3.0si Overheating any help?

L

Looney

Active member
So took my 3.0si out of storage on the 1st of August and been driving around town.

Today the temp gauge (below the speedo) went up to red and lit up along with a beep, i stopped immediately and had the AA come out.

On AA inspection he has observed the following:

Revving the engine steam comes out the exhaust, wasnt really white (hot steam)
Fan turns on when engine idles and coolant is at 65 degrees, pressure issue? (measured lazer into open filler cap)
Coolant bubbling when engine is on and revved whilst coolant cap is not on so can see
No oil check was done
Engine feels fine to drive

AA guy mentiones head gasket failure and he knows alot more about cars than me, reading the forum gasket failures are very uncommon and its more likely to be an issue with circulation of coolant?

Could it be more simple? I have read on this forum about thermostats not opening and the coolant not cycling correctly?

What makes it worse is i intended to sell it this month, by the sound of it (but not yet confirmed) i am going to have to pay out heavily so that i can have peace of mind to give the car to a new owner without issues.

Anyone with any mechanical engine experience have any comments, its a Dec 2006 3.0si, i just thank jesus its not my 3.2L M.


Tom
 
Looney said:
So took my 3.0si out of storage on the 1st of August and been driving around town.

Today the temp gauge (below the speedo) went up to red and lit up along with a beep, i stopped immediately and had the AA come out.

On AA inspection he has observed the following:

Revving the engine steam comes out the exhaust, wasnt really white (hot steam)
Fan turns on when engine idles and coolant is at 65 degrees, pressure issue? (measured lazer into open filler cap)
Coolant bubbling when engine is on and revved whilst coolant cap is not on so can see
No oil check was done
Engine feels fine to drive

AA guy said its most likely to be a head gasket failure and he knows alot more about cars than me, reading the forum gasket failures are very uncommon and its more likely to be an issue with circulation of coolant?

Could it be more simple? I have read on this forum about thermostats not opening and the coolant not cycling correctly?

What makes it worse is i intended to sell it this month, by the sound of it (but not yet confirmed) i am going to have to pay out heavily so that i can have peace of mind to give the car to a new owner without issues.

Anyone with any mechanical engine experience have any comments, its a Dec 2006 3.0si, i just thank jesus its not my 3.2L M.


Tom
Click to expand...

Hi, it’s probably the electronic water pump as mine also triggered the fan as soon as the car had started.
It’s not as expensive as you think as an oem pierburg pump can be had for just over £200 & is an easy diy job.
Head gasket failure is almost unheard of but water pump failure on the n52 engine is a question of when not if!
Rob
 
Smartbear said:
Looney said:
So took my 3.0si out of storage on the 1st of August and been driving around town.

Today the temp gauge (below the speedo) went up to red and lit up along with a beep, i stopped immediately and had the AA come out.

On AA inspection he has observed the following:

Revving the engine steam comes out the exhaust, wasnt really white (hot steam)
Fan turns on when engine idles and coolant is at 65 degrees, pressure issue? (measured lazer into open filler cap)
Coolant bubbling when engine is on and revved whilst coolant cap is not on so can see
No oil check was done
Engine feels fine to drive

AA guy said its most likely to be a head gasket failure and he knows alot more about cars than me, reading the forum gasket failures are very uncommon and its more likely to be an issue with circulation of coolant?

Could it be more simple? I have read on this forum about thermostats not opening and the coolant not cycling correctly?

What makes it worse is i intended to sell it this month, by the sound of it (but not yet confirmed) i am going to have to pay out heavily so that i can have peace of mind to give the car to a new owner without issues.

Anyone with any mechanical engine experience have any comments, its a Dec 2006 3.0si, i just thank jesus its not my 3.2L M.


Tom
Click to expand...

Hi, it’s probably the electronic water pump as mine also triggered the fan as soon as the car had started.
It’s not as expensive as you think as an oem pierburg pump can be had for just over £200 & is an easy diy job.
Head gasket failure is almost unheard of but water pump failure on the n52 engine is a question of when not if!
Rob
Click to expand...

Thanks !

Also no engine or oil light has come up it's literally just the temp gauge.
 
Looney said:
Smartbear said:
Looney said:
So took my 3.0si out of storage on the 1st of August and been driving around town.

Today the temp gauge (below the speedo) went up to red and lit up along with a beep, i stopped immediately and had the AA come out.

