How to identify either a Thermostat/Waterpump problem?

[Neglected=MyE36]

If you have a look at what GoldenSun has stated, u will see why i'll try my luck with the clutch fan first!

Imparrts quoted me $101.68+GST for the waterpump alone, pelicanparts.com is much cheaper even with the exchange rate and shipping.

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.

[GoLdEnSuN]

If you have a look at what GoldenSun has stated, u will see why i'll try my luck with the clutch fan first!

Imparrts quoted me $101.68+GST for the waterpump alone, pelicanparts.com is much cheaper even with the exchange rate and shipping.

Just a note; I remember reading extensively that the fan clutch doesn't do all that much cooling. It helps, but doesn't do all that much. I remember it being 10-20 degrees or so, but don't quote me. So if you're having relatively mild fluctuations in temperature, check it out first.

I remember with mine, we could stop it with a rolled up newspaper, meaning it was completely screwed. I could actually stop it with my finger it was rotating so slowly. If you try to stop it and you can't, that means it's running fine because the fan clutch runs off that resistance.

However, if you're having your temperature go up to or past the 3/4 line, I'd strongly recommend looking at the water pump. If you've already got the fan clutch off, it's just removing the belt off the pulley and undoing 4 bolts to get the water pump out from memory

[GoLdEnSuN]

btw neglected; I paid $200 for the fan clutch, and only around 90 for the waterpump. I got my water pump from Burson. Also, give Chris at Access Parts a try: http://www.accessparts.com.au/about_us/index.html

[dtm-e36]

cheers goldensun! i will def be taking out the water pump my self, might give me a chance to give the engine bay a bit of a once over as well.

neglected the fan clutch really only comes into play when the car is stationary, at cruising speeds (when my car gets hot) it doesn't really influence the temperature.

hmm gonna have to treat her easy this week then attack it this weekend. will drain the system take out the thermostat and waterpump and have a look at them both. if it is the waterpump on the way out i hope she lasts to the end of the week (if its doing any thing atm!)

damn car is costing me a fortune atm!

[GoLdEnSuN]

cheers goldensun! i will def be taking out the water pump my self, might give me a chance to give the engine bay a bit of a once over as well.

neglected the fan clutch really only comes into play when the car is stationary, at cruising speeds (when my car gets hot) it doesn't really influence the temperature.

hmm gonna have to treat her easy this week then attack it this weekend. will drain the system take out the thermostat and waterpump and have a look at them both. if it is the waterpump on the way out i hope she lasts to the end of the week (if its doing any thing atm!)

damn car is costing me a fortune atm!

I don't remember whether or not I had to remove the thermostat housing to get to the water pump, but in any case it's just 4 bolts to remove the housing, and a hose clamp on both ends of it. Be careful not to tighten them too tightly when you put it back on, otherwise you'll snap an end of the housing and be up for a new one like I was lol. The bolts on the under side are a little tricky to see/get to as well, so one of those little mirrors will help

In regards to lasting until the end of the week; should be fine. My problem took over a month to get to the point where it was heating up to the red end of the temp gauge.

The water pump can be a bit of a bitch to get out too. If you unscrew the 4 bolts holding it in place, and you're having trouble getting it out, here's what I did.

Here's a crappy diagram of what you'll be seeing (with a pulley in front of it from memory).

The x represents a bolt that goes through a hole, and the o's are holes.

Water Pump:



you'll take the 4 x's out, and if you're having trouble pulling the pump out, go and find 2 screws with the same thread as the o holes, put them in and keep screwing them in. Eventually they'll go through and hit some metal, at which point keep screwing them in because that will thread the water pump further up the 2 screws and eventually it'll come out

If you're having trouble putting it back in because of the rubber seal ring, take the little rubber ring off and put some soap/water on it. That lubes it up and makes it easier to put the pump or new pump back in.

Let us know how you go

[dtm-e36]

Thanks golden, yeh i've got a HAYNES manual for E36's, it talks about removing the water pump and using those points to screw it out if it's stuck.

Howevverrrrr

The plot thickens! Earlier on in this thread i mentioned that I had the drive belts replaced but didnt think it was related. Wellllll nearing home when I was cruising through suburbia I could hear a slight "whirring" coming from the front of the car that sounded suspiciously close to a slipping belt. Once I got home I kept the car running and popped the hood, definitely could hear a whirring like a slip. I then gave the engine a bit of a rev and it's definitely a belt slipping.

