E36 328: In over my head!

I replaced the thermostat and the thermostat housing with an OEM one. After bleeding the system, it seems to be fine, but I need to check tomorrow to be sure it's not leaking.

Here's my kid with me while I was opening the package.

Here's me.

Here's a good shot of what's behind the thermostat.

This is a side by side comparison of an OEM thermostat and an aftermarket one. The OEM is on the left.

I did the boiling water test on the aftermarket thermostat two nights ago, and like expected, it didn't open.

The 328 still leaks coolant, so I took it in to my local independent shop to diagnois where it's leaking. I will probably have them fix the leak because I'm tired of working on the cooling system.

This is closely related to the 328i, so I will post it here. Both of my aluminum quick jacks weren't working, so I finally started working on them. After I watched a youtube video, I worked on the Autozone version first, which is the one on the left.

I unscrewed this screw, and I bleed the jack by opening the valve and pumping the lever a few times. A couple of bubbles came out. I screwed the screw back in, and it started working.

I jacked myself up with the jack to test it with a (relatively) light load, then I jacked up my other car, and it did that.

Then, I started on the other jack. With this one, the piston on the right would stay down when I pumped the handle, and the jack wouldn't rise.

I took the pump off of the body, and took the spring and piston off of the pump. The most difficult part of the job was holding down the spring while taking off (and putting on) the retainer clip. Once I got it off, I just unscrewed the cylinder, tapped out the piston, then re-oiled the cylinder and piston. Then I screwed the cylinder back into the pump and put the piston in the cylinder. I spent plenty of time and energy holding the spring and washer down so I could put the retaining clip back on it. Then, I put the hydraulic pump back in the jack frame, and screwed it down. I jacked myself up for a light load, then my other car for a real test. It works, so I'm happy.

If you have one of these, try to fix them if they berkeley up, especially if they're 3 or less years old; they might just need to be bleed.

I bought this a couple of weeks ago, and I set it up a few days ago. Even though it's not directly related, it's appropriate.

When you read the instructions, it isn't too difficult to do.

It's all done.

I just don't have anything ready to weld yet. This setup is better than a MIG setup for us DIY guys because we don't have to worry about shielding gas and the additional safety hazard that comes with it. It is also more convenient.

I bled the cooling system again yesterday, then actually thought about doing it like the Pelican Parts book said; bleed the system, then fill up the reservoir tank all the way until bubbles come out of the bleed hole. Hopefully, it's completely bled.

I just checked my cooling system, and the top radiator hose is hot! The damn OEM thermostat is stuck closed! I just put it in last week!

I bought an OEM thermostat again, but since I have an autocross on Sat., I will go with an aftermarket one temporarily.

I did the thermostat test just to be sure it was sticking closed, and it's not!

What else could be the problem?

The top radiator hose is supposed to be hot - that is where the hot liquid direct from the cylinder head enters the radiator. When it's not hot is when the t-stat is stuck.

When I checked it, it was really hot, scalding temps. It was also shooting out steam when I was trying to bleed the system at that time. I had the heat on, and it wasn't blowing out hot air, it was cool. I also watched a Bavauto video and a DIY video of the BMW cooling system bleed procedure, and both talked about turning the A/C to heat to bleed air from the heater core. I didn't think about no heat coming out of the vents until I did the thermostat test. I did a search, and the heater core could be clogged. I tested the heater control valve to see if the device has continuity, and it does.

Edit: I know the radiator is not leaking because my local shop did a pressure test, and I don't think that the head gasket has failed because I'm not getting perceived symptoms of that like coolant in the oil, steam coming from the tailpipes, etc.

In reply to Mr_Clutch42:

The head gasket test for these cars is... are you getting lots of bubbles/gas in the coolant? Is it not holding temp dead center on the gauge? If the car is pumping a froth of bubbles while idling or revving slightly with the cap off it's not a good sign. They fail between cyls 4 & 5 right between the piston and water jacket so the piston pumps air into the cooling system. You don't see water in the oil or much steam out the tail pipe but the coolant can smell like burnt fuel or exhaust. If you are having trouble bleeding as follows I would do a compression test just to be sure. :
- elevate the nose a bit
- heat at 100%
- open bleed screw
- fill until it runs out the bleed screw w/o bubbles
- cap it
- drive until warm
- elevate nose
- open bleed screw
- top up

It should be that easy.

Weird. Have you watched the actuator going into the heater core to make sure it's opening when you turn the heat on? I guess you can take that hose off and make sure there is water circulating back there, but it will get messy. I doubt it's a head gasket if you're not getting heat into the cabin.

By the way, shielding gas is really safe. Highly recommended over the flux core setup.

