Overheating S52 obd1 help!!!

[E30_80Y]

I have changed the water pump, bleed the system of air, change the radiator cap, took out the thermostat, I dunno what it can be! help?!?!? i'm running the M42 radiator, with 7 series bigger electric fan in front of the ac condenser.

there is not water/coolant in my oil. The temperature goes from a cold start to overheat(red on the temp gauge) in a matter of driving for 5 minutes. all hoses get hot EXCEPT the one on the bottom driver side(below the reservoir) which i think is the hose that takes the water TO the engine. oh and i have smoke when i open the oil cap.

can it be a head gasket, but why no water in the oil???

[Adrian_Visser]

Blocked radiator?

[E30_80Y]

Blocked radiator?

i took it off and filled it with water and shook it around and it seemed to go from one side to the other freely.

[manuel325i]

Dumb question but did you install the thermostat the correct way? The thermostat has to be installed in a certain way otherwise it will overheat because the t-stat won't open. The vent hole or arrow depending which t-stat you have has to be pointing up.

[E30_80Y]

Dumb question but did you install the thermostat the correct way? The thermostat has to be installed in a certain way otherwise it will overheat because the t-stat won't open. The vent hole or arrow depending which t-stat you have has to be pointing up.

i removed it entirely, i'm in florida, most people tell me just to remove it.

[lennon]

what the fuck? you shouldn't remove your thermostat...

[manuel325i]

Are you losing any coolant do you visually see any leaks or trails of dried up coolant in the engine bay? I do not think its your head gasket because like you said there is no water mixed with your oil. Is your belt worn? If the t-stat was removed completely the temp gauge would read cold all the time. I know some people that did that, it doesn't hurt your motor but you cannot really monitor the temp because it always reads cold. I would check for leaks if you cannot find one, the radiator might be clogged. Let us know what you find.

[MR E30 325is]

When I had my M42 radiator inside my 24v E30, it couldnt stack up. overheated all the time.

Though it sounds like you have a clog somewhere, due to the one cold hose.

And people tell you to remove your thermostat, but they are wrong. Its taking your car a lot longer to warm up, and its causing your car to overheat. Put the thermostat back in.

[E30_80Y]

When I had my M42 radiator inside my 24v E30, it couldnt stack up. overheated all the time.

Though it sounds like you have a clog somewhere, due to the one cold hose.

And people tell you to remove your thermostat, but they are wrong. Its taking your car a lot longer to warm up, and its causing your car to overheat. Put the thermostat back in.

So are you saying m42 radiator is not the way to go? If I buy a new one, don't waste my money on another m42 one?

[87e30]

FWIW in my experience the lower radiator hose for the e36 rad is typically cooler than the upper, because yes it's feeding cooler water back into the engine.

Could be several things, are you positive the gauge is working accurately? Do you have the right temp sensor drilled into the head?

[E30_80Y]

FWIW in my experience the lower radiator hose for the e36 rad is typically cooler than the upper, because yes it's feeding cooler water back into the engine.

Could be several things, are you positive the gauge is working accurately? Do you have the right temp sensor drilled into the head?

i dunno if the temperature gauge is correct, i sure dont want to push my luck. if i have the right temperature sensor or not, uhmmm you got me there. i have no clue which one is in there. what/ which sensor(decription/part#...) should i have? as for cluster i am running my stock M42 cluster with a inline 6 e30 coding plug.

[manuel325i]

Not sure with the m42 motor but with the m20 motor after the swap you had to use the single pole temp gauge sensor. I do not have a part number but I got mine from the local napa auto parts store. Regardless you will need the correct sensor before you can start narrowing down the problem further. It's only a few bucks.

[87e30]

You should also make sure it's in the head, or at least at a decent spot for reading temperature.

[E30_80Y]

I just checked compression and it was 190-200 all across.

[jakeb]

Are you sure all the air is bled out of the system? BMWs with the coolant tank on the side of the rad are a PITA to bleed. add fluid slowly with the bleeder screw off, keep doing this until you get fluid coming out of the bleeder screw, let it sit a few, add more fluid. Start the car and get it up to temp and bring the revs up until you start getting fluid and ONLY fluid coming out of the bleeder.

I normally have to do it a couple of times.... again they are a PITA to bleed.

The m42 rad is fine for a 24v swap.