Do I need this shit, or can i bypass it??

[sweet6e30]

Im fluent on mechanics and the e30's . But this is the first time is see this shit!! K so Im in the middle of doing a complete refresh on an M20 for a car im flipping.... Heres the dilema. On my own '88 M20 I didnt have this shit ( Im guessing a secondary thermostate)?? On my own car I have a direct coolant line from the back of the head to the heatercore inlet on the firewall.

My question is, Can i remove this shit and route the coolant/heatercore lines like my other M20?? Or is it absolutly nessessary to have this. Heres a pic. The car is a '90




any input would help, Im putting a lot of detail into this car and removing any useless and misc shit that could cause problems later on.


thanks in advance.

[craiggroves91]

I'm going to go with not necessary. My s52 just has straight lines hooked up and its perfectly fine.

[sweet6e30]

i figured the same. just wanted to check. thanks

[jlevie]

That assembly was installed in a recall and it's purpose is to prevent rupture of the heater core and possible scalding in the event of a really serious overheat. I throw it away.

[sweet6e30]

thx.

[bmwstudent]

That's some shit.

[Gary Horneck]

Kill that mofo... I had persistent leaks back there.

[dustyperez]

I deleted mine, had no problems so far

[MR 325]

I always delete this and the throttle body heater.

[jlevie]

I always delete this and the throttle body heater.

Deleting the throttle body heater is okay if the car will never see ambient temperatures below 40F. But not a good idea otherwise. The purpose of the throttle body heater is to prevent moisture from freezing on and locking the throttle plate. Discovering that nothing happens when you release the accelerator when at speed and facing a sharp turn is going to lead to more excitement than most anyone wants to experience... Been there, done that.

The first time was in a Volvo P1800, way back when. Fortunately that car didn't have a steering wheel lock. So turning off the key could not result in a locked steering wheel. The second time was in a race car and the lock had been removed. So nothing really dramatic was likely in either case. But in a stock car it would be all too easy to turn the key too far and engage the lock. By the time one got that sorted out there may be no options left but to hit something.

The retro-fit of the overpressure/overtemp relief valve was probably driven by liability concerns. It really isn't needed if the operator is paying attention and doesn't allow the engine to reach temperatures that approach those necessary for nuclear fusion.

[dnguyen1963]

I always delete this and the throttle body heater.

Yeah, because you live in CA. If you live in colder climate like mine, you would leave the throttle body heater alone.

[Northern]

Honestly, I drove my iS for two cold, humid winters with no throttle body heater and I'm still here. I think the possibility of the TB freezing is extremely remote.

Still haven't felt like drilling out the old screws to put the new gasket in.

[TobyB]

It's the wet, not the cold- we have a lot of 35- 40 degree wet mornings, and
that seems to be prime time for it...

t

[dnguyen1963]

Honestly, I drove my iS for two cold, humid winters with no throttle body heater and I'm still here. I think the possibility of the TB freezing is extremely remote.

Still haven't felt like drilling out the old screws to put the new gasket in.

Yeah, just wait until your throttle freezes up at an unwanted moment...

[kamotors]

I've driven in the cold w/ no TB heater and I inject some nice cool methanol which brings my temps down often below ambient and have never had a sticking throttle, when I park the car after a pull the manifold feels like a refrigerator. I've driven the car in 38 degree weather with methanol and never had a problem with sticking throttle.

not saying it doesn't happen because others obviously have had it happen, just not in my experience.