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I'm at wits end! Running too hot! Help???

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    I'm at wits end! Running too hot! Help???

    Car: 1990 BMW 325i / Automatic / M20 / 175,000 miles

    Situation: From about the time summer started to now my car has been getting a little warm. I wouldn't call it overheating because it never actually gets THAT hot. The gauge has never gone into the red, steam hasn't poured out from under the hood, and the coolant has never boiled out. But it gets close enough and it happens enough that it scares me.

    Symptoms: It only seems to do it when I am in town running errands or something on a hot day (but its summer so I don't really know if it does it on cold days too). Really only when I'm driving at slow speeds. It just slowly creeps up and soon is passing the half way mark and into the 3/4 mark on the gauge. It usually stays between 3/4 and the red, but the needle never actually goes into the red. I will pull over and let it sit for a while but it doesn't seem to cool down. I will go into and have lunch (15-20 min) and I come back out and it's still just as hot (about the 3/4 mark). It used to run at the 1/4 mark and that was normal.
    BUT if I go on the highway at high speeds it will cool down. I can watch the needle drop down to about/below 1/2 when at 50mph+. (Because it is being air cooled I'm guessing) But if come to a stop at a light or something, it will start to get hot again.

    Things I've done: Your probably thinking fan clutch. Which was my first thought. I got one off of my parts car and put that in. I did the fan clutch test with the newspaper and it was fine. It was actually harder to stop than my friends e30.
    I also replaced the thermostat. When I took the old one out it was completely broken in half. I figured that was the problem. It wasn't.
    Last week I cracked my oil pan. Took the old one off to find coolant dripping out. I could see it dripping from cylinder 5. I talked to a BMW mechanic about that and he said it's probably the head gasket and asked if my car had been running hot lately... (umm yeah). So I replaced the head gasket thinking I finally solved it. Nope! It is still doing the same thing. It has never leaked a drop of coolant the entire time. And it never actually "overheats". It just wants to run really really hot. And I still find it weird that it doesn't want to cool down when I turn the car off.

    Conclusion: I don't really know what it could be. I replaced my water pump last november after it broke, so it is fairly new. Thermostat, fan clutch and head gasket were replaced. I really need your guys' help. I'm at wits end. I am broke after trying to fix all of this and being a poor college kid and can't dump a bunch of money into guessing what the problem is. Does anyone know what is wrong??? Please help!

    #2
    I'm thinking perhaps slow opening or stuck thermostat.

    At first I was thinking it was dirt or leaves blocking the air from the radiator, but with a temp drop while on the freeway that would indicate good heat transfer due to airflow.

    Do you have AC running when this is happening? Have you tried, and this sucks but works, running the Defroster to dissipate the heat?

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      #3
      i might take out my thermostat and make sure it is opening at the right temp. the heat thing does work a little but not that much. and it is just unbearable. yeah i'll check the temp of the coolant sometime and make sure my gauge is reading correctly... that might be what it is.

      p.s. corvallis is 90 miles south of portland

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        #4
        I would ohm out the temp sensor going to your gauge. Read it when the coolant is cold, then read it when the coolant is hot and make sure its the same resistance as spec'd out in the book. You can throw parts at it, or take your time and make sure all your sensors and gauges are working with a simple meter.
        Ma che cazzo state dicendo? :|

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          #5
          I'd suspect:

          Air in the system
          Bad fan clutch
          Bad radiator

          in that order.
          The car makes it possible, but the driver makes it happen.
          Jim Levie, Huntsville, AL

          Comment


            #6
            It is a real bitch to get all the air out, bleed that bitch for hours. Park on a hill with the front higher, or just jack up the front. It might be a dirty radiator, as in the inside. Do a coolant flush, and put some water wetter in it.
            Last hope is run without the thermostat!
            Originally posted by KingB
            Scratch my back and I buy a prostitute for you, to rub your balls. HAHA now thats some funny shit.

            Comment


              #7
              What weight oil are you running?
              sigpic

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