That's hot!

[structured]

i would like to gamble with a guy like you. so his electric fan has worked fine in california summers for a year and all of a sudden its not working hard enough?
you sound like a gold star certified master BMW tech. what is your BMWCCA member number?

Just because it worked this summer doesn't mean it works now.

The fact that the car runs cool while moving implies that the coolant is circulating because the engine can't be cooled just by air passing outside of it. It needs cool coolant. If it ran hot while moving, you could rule out the fan because the fans job is easily done by the air passing through the grills, but it doesn't do this. We then have to assume that the coolant is circulating fine (ie. Good water pump) because it runs cool when air passes through the radiator. The car still overheats but only when stationary, it is very likely that the reason for it is poor air ciculation.

I have had more than one car with the same symptom, and each time it was due to a poorly functioning fan. Just because the fan spins doesn't mean it is working right.

[blunttech]

Just because it worked this summer doesn't mean it works now.

The fact that the car runs cool while moving implies that the coolant is circulating because the engine can't be cooled just by air passing outside of it. It needs cool coolant. If it ran hot while moving, you could rule out the fan because the fans job is easily done by the air passing through the grills, but it doesn't do this. We then have to assume that the coolant is circulating fine (ie. Good water pump) because it runs cool when air passes through the radiator. The car still overheats but only when stationary, it is very likely that the reason for it is poor air ciculation.

I have had more than one car with the same symptom, and each time it was due to a poorly functioning fan. Just because the fan spins doesn't mean it is working right.

you think its the fan clutch then maybe? im glad youre here. forget what i said earlier

[mikeedler]

he said it was an electric fan.....- so it has no clutch
and if the waterpump isnt moving ENOUGH water at lower rpms then it will get hot.(kinda like e36 waterpumps with the plastic fins that like to break off)-----
the nuts on the back of the dash panel were on mine too, it was the actual guage itself that was bad.

[blunttech]

he said it was an electric fan.....- so it has no clutch
and if the waterpump isnt moving ENOUGH water at lower rpms then it will get hot.(kinda like e36 waterpumps with the plastic fins that like to break off)-----
the nuts on the back of the dash panel were on mine too, it was the actual guage itself that was bad.

i still think its the fan clutch

[mikeedler]

your probably right.

[structured]

Shut up already about the fan clutch, we know he isn't running one. It may well be something other than the fan, I'm just trying to give another perspective based on my experience with the same symptoms. Go ahead and take the engine apart without checking something much more accessable like your electric fan setup. Not my car so I don't really care.

[blunttech]

your probably right.

lets not rush to judgement. lets wait for the final word from structered

[structured]

lets not rush to judgement. lets wait for the final word from structered

As always blunt, you're a comedic genius.

[Jean]

Lol, so much love in this thread haha.

Anyway, electic fan seems to be blowing air like it did before.... no milkshake which is good. But, coolant was low about 1/2gallon. Water pump belt appears to be fine, I don't want to remove the water pump just yet. I did find a HUGE fuel leak at the back of the fuel rail, so another possibility that maybe it was running lean(er).... just replaced the fuel hose with a new one... Checked the temp gauge and it's operating fine by putting a variable resistor in place of the temp sensor.... could still be a bad sensor though I guess...

Going to drive it and see how it's doing first, if I have to remove the pump, I'll probably want to swap the head/gaskets/injectors at the same time.

[KenC]

I was going to suggest checking the coolant level. Steam can give those readings. T-Stat, although fairly new, could still be the culprit. Thank god they're redic easy to change on an M10.

[Holland]

I had this problem when I got the car. Ran hot all the way up the hill from Phoenix, M10 held very well. Replaced the radiator and thermostat. It did exactly what yours was doing. I then replaced the radiator hoses and then the water pump, found out my belts were a bit loose. Now the M10 runs perfect.

[e30vert]

I know you probably have done this , but make sure to bleed the air from the system using both purge screws. I did not bleed correctly and had a good deal of air left in the system and my gauge would creep up some as a result.

[Jean]

Seems to be running just fine now, put about 60 miles on it today.... if it does it again I'll check the water pump. I have a spare "81" head and the one on my car is an "83", not sure if the combustion chambers are the same on them?

Also, m10s don't have the tstat screws like the m20/m30 cars for bleeding. I just raise the front end of the car up on jack stands and do it that way.

[e30trooper]

my m10 get kinda hot the highest was 3/4 going up a big hill at 65mph in 4th gear, low rpms = lower than a 1/2 on meter, i have a leaky radiator and i have a loud belt past 4k and im blowing some white smoke, this means the headgasket it, someone said its a hot cyl. due to head gasket thats y my spark plugs were burnt up and i have no power past 4 1/2 k, is it even worth keeping the m10 or swpaing for a m20? im a broke ass btw

[dashboardmonkey]

atleast its and m10 headgasket. those take 15 minutes to change, tops.

I did a rush job like that on a 2.2 chrysler motor in a minivan. Didn't even remove the timing belt. Removed head bolts, slid old gasket out, slid new one in.
That fucking pirate I used to work for. I argued with him about it until he told me to do it that way or I was out of a job.