Cooling System Overheating

Fast_Fred

Member
Recently repaired oil leak on my 2010 Z4 3.5i. Now I have 2 new problems... 1st, I have a plastic panel that I don't know where it goes (photo attached, little embarrassing), and the engine is overheating. I have followed the procedure to bleed the air out of the cooling system, so I assume the water pump is working. The cooling fan comes on. Don't know what else I could have done to cause the overheating. Anyone have another idea?

Also, anyone know where the panel goes?
 

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What does the fault code reader say?


Greatest probability is water pump and/or thermostat failure ..
 
To assume makes an ass out of u and me! Check the pump to eliminate it before you go any further then start looking for airlocks.
 
That panel goes underneath the front under body panel - can't remember exactly what it is for.. The two cushions sit on the underside of the intercooler and the opposite end has two screws that go into the subframe ... you will see two white plastic inserts that the screws will go into. The larger front under body panel covers it.
 
Sounds like the water pump is not running, can you hear anything when you are running the bleeding procedure or see any water flowing in the water tank, did you disconnect the wiring to the water pump?
 
Thanks... I was skeptical that it was under the car because it had no oil on it. The oil filter housing leak covered everything under the engine with oil... quit the mess.
 
Sounds like the water pump is not running, can you hear anything when you are running the bleeding procedure or see any water flowing in the water tank, did you disconnect the wiring to the water pump?
Water pump does perform the bleeding procedure. It takes about 10 minutes.
 
Have you checked the coolant temp sensor on the front of the oil filter housing? Could it be unplugged from when you were chasing your oil leak?

Do you have a data logger like MHD or JB4 or other that will allow you to see if the sensor is correctly reading the temp?
 
Have you checked the coolant temp sensor on the front of the oil filter housing? Could it be unplugged from when you were chasing your oil leak?

Do you have a data logger like MHD or JB4 or other that will allow you to see if the sensor is correctly reading the temp?
It is plugged in properly. I do have a scan tool but not sure if it will read out coolant temp. I will check. Thanks
 
It is plugged in properly. I do have a scan tool but not sure if it will read out coolant temp. I will check. Thanks
When the N54 coolant pump dies it does so slowly…it’s got a brushed commutator so the brushes slowly wear out and as it’s asked to do more it partially fails thrn recovers ..repeats until it finally dies…mine barfed under a hard charge on the NC500..I then managed to limp a thousand miles home taking it steady ..45 mph for 800 miles ….when it self heals it shows no error codes ..fwiw
 
Sounds like the water pump is not running, can you hear anything when you are running the bleeding procedure or see any water flowing in the water tank, did you disconnect the wiring to the water pump?
Pump works during the bleed procedure. It cycles on/off for several minutes and there is a stream of coolant in the expansion tank.
 
What does the fault code reader say?


Greatest probability is water pump and/or thermostat failure ..
There are no codes.
It is plugged in properly. I do have a scan tool but not sure if it will read out coolant temp. I will check. Thanks
There are no codes. Where is the coolant temp sensor? I have a 2010 Z4 with the E89 engine. My coolant temp sensor is not on the oil filter housing.
 
There are no codes.

There are no codes. Where is the coolant temp sensor? I have a 2010 Z4 with the E89 engine. My coolant temp sensor is not on the oil filter housing.
E89 is the body style and numerous engines for that platform. Attached is a pic of the Sensor on N54 engine.
 

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I also noticed that the cooling fan is now running constantly.
Is your fan running when the car is actually cool?
If so, I'm guessing your sensor is bad if the fan is now running constantly. My guess is that the ECU is not seeing the expected voltage range and thinks it too hot and turning on the fan to protect the engine.

The again, the water pumps are notorious for failures....
 
Coolant pump is no longer running the bleed test/procedure, and the cooling fan is running all the time. Looks like I have to bite the bullet and replace the water pump. I have watched several videos of the replacement procedure. However, none of them are on an E89 Z4, which provides several more obstacles to accessing the pump. Anyone know if the power steering motor/rack has to be removed? I can't even see the hoses that must be disconnected.
 
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