Re: 318i running hot

[John Virnig <javirnig@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Eric -

It's been my experience that ANY time you overheat an engine, regardless of the reason why, it's always a good idea to swap the thermostat.  After being par broiled they tend not to work right.

As far as still running hot, you might have to "burp" you cooling system.  With the engine cool, take off the radiator cap and fill it with coolant.  Fill the overflow tank with coolant.  Leave the cap off and start the car.  After a short time you should see the coolant level drop.  It might not drop until after the newly installed thermostat opens so if the level stays up there for awhile, it's okay.  Leave the cap off and keep adding coolant until you see no more bubbles and the
coolant level starts to rise.  Quickly put the cap back on and allow the car to run until the radiator fan kicks in.  Shut 'er down and let it cool off again.  Go check the coolant level.  You might need to repeat the steps above, but only one more time.

Helpful hint - have the car parked over an area where if you get coolant anywhere you don't want it you can just wash it down with a hose.

Good luck!

John Virnig
'97 328is
'88 K100RT

>
> Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 16:43:42 -0500
> From: "Teel, Eric" <eteel@domain.elided>
> Subject: E36 318i running hot...
>
> Hello Group,
>
> Over the holiday I had my alternator belt break on my 94 318i.  Of course
> this is the same belt that drives the fan and water pump, so the car
> overheated.  After getting it home, I replaced all of the belts and replaced
> the coolant, however the car is still overheating.  It appears that coolant
> is entering the block because the coolant levels are lowering when the
> engine is running.
>
> Should I just replace the thermostat anyway?
>
> Additionally there is a rattling sound coming from the engine compartment
> and there is no heat coming from the climate control now as well.
>
> Thanks in advance for any assistance
> Eric
> '94 318i 140k (but running hot)
> '86 735  170k (waiting for tranny work)

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