I'm not too well versed in understanding its operation, I think it only works when the coolant gets hot and it needs additional cooling, which is why it works on hills when the engine is running hard and in hot weather.
Did you replace the viscous yourself? Big job?
no, i got mine done about 5 years ago, before i started tinkering myself. i dont think it cost me that much in labour so probably not a big job.
from what ive heard (probably wrong), the fan clutch has some type of gel or something in it that once it heats to a certain temp (maybe by the coolant) it locks up and starts suckin in the air, before that it just spins free.
Hi guys sorry to bump and old thread but I thought this was as good (bad?) as creating a new one.
I'm having some over heating issues lately, temp is rising to the mark above half way and some times edging over, at this point I pull over and let it cool down. All of this during just cruising speeds (80km/h to 100km/h).
I've had the car for over a year and previously it would stay on half way and not creep up at all, even in summer. Over the last week or so it has started to get hot though and its cause for concern.
I'm not sure what could be causing it, a clue however is that the heater does not pump out any heat. (I tried to having the heater on on the way home to help cool but it was just the ambient temperature).
Any one got any ideas on what it might be?
Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
Have you replaced the water pump more than likely it hasnt been done and is a plastic one they fatigue over time and break
at those speeds if your pump was working it shouldnt over heat
thermostat could be seized both this and the pump are easy to change
if not have you touche ur cooling system lately and havent blled it properly it might be full of air
no havent touched the cooling system lately. i have a sneaking suspicioun the water pump is on its last legs. i know usually they just stop working completely but i have also read that the falty ones with the plastic impeller can stop working intermittantly etc.
is there any easy way to test between water pump / thermostat???
i also have the problem where the heater in the car doesnt work, car hasnt overheated though.
FS: 731 head recently rebuilt, m20 sump, 323i single mass flywheel, m50 inlet manifold, m50b25nv head (missing lifters), m50b25nv inlet cam x2
WTB E34 m50 sump + pickup!
Just to note, i recently had both my drive belts changed as one of them was slipping. However I didn't think this could have a bearing on it as I can't hear any slipping noise or any thing like that so i presume the water pump is getting driven fine. I'll try and check it today.
It behaves very strangely. This morning I drove it for a good 5/10 minutes at 60-80km/h and it went up to half way and stayed there. Then when I started cruising at 100km/h it cruised up to the next mark on the temp gauge. It would basically stay there then occasionally it would start rising above that. This is when I would stop and let the car cool down.
I spent hundreds of dollars fixing my cooling system a few months ago.
I would drive for no more tha 5 minutes, and the temp gauge would get to the point where the red light actually switched on, and a few times it switched off and the car shut of. It was constantly overheating.
On the advice of my mechanic, I did the following:
First of all, checked the thermostat; that was working fine. When i went to put the thermostat housing back on, I overtightened a clamp for one of the hoses and broke the thermostat housing. So I replaced that with an aluminium one. Next thing we decided to do was to change the fan clutch; $200 later, the fan works nicely, but the car was still overheating badly. Next we looked at the hoses; all were fine, but I replaced 2 anyway, and it made no difference. Looked at getting the radiator flushed and cleaned etc for $150, but we managed to find a brand new radiator for $200, so we got that instead. Installed that, but the problem was still there. Finally, after a week of mucking around and over $600 in parts alone, we pulled the water pump out to find that it was completely ****ed. The propellor was completely shattered/cracked. Replaced that and the problem was fixed. Managed to get the water pump for $90 or something.
So my advice is, check the water pump out; I couldn't believe it was that lol
Oh and just as a note, my heater wasn't working either before I replaced all those parts, and still doesn't work, even after I replaced the thermostat.
Oh and my temp would sometimes even drop the faster I drove; up to 100km/h. It started off being just a tad above the middle line, and over the course of a month it progressed to completely overheating/being in the red zone.
Check the pump out before it gets to a head gasket problem!
Same thing happening now with my 1992 318i. Suddenly its going past the halfway mark. Tested the clutch fan and I reckon it's gone...ordering it from pelican parts tomorrow.
Should really check the waterpump first but i'm too lazy to empty the coolant. I know the cluth is gone so ill change that first.
Hmm isnt the water pump a prick to get to? Especially since my car is lowish and I have no ramps or any thing.
Where is a good place to source a water pump? I'm in newcastle, I might get a quote of ASV in sydney.
It sits behind the fan clutch. The fan clutch is actually wound onto the bolt of the water pump.Originally Posted by dtm-e36
So it looks like this: |waterpump--|fan clutch|radiator|front of the car.
To get to it, from memory, you have to remove the plastic shrouding thing on the radiator. You then have to disconnect the little bottle next to the radiator, and take the radiator out. You then have to take off the fan clutch, and the water pump is held in by 4 bolts. Take those 4 bolts out and the waterpump is out.
You can do all of this without having to get under the car.
Sorry for my crappy descriptions; I may have done it all myself, but I'm not good with cars/parts at all!
Oh and you also have to take the belt off the pulleys on the waterpump
also, take a look at this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mco77TK94GU
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