radiator water always reduced (e46 318i)

[chetz]

Hello seniors.. just did mine today..
changed these unit :-
1- Expansion Tank
2- Thermostat

Solve the leaking and overheat prob.. but another prob occur.. car will overheat if i turn on air cond.. foreman said it could be the radiator fan relay problem.. anybody experience this before?? car will overheat if using air cond??

 

[jarance]

Hello seniors.. just did mine today..
changed these unit :-
1- Expansion Tank
2- Thermostat

Solve the leaking and overheat prob.. but another prob occur.. car will overheat if i turn on air cond.. foreman said it could be the radiator fan relay problem.. anybody experience this before?? car will overheat if using air cond??

There are 2 fans for the E46.

One fan is clutch type and the speed is based on the temperature thru the radiator. The hotter the air the faster the clutch fan will spinned.

The other fan which is located in front of the engine is electric driven and is also variable speed based on the temperature and air con usage. Check whether the fan is running or not and see whether the speed changes when it is running. (Could be power resistor problem)

I presume you have overheating problem when you are struck in the traffic jam. Do you still have overheat problem when the car is moving on the highway?

BTW, check the connector beside the radiator for the fan. it is located just on the left side of the radiator. i found mine have loose connector and plastic was brittle due to overheating.

 

[chetz]

There are 2 fans for the E46.

One fan is clutch type and the speed is based on the temperature thru the radiator. The hotter the air the faster the clutch fan will spinned.

The other fan which is located in front of the engine is electric driven and is also variable speed based on the temperature and air con usage. Check whether the fan is running or not and see whether the speed changes when it is running. (Could be power resistor problem)

I presume you have overheating problem when you are struck in the traffic jam. Do you still have overheat problem when the car is moving on the highway?

BTW, check the connector beside the radiator for the fan. it is located just on the left side of the radiator. i found mine have loose connector and plastic was brittle due to overheating.

thanx for the reply jarance,
both fan are running.. might be the relay (power resistor problem) as told by foreman. it was told that the unit (relay) doesnt sell separately from the fan.. is it true?

yupe, overheating only happens when the car struck in traffic.. once i hit the paddle and start cruising it goes normal back..

could explain a lil bit details bout the connector.. how does it looks like and what's the repair cost if mine having the same prob as urs.. thank you~

 

[jarance]

thanx for the reply jarance,
both fan are running.. might be the relay (power resistor problem) as told by foreman. it was told that the unit (relay) doesnt sell separately from the fan.. is it true?

yupe, overheating only happens when the car struck in traffic.. once i hit the paddle and start cruising it goes normal back..

could explain a lil bit details bout the connector.. how does it looks like and what's the repair cost if mine having the same prob as urs.. thank you~

If you have overheating only in the traffic jam, I think your problem is with the clutch fan.

Could be also the water thermostat faulty. Please change that.

When you electric is running, does it make sound i.e. fast speed..

Not to worry about the connector if the front electric fan is running.

try to bleed your radiator. i suspect there is air trapped in it as well.

When you get overheating, the temperature goes to what mark/ 3/4 mark or 4/4 mark with warning light?

 

[jarance]

I just check my radiator water level.. it is still high.. Good sign..

Will monitor for another week or so to confirm there is no more leak before adding coolant.

 

[chetz]

If you have overheating only in the traffic jam, I think your problem is with the clutch fan.

Could be also the water thermostat faulty. Please change that.

When you electric is running, does it make sound i.e. fast speed..

Not to worry about the connector if the front electric fan is running.

try to bleed your radiator. i suspect there is air trapped in it as well.

When you get overheating, the temperature goes to what mark/ 3/4 mark or 4/4 mark with warning light?

thermostat changed..

when im speeding.. there's some noise from the aircond compartment like getting faster too..

temperature goes up tp 3/4.. dont dare to let it goes to the red line.. normally i'll pull over and shutdown my engine and wait till cool down a bit... or start back when i can straight away paddle my gas as it helps to cooling down my engine..

it doesnt happen everyday.. just once in a while..