On AA inspection he has observed the following:

Revving the engine steam comes out the exhaust, wasnt really white (hot steam)
Fan turns on when engine idles and coolant is at 65 degrees, pressure issue? (measured lazer into open filler cap)
Coolant bubbling when engine is on and revved whilst coolant cap is not on so can see
No oil check was done
Engine feels fine to drive

AA guy said its most likely to be a head gasket failure and he knows alot more about cars than me, reading the forum gasket failures are very uncommon and its more likely to be an issue with circulation of coolant?

Could it be more simple? I have read on this forum about thermostats not opening and the coolant not cycling correctly?

What makes it worse is i intended to sell it this month, by the sound of it (but not yet confirmed) i am going to have to pay out heavily so that i can have peace of mind to give the car to a new owner without issues.

Anyone with any mechanical engine experience have any comments, its a Dec 2006 3.0si, i just thank jesus its not my 3.2L M.


Tom
Click to expand...

Hi, it’s probably the electronic water pump as mine also triggered the fan as soon as the car had started.
It’s not as expensive as you think as an oem pierburg pump can be had for just over £200 & is an easy diy job.
Head gasket failure is almost unheard of but water pump failure on the n52 engine is a question of when not if!
Rob
Click to expand...

Thanks !

Also no engine or oil light has come up it's literally just the temp gauge.
Click to expand...

Mine also had no engine light when the pump was failing, get the codes read to be sure though-mine was listed as “implausible pump speed”
I wouldn’t drive it anymore until it’s sorted as these engines can react badly to any overheating :o
Rob
 
Smartbear has it bang on, it’s a very well known problem on the N52. My only concern might be the white smoke out of the exhaust which does sound a little odd, but head gasket failure on these engines is pretty much unheard of. It is a relatively easy diy to change the pump yourself but even a garage shouldn’t be charging you more than £100 labour. So say £200 (pump) £20 (coolant) (£100 labour) to sort it.
 
I wrote a long post on a possible cause, make sure the system is bled correctly, any small amount of air can cause recirculation problems
 
plethius said:
I wrote a long post on a possible cause, make sure the system is bled correctly, any small amount of air can cause recirculation problems
Click to expand...

True, but that’s AFTER a coolant / pump change. Random airlocks don’t just suddenly appear when the car has been fine previously (assuming coolant level is OK). This is 99% certain the water pump.
 
I would guess water pump too - I've had 2 fail on N52 engines and only got red temperature lights both times.

But getting fault code(s) read should confirm the problem.

So far as getting air in the system goes, there is a "bleeding" procedure for that! :lol:

As in the electric pumps self-bleed - I think you need to turn the ignition on (don't start the engine) then floor the accelerator for 15 seconds or so and that initiates the bleed cycle. But it takes quite a while so it's best to have it hooked up to an external power supply.
 
Good luck with this, though I’m a total BM noob, Iv just dealt with all of these problems in the last few weeks, Paid £115 at BMW approved specialist garrage for water pump labour ( though in my case the water pump wasn’t even the issue :cry: ). Was quoted £60 at an Indy.

My issue was a blocked rad from a previous crappy repair job. Had the AA come out and do an air test thing to prove 100% it wasn’t a blown head gasket before I started throwing money
 
Update to all interested and people who lookup this topic in the future**

Head gasket sniffer test is all ok, looks to be an airlock and circulation issue in the coolant/radiator, so heading towards water pump.

Hope this helps some people out and thanks to all who advised me.
 
I realise the Waterpumps all fail eventually, but is more mileage or time?

How long would a pump changed in 2015, that’s has done 26k miles since, be likely to last?
 
True-Blue said:
I realise the Waterpumps all fail eventually, but is more mileage or time?

How long would a pump changed in 2015, that’s has done 26k miles since, be likely to last?
Click to expand...

I think your ok, people quote 60 to 80 k miles on here, mine is 77k never had it changed.
 
Looney said:
True-Blue said:
I realise the Waterpumps all fail eventually, but is more mileage or time?

How long would a pump changed in 2015, that’s has done 26k miles since, be likely to last?
Click to expand...

I think your ok, people quote 60 to 80 k miles on here, mine is 77k never had it changed.
Click to expand...

That’s good to know, thanks :thumbsup:
 
Mine lasted 60K and 9 years.

The one in my E91 died at 135K and 12 years, but I suspect that was it's 2nd one!
 
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