Help with overheating M535i

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Took my car
out on Sunday (1981 E12 M535i) for a drive however after only five minutes down
the road the engine temperature was at normal ( in the middle of temp gauge) which
I felt was a little quick however I carried on, we soon approached some
standing traffic after about two minutes the temperature needle rose alarmingly
fast to just under the red maximum marker, luckily the traffic soon began moving and once underway the temperature
returned to normal. I decided that it would be best to turn home and not risk
any further overheating Upon returning home I left the car ticking over and the
temp began to rise again I popped the bonnet and the fan was moving at a good
speed but it was still running hot. I did notice the other day a bit of
bubbling in the water expansion tank the other day after I had taken the car
round the block.  The car has been in
storage on and off for over six years and has only covered small distances for
the MOT�s and occasional maintenance, could the cooling system benefit from a
good flush? Or could it possibly be the thermostat or maybe head gasket? Any
help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Pete  

Edited by Peter e12

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Peter e12 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 21-June-2004 Status: Offline Points: 20	Topic: Help with overheating M535i Posted: 06-September-2004 at 06:02
	Took my car out on Sunday (1981 E12 M535i) for a drive however after only five minutes down the road the engine temperature was at normal ( in the middle of temp gauge) which I felt was a little quick however I carried on, we soon approached some standing traffic after about two minutes the temperature needle rose alarmingly fast to just under the red maximum marker, luckily the traffic soon began moving and once underway the temperature returned to normal. I decided that it would be best to turn home and not risk any further overheating Upon returning home I left the car ticking over and the temp began to rise again I popped the bonnet and the fan was moving at a good speed but it was still running hot. I did notice the other day a bit of bubbling in the water expansion tank the other day after I had taken the car round the block. The car has been in storage on and off for over six years and has only covered small distances for the MOT�s and occasional maintenance, could the cooling system benefit from a good flush? Or could it possibly be the thermostat or maybe head gasket? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Pete Edited by Peter e12

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Andrew Rolland Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Go away rain Joined: 19-August-2004 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 6579	Posted: 06-September-2004 at 08:34
	Pete Sound like your stat is malfunctioning. If you see bubbles in your expansion tank this means that water is being forced the wrong way around the cooling system. This is caused by a thermostat jamming shut and water is unable to move around the system in the correct way. Steam bubbles form as the coolant gets too hot and they rise up thru the easiest path to the expansion tank. Usually stats fail safe i.e. in the open position which means that the engine will always be over cooled. But some can fail closed. Open her up and horse out the stat. Check it by suspending it in a pan of water which you bring to the boil. The stat should open at somewhere over 90 deg C (I don't know the exact spec for your car) use a cooking thermometer like one for making toffee to check the opening temperature. Mind you if you have had the stat out to check it you might as well put in a new one. Also disconnect one of the rad hoses and stuff a garden hose into the radiator outlets and back flush the system for half an hour to get rid of any sludge in your block. Make sure you refill her with the correct ratio of antifreeze/water. Andrew
	Be exclusive and drive a Petrol 5 Series! Current '13 62 F10 535i MSport Auto Previous '04 04 E60 545i SE Auto '03 53 E60 545i SE Auto (Stolen) '98 S E39 523i SE Auto

Peter e12 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 21-June-2004 Status: Offline Points: 20	Posted: 06-September-2004 at 11:13
	Thanks Andrew that sounds promising I was worried it may be something more serious, it's going into the garage tomorrow for a few jobs so i've just ordered a new thermostat and seal so i'll get that changed and the cooling sytem flushed at the same time, hopefully that should cure the problem, thanks again. Pete