant will weep out of this hole. If you can get under there, take a look and verify.
The thermostat is electric. when is goes bad, it remains in the open position which would mean the your car would be slow to warm up or never warm up at all.
You can get a Bosch water pump (which is a reliable brand) for about $65 at ECS Tuning. The water pump is a very easy DIY on these cars.

[chefsboss]

Originally Posted by sockethead

Sounds like you have a bad water pump seal. there is a hole in the body of the water pump to allow expansion and contraction of the seal. when the seal start leaking. Coolant will weep out of this hole. If you can get under there, take a look and verify.
The thermostat is electric. when is goes bad, it remains in the open position which would mean the your car would be slow to warm up or never warm up at all.
You can get a Bosch water pump (which is a reliable brand) for about $65 at ECS Tuning. The water pump is a very easy DIY on these cars.

Do you think a bosch water pump is the best way to go on these?. I just purchased a 323 as well, I replaced expansion tank and hoses, but all the horror stories I hear has me wanting to sacrifice some additional cash to the parts store soon (despite no issues for the time) , or, sorry to hijack the post, is there an "upgraded Dr. Vanos of water pumps out there?" Or merely just different brand replacements of the same design? thoughts?

Oh and to the OP,... DO NOT LET IT GET HOT!. That's how I got mine so cheap, The previous owner saw the gauge in the red, so she decided she better turn around and get it back home as soon as possible. The motor seized, I bought it that way and got a good deal on a low mile used engine for a swap. I really love my frankenstien daily driver though!

[sockethead]

Originally Posted by chefsboss

Do you think a bosch water pump is the best way to go on these?. I just purchased a 323 as well, I replaced expansion tank and hoses, but all the horror stories I hear has me wanting to sacrifice some additional cash to the parts store soon (despite no issues for the time) , or, sorry to hijack the post, is there an "upgraded Dr. Vanos of water pumps out there?" Or merely just different brand replacements of the same design? thoughts?

Oh and to the OP,... DO NOT LET IT GET HOT!. That's how I got mine so cheap, The previous owner saw the gauge in the red, so she decided she better turn around and get it back home as soon as possible. The motor seized, I bought it that way and got a good deal on a low mile used engine for a swap. I really love my frankenstien daily driver though!

The OP said he didn't have a lot of money to spend. I was suggesting an alternative to the OEM pump. I'm running a Bosch pump in my car. I'll let you know how it goes in about another 65 thousand miles.
There is a high performance pump available but it a waste of money unless you're doing some heavy duty racing. There has been an on going discussion on whether the composite or metal impeller is better but in the end, they are all going to pump coolant and last a long time... at least until your next preventative maintenance swap .

[saab2bmw]

I disagree:

The problem with the plastic impeller on the older water pumps and the new ones bmw sells now is that the plastic will crack and shatter .
those pieces of plastic then get forced up into the head and pile up into the water jacket drastically reducing the water flow or cutting it off completly.You WILL have to take your head off to get them out ,a very expensive job-I know, I just completed a head gasket replacement on a e46 3series.Do your self a favor buy a metal impeller.

[WHITEXi]

the temp at 12 o'clock is the normal temp, after that is an issue.

[Dmthekid]

yea i kno...but the engine always feels like it is running hot and u smell that sorta burning oil smell but the gauge sits right at 12

[sockethead]

Originally Posted by saab2bmw

I disagree:

The problem with the plastic impeller on the older water pumps and the new ones bmw sells now is that the plastic will crack and shatter .
those pieces of plastic then get forced up into the head and pile up into the water jacket drastically reducing the water flow or cutting it off completly.You WILL have to take your head off to get them out ,a very expensive job-I know, I just completed a head gasket replacement on a e46 3series.Do your self a favor buy a metal impeller.

Like I said, there has been a lot of discussion on this topic. If you'd like to read some, just do a search. No need to fill up this post on that discussion again.

[nathancarter]

Originally Posted by sockethead

Sounds like you have a bad water pump seal. there is a hole in the body of the water pump to allow expansion and contraction of the seal. when the seal start leaking. Coolant will weep out of this hole. If you can get under there, take a look and verify.

To expound a bit:
If there is noticeable coolant coming out the water pump weep hole, the pump needs to be replaced very soon - failure is imminent.

[Dmthekid]

thanks for all the info guyz. i called the bmw repair shop which is about 2 mins from my house and they said it would cost about $116 for the pump, $162 for labor and $20 for the coolant. The price for the coolant sounds right but $116 sounds a bit much for a water pump. I found a METAL impeller water pump on http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/catalog/shopcart/BE46/POR_BE46_WATpmp_pg1.htm#item1 and its only $60. So i told the mechanic and he said that it was fine but he would not be able to give me a warranty on it. I would do all this myself but i go to school so i dont have much time. So does around $300 bucks sound good for this job??????