M30 swap complete, a few gremlins.

[Red88]

What's up guys? I've recently put an m30b34 in my e30. (265 5 speed, 2.93 LSD) it's pretty quick, hehehe... But I have a few issues right now, two are strange noise related so I will save them for last.

Basically I have been trying to bleed this thing for about a week now and every time I come back to it after a few hours of letting it sit, I open up the plugs I have in the thermostat housing and there's always a ton of air there. I've jacked up the front onto cinder blocks to try and help but I'm scared to run the engine like that because the oil light never goes off. Any other tips for bleeding besides lifting the res, and using all the sensors in the therm housing as well as the radiator?
Speaking of the sensors in the radiator, neither one of them switch to open, ever. I have both the two and the three prong 80*, 80/88* sensors. The temp gauge in the cabin gets to half way and they never switch open.

I think my csb is squealing, it doesn't change when I turn either direction. It's a low pitch squeal, or howl kind of and it is related to wheels spinning. Gonna drop the exhaust and have a look in a few days after I get an m30 afm in the mail. It doesn't vibrate or shake or anything, just howls.

Las I have a YouTube video of. It clatters loudest in the front of the engine towards the bottom. Cold start it does not make noise. (Easiest to hear right at the end of the shitvideo) http://youtu.be/77s1WCpY6pI
Another

http://youtu.be/xPdp1unaHTA

[Bearmw]

Can't tell much from the videos but it doesn't sound good. Try using an old school pipe or tube against various parts of the engine try narrow down the location.

[Red88]

I am not going to concern myself with the noise right now. I bought an oil analysis but I want to get some miles on this car before I find out anything sad. I've owned it for 5 years and only driven it 23 miles around my neighborhood.

It keeps getting air from somewhere and it ends up at the rad sensors. At idle, nearly zero coolant comes to the reservoir from the small diameter radiator hose, but at ~1500rpm I get a steady stream with no bubbles. Can't figure out where the air is hiding :(

[lukeADE335i]

On your thermo switches never closing - one thing that never seems to be discussed with the BMW thermo switches is that they are on the cold side of the radiator, so if you are running the 82 degree (2 prong) thermo switch, then it won't close until the thermostat is seeing much more than 82 degrees because the coolant has already done a pass through the radiator before reaching it.

My solution for this was to run the switch in the thermostat housing - the B35 had spare blanked off ports there for extra sensors. This has worked fine - the 82 degree switch comes on with the gauge just below half. Prior to moving the switch, the fan wouldn't come on with the guage at half way.

As for the air in the system - I presume you're running the engine to bleed it with the heater on flat out, and with the overflow bottle lifted up as high as possible?

Never had any issues with bleeding at all on my system providing I lift the overflow bottle a few inches above the engine.

Howling could be the wheel bearings if it's constant.

If you have a clatter low down at the front of the engine & the oil light comes on with the car up on blocks, I'd be checking the oil pump in a hurry. They're known for the nut that holds the sprocket on the front of the oil pump working loose.

Good luck.

[Red88]

Thank you Luke for your answers, I'll try moving the switch to the thermostat housing.

I have hot heat coming out of the heater so I think there is no air there. I have been squeezing the lower hose constantly with the car running and the bottle a good 8" above where it usually sits.

I just had the oil pan off and that bolt was good n tight. I didn't have a torque wrench at the time but it was tight; not stripped, not ready to tighten much more. I might have to take a look

[Red88]

The fan works. I let the engine run for about 20 minutes and the cooling hoses were not rock hard with pressure. I hope that means the system is bled.

[lukeADE335i]

sounds like you might have solved it! :)

[Red88]

Thanks for your help buddy... I drove the car 20+ miles this morning and when I came back I soldered the fan switch wiring in place. The fan was working before this. Now the fan doesn't work. The relays click when I short the wires but the fan does nothing. I guess I killed the fan somehow :(

[stinkydriverx]

That sounds a lot like a throw out bearing that isn't lubed from the video... Just a thought. Sounds to deep to be injectors or valve clearances. Show me a picture of your cooling system or a take a video of it. I finally after two years of being m30 swapped have figured out how to keep my car from over heating in traffic..... I'll let you know If I see anything.

[uturn]

The oil chain has a tensioner that has been known to partially break. Ditch the stock aux fan and get two spal fans. The larger pusher one in the front of the radiator for A/C and a secondary puller one on the back for sitting in traffic jams.

[lukeADE335i]

Show me a picture of your cooling system or a take a video of it. I finally after two years of being m30 swapped have figured out how to keep my car from over heating in traffic..... I'll let you know If I see anything.

What was your solution? Just interested - when I did my swap, I fitted all new components including a Behr e28 535i radiator, water pump & 72 degree thermostat. With an e32 aux fan as a pusher & 82 degree thermo switch, I have had no overheating issues - even in traffic in 110F!

I was hot though... I have no AC :)

[Bearmw]

If your engine is back far enough I think you can run a volvo puller fan that has a nice shroud. I forgot which model though. Two keys to proper cooling are complete bleeding of the system and good sealing and shrouding of whatever fan you use. Some advocate using the radiator to coolant reservoir small hose to help with bleeding. By disconnecting it and blowing into it you will slightly pressurize the system which can help. I believe Jim Rowe at Metric Mechanic has described how to do it.