 

[Vroom325]

agree with you , but then we would not know that was it moulded with 100% virgin material OR with a 80/20% recycle material ... sometime when we purchase a new rad we would see it's black shinny surface at first and whereby upon using it for a couple of month the shine tends to be lesser ...

these days a radiators life span that's moulded with PC reservoir could barely last 2~4 years ....

just my 2 cent again

Hi Iceman, agree with you. At OEM, you can't control the virgin vs recyle plastic ratio. Resin manufacturer also can't tell how much the moulder is mixing. As a result, a compromise on the tensile strength of the part.(Unless the manufacturer take the part for crash/strength test to monitor)

I've just change my enginer oil yesterday after 10k km this 325 with me for 4moths. I've also changed mine yesterday as a preventive action as my car is already 5yrs old. Rcommended by M speed USJ better change before it crack. Was told that it should last about 2yr at about 60kkm.

I've checked the expansion tank. It states PA66(Nylon) with GF30(glass fiber30%). Dat's common under the hood. PC is weak to oil & chemical, dat's y you don't see them using under the hood. But soon, you will see PC window glass coming up as a weight reduction to replace those side & rear window. Not the front windscreen yet, still some issues to over come. :wink:

 

[Dexter]

If you have overheating only in the traffic jam, I think your problem is with the clutch fan.

Could be also the water thermostat faulty. Please change that.

When you electric is running, does it make sound i.e. fast speed..

Not to worry about the connector if the front electric fan is running.

try to bleed your radiator. i suspect there is air trapped in it as well.

When you get overheating, the temperature goes to what mark/ 3/4 mark or 4/4 mark with warning light?

Hi Mr Jarance,

Appreciate if you could assist me regarding this matter, as I had the same problem with mr chetz yesterday. I was stuck in the traffic jam and suddenly the aircond blow hot air and the temp goes slowly to 4/4 mark. I parked my car at the roadside and wait for a while around 15 minutes and resumed back my journey using highway after that the temperature dropped back to normal. The fan was working when I checked. I am driving E46 318i year 2000.

Appreciate if you could help me thank you very much.

 

[jarance]

Hi Mr Jarance,

Appreciate if you could assist me regarding this matter, as I had the same problem with mr chetz yesterday. I was stuck in the traffic jam and suddenly the aircond blow hot air and the temp goes slowly to 4/4 mark. I parked my car at the roadside and wait for a while around 15 minutes and resumed back my journey using highway after that the temperature dropped back to normal. The fan was working when I checked. I am driving E46 318i year 2000.

Appreciate if you could help me thank you very much.

dexter, I think your problem is slightly different from chetz.

Your aircon blow hot air and temperature slowly creep to the 4/4 mark (red zone).
I have to assume that the low coolant alarm did not come on. If it did you would have mentioned it.
Normally, if there is low coolant, the temperature will rise without warning.

btw, have you change most of the cooling system parts like thermostat, water pump, hoses and expansion tank?
If you have not done it, better do it soon as your car is about 10 years old. Most of the plastic will becomes brittle.

Coming back to your problem, I could only say the possible cause is:-
1. airlock in the system. - please check for air bubble and bleed the system properly. there is a bleeder cap for bleeding near the radiator.
see picture below.

2. If the aircon is blowing hot air, it could mean that the electric aux fan is not working properly. check whether it spin fast when the engine is hot. Insufficient cold air blowing thru the radiator will cause the engine temperature to rise.

3. check the clutch fan to see whether it is spiining fast when you rev the engine. You can try to use a newspaper and roll it up. try to stop the clutch fan with it.

 

[Dexter]

Mr Jarance

Thank you so much for helping me out on this matter. Just got the car, havent checked everything yet , properly : )

Was driving from Port Klang to KL and stuck in KLCC area yesterday. Then suddenly the aircond blow hot air, I thought
the aircond got problem and then , I panic when I saw the temp slowly moved to the 4/4 mark. Parked my car for
a while and then resumed back the journey, after entering the highway I switched on back the aircond and everything
goes well.No, the low coolant alarm did not come on, and the radiator water level still the same like before ( on MAX )

1.OK, so if I bleed the system, how many litres of coolant that I need to use? ratio is 50:50, right?

2. Is it safe if I bypass the temp sensor of the radiator and let the fan switch on automatically everytime I start
the car? I have done it in the past on all my previous cars and didnt encounter any problems on it

3.about the clutch fan, should I do it with the aircond switch on or off?

