no HEAT, after waterpump seized....help!

[Ceeker]

With regards to your case: the system is simple. Coolant flow has to be there to keep the motor at opr temp. Also for flow to get to the heater core so you get heat. did you also change the thermostat? and if so was the right temp range chosen as there are about 4 diff ones. get the 80 degree one. I had a cooler one in mine and it wasn't allowing the car to warm up enough and didn't get as good heat.

don't mean to jack the thread.

Here is my situation: I had no heat issue as well and ended up changing everything; lucky I had all the spare parts so the only thing which cost me money was coolant and a couple thermostats to try. I get warm air into the cabin after the car is running for a good while and with the recirculate button pressed in. The lower hose going into the rad from the therm lacks pressure and is warm at best while the other hoses are hot. after checking the rad the lower area was warm and up top was cold. This leads me to believe my rad is partially plugged.
Anyone have a similar situation happen to them.

[audiquattrot]

do you guys see any correlation to the fact that my waterpump seized, resulting in no heat? I'm trying to determine if this was mere coincidence that this happened after the wp seized or if something may have triggered it to malfunction. I'm just trying to understand the logic behind the heating system.

I had my local shop replace the waterpump w/ a new unit, and it was mentioned to me that the radiator was removed in order to do this. Prior to my waterpump seizing, the heat worked 100%. No signs of it dying.

[audiquattrot]

My initial thought was the Heater Valve. Glad to see I was on the right track. Best of luck with getting it resolved, I know what driving without heat can be like.

Thanks buddy ....hoping I can get this resolved soon too. Thanks for ur input

[audiquattrot]

With the engine off and ignition on, you should be able to hear the heater valve click as you turn up the temperature knob from full cold.

I tried this today ....so ur saying if I turn the knob from cold to hot....and hear a click, does this indicate my heater valve is ok? I ordered a replacement heater valve with hopes that was the issue. I did notice today that on occasion, when turning the heat on I would feel a tiny bit of warm air....but then would go away

I know u mentioned that it could be the head gasket.....but trying to start with the relatively small fixes before dipping into that job. I would hate to do a job that big, just to find out that wasn't the cause.

[Farbin Kaiber]

My initial thought was the Heater Valve. Glad to see I was on the right track. Best of luck with getting it resolved, I know what driving without heat can be like.

[jlevie]

The heater valve is inside the cabin, between the firewall and the heater core.

[audiquattrot]

... if you're getting constant air bubbles and you have been bleeding this for 2hrs and have been trying different methods, it sounds like a headgasket... i could be wrong, but that's what its sounding like. The BMW is usually pretty good about bleeding, and I believe that it self bleeds itself too.

Feel the heater hoses. If the shop you are taking it to is a competent shop, they shouldn't have a problem finding out what's wrong.

the air bubbles have all been taken out. Initially when it was bled the first time, it was on flat ground. I raised the front of the car today, and the bubbles came out, and it was a constant flow of coolant after that. Tried it a couple times after that, and no more bubbles. Safe to say its fully bled w/ no air.

Thanks for the advice, hopefully i can diagnose this.....when it comes to HVAC systems, I'm completely clueless. I've been scouring the forums, trying to self-teach myself on this.

The shop I brought it to today was pretty certain it was the heater valve. Does this sit by the firewall (where the blower & heater core are?). I read a writeup saying it was underneath the center console which had me baffled.

[audiquattrot]

With the engine off and ignition on, you should be able to hear the heater valve click as you turn up the temperature knob from full cold.

great i will try that, thanks.

[evil_twin]

... if you're getting constant air bubbles and you have been bleeding this for 2hrs and have been trying different methods, it sounds like a headgasket... i could be wrong, but that's what its sounding like. The BMW is usually pretty good about bleeding, and I believe that it self bleeds itself too.

Feel the heater hoses. If the shop you are taking it to is a competent shop, they shouldn't have a problem finding out what's wrong.

[jlevie]

thanks for the writeup jlevie. I tried bleeding the car again w/ the front jacked up using jlevie's writeup, some air came out and then a constant stream which indicated the system was bled. Unfortunately no heat still. I felt the hoses going in/out thru the firewall, and only one was hot.

That leads me to believe that a valve controlling the heat must have broken? The blower motor works at all speeds.

I had a friend look over the car as well, and he pretty much ruled out a blown headgasket.....

With the engine off and ignition on, you should be able to hear the heater valve click as you turn up the temperature knob from full cold.

[audiquattrot]

i had an issue w/ my old iX's heater not working (but that was fan related)...so I replaced the blower motor and all was good.

As I search old threads, I came across someone who had a similar issue as mine, but his fan would intermitently work....and blow cold. He replaced the blower motor, and it started blowing hot.

Logically it doesn't make sense, but wondering if any of this has to do w/ a possible bad blower motor?

[audiquattrot]

thanks for the writeup jlevie. I tried bleeding the car again w/ the front jacked up using jlevie's writeup, some air came out and then a constant stream which indicated the system was bled. Unfortunately no heat still. I felt the hoses going in/out thru the firewall, and only one was hot.

That leads me to believe that a valve controlling the heat must have broken? The blower motor works at all speeds.

I had a friend look over the car as well, and he pretty much ruled out a blown headgasket.....

[Need4Speed1299]

jlevie kicks ass!

[Ceeker]

great write up!:)

[jlevie]

yeah we bled the system w/ the heat full & rev'd the engine constantly w/ the bleeder screw open once it was up to temp.

Any other suggestions on how bleeding the system better (assuming there isn't another issue)?

Try:

1) Using ramps or a jack get the front of the car 1' or more higher than
the rear. That will make the radiator and bleed screw the highest point
on the engine and facilitate removal of air.

2) With the bleed screw open, add coolant until no more air comes out of
the bleed.

3) Leave the filler cap off, or at least loose, and set the heat for max
temp and fan speed. Leaving the cap loose will prevent air that's still
in the system from causing a "coolant fountain" once the engine heats
up. Start the engine and allow it to warm up to operating temp. As it
warms up occasionally crack the bleed screw to release any air and top
up the coolant as necessary.

4) Once the engine is at temp bring it up to 2000-2500 for a few seconds
several times. Then crack the bleed until no more air is released. At
this point the heater should be throwing lots of hot air, which
indicates that the heater core is filled with coolant. You may have to
repeat this a few times to get all the air out.

5) Drive the car a bit, allow it to cool back down, and recheck the
bleed for air. Over the next few days you may get very small amounts (a
few bubbles) of air out of the bleed screw.