My symptom has been that it will take a long time, about 45 minutes of bleeding and driving around the block and bleeding some more. I would get tired of that and quit. Every time I drive somewhere, the ecu would flash low coolant on the screen. There would be a drop in coolant, and I would open the bleed screw, and bubbles and plenty of coolant would come out. How do you watch the actuator when you turn on the heat?

I took welding at my community college 10 years ago; you have a few safety precautions when using shielding gas. Another issue is the hassle of changing out gas tanks when you run out. Flux core is a simpler setup, and the tensile strength is the same with MIG and flux core. I guess you guys don't like scraping off the layer of flux.

In reply to Mr_Clutch42:

It's not chipping flux off, it's the smoke and sparks. My garage is already an oil soaked pile of dry wood and flammable liquids. A flux welder is like guaranteeing I need the fire extinguisher but can't find it in the smoke

I wonder if you have a clog somewhere. Seriously check out flow to the heater core. Perhaps if you're not getting real flow until stuff moves.

As far as welding, I've done both. Flux core is great if you're outside, otherwise pretty useless. Refill the tank twice a year for $50, even I can afford that. It's better than having to reclean the area every time you strike an arc.

What safety precautions? Don't let the bottle fall down. That's seriously pretty much it. I store mine laid down under the truck out of tunakids reach. Keep the cap on it when not in use.

Besides the bottle falling down, you also have to make sure the gas line is ok, along with the pressure regulator. Then there's the obvious no smoking around it, or any heat source. When welding indoors, you at least need fresh air to come in. Active ventilation is the best. I was just noticing several members' rejection of flux core, more than anything.

I took the hoses off the heater core, and barely any water came out, so there is a water flow issue somewhere.

In reply to Mr_Clutch42:

Smoking or heat source? It's not flammable. If it were, it would not be a very good shielding gas. The only reason that you need ventilation is so that it doesn't physically replace all of the air that you're trying to breathe. It's not dangerous in any way for you to inhale.

Anyway, looks like you found your problem. Or at least the problem area. Now you have to figure out where your clog is.

I recommend pulling both hoses off of the heater core and ensuring flow to, from, and through. As far as the rest I can't really guess because I am not familiar with the specific coolant routing for these things. Just isolate various sections and use a garden hose to test for flow.

We've confirmed that the pump is good, right?

In reply to Mr_Clutch42:

You are thinking of the wrong gas. MIG is just one, two or blend of argon, c02 and helium for steel and stainless. Just argon for aluminum. Nothing flammable or harmful. I TIG in my kitchen with argon.

In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:

I am pretty sure he's thinking of acetylene. I don't have that because it's too dangerous to have around the kids in and out of the garage. I get that totally.

The worst argon could do (assuming you don't drop it and break the neck off) is replace the breathable air with argon and CO2. It won't hurt you, but you're going to need oxygen soon. You'd have to be welding like a madman to produce that much gas though, it doesn't feel like much more than a light breeze around the wire.

In reply to tuna55: Are you talking about the water pump? According to Eric the Car guy, that's the last item to determine if it's faulty in the cooling system. It also looks like it's a few years old, so I have to fix this clog first to know for sure. I also need to remove the intake manifold, unfortunately.

Mr_Clutch42 wrote: In reply to tuna55: Are you talking about the water pump? According to Eric the Car guy, that's the last item to determine if it's faulty in the cooling system. It also looks like it's a few years old, so I have to fix this clog first to know for sure. I also need to remove the intake manifold, unfortunately.

Yeah. Just pull a hose off, start it and see if the water pump is... you know... pumping. If it's not, you don't have a clog or an air bubble, you just have no water circulation.

I already drained the radiator and took off the thermostat. I suppose that I could still start it for a few seconds to check that way.

I ran water through the heater core, and no dirty gunk or dirty coolant ran through it, just regular coolant. I also had my dad run the car for a few seconds to see if the water pump could pump coolant through the engine, but nothing happened. The cooling system is pretty empty, so I will fill the system, and try again.

A bad water pump would be a pretty easy diagnosis, if a bit annoying.

FYI, watch when welding that you arent welding anything galvanized. the gases from welding galvanized metal are deadly and will kill you...

Ok, I will watch out for galvanized metal. How much coolant needs to be in the system for me to know for sure? I had the radiator empty, and many of the coolant lines were open.

Mr_Clutch42 wrote: Ok, I will watch out for galvanized metal. How much coolant needs to be in the system for me to know for sure? I had the radiator empty, and many of the coolant lines were open.

Just fill it with water from a hose until it's full. Do it while it is running. You'll know pretty quickly if it's not pumping.