Hi everyone
I am pretty new around here and from scorching sunny South Africa.
I am currently drivince a 1985 E30 318i.
I would like to share my experience on the cooling issues with you guys and hopefully help someone out here.
When I got the car it had just recieved a new head gasket. PO was told by mechanic the thermostat and the viscous had went. This ran the car hot and blew the head gasket.
They fitted a replacement Thermostat and new old stock viscous.
When i got the car I flushed the cooling system. Fitted new viscous and had the NOS one rebuilt. Fitted this back when it came back as the one i purchased was a cheap knock off.
Now car ran smooth and cool at middle mark of gauge all the time.
Did a 2000km roundtrip over christmas and car performed wonderfully. On the way back home about 400km out we went through a heatwave for the time. Ambient temp of about 45 degrees.
Heat went up just to under the red marker.
This carried on for about 30km as we got back to the coast it cooled down and trouble free motoring ensued.
At this point I would like to point out I tried to run the heater to cool down the engine and there was NO HEAT.
HCV was stuck closed.
I have been looking for a replacement HCV since and had no luck.
Upon dismantling the whole setup I noted that the HCV cuts off flow in the return pipe of the heater core. Most other vehicles have a HCV that does not simply cut off the flow but redirects it back into the block or back to the water pump or whatever.
If you do not need a heater simply join 2 hoses outside the firewall with a u-joiner.
I went the different route.
Used a HCV from a ford Ka/Fiesta/Bantam/Flair/Soho which cycles coolant back to the block in said car. It uses the exact voltage to actuate the valve. I had to delete the grommet at the firewall and the aluminium tubes and the old hcv, Joined everything up with rubber hose and clamps.
It goes without saying there was a huge airlock after the HCV that you cannot bleed on an e30 m10 without opening the HCV.
The car is now running super cool. Temperatures has been up to 30 degrees the past week, and temperature only goes past 1/4 mark in traffic. Heater works a treat too, winter is coming over here.
If anyone has anything to add please go ahead as I am also still learning about these cars.
V
Sent from my GT-P5200 using Tapatalk
I am pretty new around here and from scorching sunny South Africa.
I am currently drivince a 1985 E30 318i.
I would like to share my experience on the cooling issues with you guys and hopefully help someone out here.
When I got the car it had just recieved a new head gasket. PO was told by mechanic the thermostat and the viscous had went. This ran the car hot and blew the head gasket.
They fitted a replacement Thermostat and new old stock viscous.
When i got the car I flushed the cooling system. Fitted new viscous and had the NOS one rebuilt. Fitted this back when it came back as the one i purchased was a cheap knock off.
Now car ran smooth and cool at middle mark of gauge all the time.
Did a 2000km roundtrip over christmas and car performed wonderfully. On the way back home about 400km out we went through a heatwave for the time. Ambient temp of about 45 degrees.
Heat went up just to under the red marker.
This carried on for about 30km as we got back to the coast it cooled down and trouble free motoring ensued.
At this point I would like to point out I tried to run the heater to cool down the engine and there was NO HEAT.
HCV was stuck closed.
I have been looking for a replacement HCV since and had no luck.
Upon dismantling the whole setup I noted that the HCV cuts off flow in the return pipe of the heater core. Most other vehicles have a HCV that does not simply cut off the flow but redirects it back into the block or back to the water pump or whatever.
If you do not need a heater simply join 2 hoses outside the firewall with a u-joiner.
I went the different route.
Used a HCV from a ford Ka/Fiesta/Bantam/Flair/Soho which cycles coolant back to the block in said car. It uses the exact voltage to actuate the valve. I had to delete the grommet at the firewall and the aluminium tubes and the old hcv, Joined everything up with rubber hose and clamps.
It goes without saying there was a huge airlock after the HCV that you cannot bleed on an e30 m10 without opening the HCV.
The car is now running super cool. Temperatures has been up to 30 degrees the past week, and temperature only goes past 1/4 mark in traffic. Heater works a treat too, winter is coming over here.
If anyone has anything to add please go ahead as I am also still learning about these cars.
V
Sent from my GT-P5200 using Tapatalk
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