Thanks again for your help, I really appreciate it ! : )

 

[jarance]

dexter,

1. if you are bleeding, there is no need to add coolant. Just open the bleeder cap and fill with water thru the radiator cap. Keep filling and observed whether there is air bubble or not. If there is no air lock in the system, some bubbles will formed but will be for a few seconds before water will come out from the cap. Use a litre drinking bottle to guage how much water that you add into the radiator.

2. There is no harm if you bypass the temperature switch to keep the aux fan running. Maybe the fuel consumption would be slightly higher but nothing to worry about. btw, does your aircon work well during the hot day. Sometime, the low gas pressure in the aircon system will disconnect or cut-out the aux fan. This might also cause overheating as the aux fan is not running.

3. It does NOT really matter whether you test the clutch fan without or with the aircon ON. The aux fan is electric and the clutch fan is mechanical.

Since you are new to the BMW, it would be better to read some of the threads for the E46. Get a good workshop to look after your ride. It is better to have the car inspected and change some of the normal wear and tear parts if you are not sure of the history of the car.

 

[JAY E46]

i have same problem like u, i change for new radiator RM750, and now ok.
area keramat KL

 

[Dexter]

thanks jarance for the guidance, I really appreciate it. just came back from outstation 2 days ago and I have done some cleaning on the car.

I bleed the radiator and clean up the radiator using stream of water, boy , the radiator got so many old leaves and whats not stuck on the surface. after that I switch on the aircond and did a test drive from my place to KLIA and back , and had a stop for 15 minutes while the aircond on, so far so good, no more overheat, and yes, the fan works as usual.

but yesterday I noticed something beneath the car, got some leakage or something. appreciate if you could help me to pinpoint what is the problem?

as you can see from the pic I noticed some leakage from the oil sump and from the "bar" ?

another thing

I can see some leakage from the oil cooling pipe outlet.

but what is the black oil reservoir thing actually? when I have a peek on it the got some indicator like the oil dip stick and the oil already past half the tank. Appreciate if you could help me on this matter.

 

[jarance]

Looking at the picture, you seem to have a oil leak coming somewhere and it still leaking.
Best is to sent for car wash to wash away all the oil stain and check for new stain after
a few driving a few days to identify the source of the leak. It could be an oil seal problem.
I can see the some oil stain on the control arm. Please check your rubber bushing. They are
also oil filled and will leak oil when the bushing are damaged.

The reservoir bottle is for the power steering. Sometime over filling will cause the ATF oil to spill
out. As for me, I also have this problem and my problem was due to the worn out gasket at the cap. I just cut
a small ring using oil gasket and the problem is solved.

 

[Dexter]

Looking at the picture, you seem to have a oil leak coming somewhere and it still leaking.
Best is to sent for car wash to wash away all the oil stain and check for new stain after
a few driving a few days to identify the source of the leak. It could be an oil seal problem.
I can see the some oil stain on the control arm. Please check your rubber bushing. They are
also oil filled and will leak oil when the bushing are damaged.

The reservoir bottle is for the power steering. Sometime over filling will cause the ATF oil to spill
out. As for me, I also have this problem and my problem was due to the worn out gasket at the cap. I just cut
a small ring using oil gasket and the problem is solved.

Hello Jarance. Thank you for your guidance, and sorry for not be able to reply to this thread for quite some time since I was quite busy with my new job etc.

OK, just for the info for the rest here, I have changed quite a number of stuffs, done by ah meng of mspeed usj. some parts I bought myself from the stockist Inner Power ( 03-62517677 ) & Bavarian Auto Parts ( 03-56350000 )

To solve the overheating problem, I have consult Naidu of ES Auto PJ, and I have changed the radiator ( rm 625 ), aircond fan ( rm 1180 ), hoses, etc. Since my aircond blew hot air, I also changed several critical parts such as compressor ( rm 1800 ), cooling coil ( rm1300 ) dryer,compressor oil, etc.

Now , no more overheat & aircond is cold as Genting!

The leaking was traced from the oil filter housing ( rm80 ) and changed the gasket of the oil sump itself . No more leakage after that.

After this I need to change the gearbox oil and there were some small leakage on the gearbox as well :2: Other small stuffs like beltings was changed at mspeed as well.

also, I have changed lower arm and the bushes as well, cost me around RM 1400.

Should be OK by now.