If this is the waterpump / alternator / power steering belt that is slipping do you think this could effect the temperature that much??????

It would explain why the car is fine for a period of time then starts going up past half way, because as the belt heats up and expands it begins to slip.

Either way I'm taking it back to the place I that did the belts and complaining coz it's only been like 2 weeks if not less.

[Gruelius]

tensioned correctly?

[dtm-e36]

obviously not, either way the place that fit them should fix it with out charge since they were brand new belts and have been in less than two weeks.

[GoLdEnSuN]

Well, from my understanding, if it's the main belt, then it's definitely going around the pulley in front of the water pump, and if it is slipping, it's possible that momentarily, the water pump isn't running, and maybe the fan too.

Not 100% on that, but it's definitely possible.

Also, watch those pulleys because they tend to crack easily too

[Neglected=MyE36]

My car heats up when idle or at slow speeds, but on the freeway it's fine. Ill change the fan clutch first and see what happens. IF it works i'll change the water pump at a later stage...need to change the oil pipe feeding the cam and a few other things first.

neglected the fan clutch really only comes into play when the car is stationary, at cruising speeds (when my car gets hot) it doesn't really influence the temperature.

[dtm-e36]

Alright so I spent yesterday working on the car as I didn't think it would make it to work and didn't want it to run hot any more.

Took out the radiator, cowl, fan, thermostat, waterpump, belts etc.

Firstly I checked the thermostat, tried the boiling a pot of water trick to test it and there was no movement. Hmmm.

I decided I would check the waterpump as well, took it out and it has a metal impeller. Working fine no play or movement.

I flushed the system (rad + engine), put it back together without the thermostat and put new coolant / water in.

Had it idling for a while just at home to make sure there were no leaks etc and as expected it was taking ages to warm up at all. I took her for a test spin and after around 10mins driving it crept up to half way where it stayed for the entirety of the test run. I was giving it a bit as well and it didn't move past half way.

So a new thermostat is in order, where would be the best place to order one? (im in newcastle, nsw so syd prob best for me).

Also how can you actually tension the drive belts? I know of the tensioning pulley that you have to wind back with a hex key in order to get the belt on, but is there actually any way to tension it as I thought I heard some slip when I started the car this morning.

Cheers for the help!

[Neglected=MyE36]

Dude did you check that the upper and lower radiator hoses were both hot before the thermostat diagnosis?

Alright so I spent yesterday working on the car as I didn't think it would make it to work and didn't want it to run hot any more.

Took out the radiator, cowl, fan, thermostat, waterpump, belts etc.

Firstly I checked the thermostat, tried the boiling a pot of water trick to test it and there was no movement. Hmmm.

I decided I would check the waterpump as well, took it out and it has a metal impeller. Working fine no play or movement.

I flushed the system (rad + engine), put it back together without the thermostat and put new coolant / water in.

Had it idling for a while just at home to make sure there were no leaks etc and as expected it was taking ages to warm up at all. I took her for a test spin and after around 10mins driving it crept up to half way where it stayed for the entirety of the test run. I was giving it a bit as well and it didn't move past half way.

So a new thermostat is in order, where would be the best place to order one? (im in newcastle, nsw so syd prob best for me).

Also how can you actually tension the drive belts? I know of the tensioning pulley that you have to wind back with a hex key in order to get the belt on, but is there actually any way to tension it as I thought I heard some slip when I started the car this morning.

Cheers for the help!

[bobz]

the funclutch has a silicone liquid inside it the liquid thickens as it gets hotter locking the 2 parts together for the fan to pull air through the radiator...

A really old trick is to get a newspaper and slowly feed it into the fan when the car is cold and hot. When the car is cold you should be able to slow the fan down with the newspaper as it freewheels when the silicone liquid is cold, but when the liquid is hot it will shred the newspaper.

BobZ

PS. The last advice should only be attempted at the owners own risk.

[dtm-e36]

Neglected I didn't check that but there was an acute difference without the thermostat in, too much of a difference for the flushing of radiator etc to make on its own.

Also the thermostat not moving at all during testing was pretty damning evidence of it being f*@!ed.

[GoLdEnSuN]

Interesting! Well, I think there are a couple of different types of thermostats that open at different temperatures (80 and 88?) Please correct me if I'm wrong. You should be able to pick them up from a Burson's or a repco for no more than $70