Motley crew

Chris_D

Elite
 Mostly Holland. Sometimes UK.
I've been meaning to sort this bunch of miscreants for a while now and today was the day!

The zed's been overcooling for a long time. During the summer it wasn't really an issue as I only did long journeys and having the stat fully open didn't present any temp-related problems. Just took a bit longer to warm up from the off.
Now the winter months and temps are here it's more important of course to have the engine running at optimum temp.
So, it was off with the old and on with the new. Used a Wahler/Borg Warner unit this time and filled the system up with 8.3L of nice new Kroon SP11.
Works a treat. Using Torque Pro to monitor the temp it was rock solid at 98 degrees. Up from the 70-77 it was previously at. Tip top.

Parked up at the 'Doe het zelf' DIY garage (normal garage with bays which are rented out) and biked it back home last night so the exhaust and coolant wouldnt be too hot to handle. Forward thinking eh ;)
Started on the propshaft doughnut while I was waiting for the old coolant to drain. From underneath the car it actually looked ok. But I'd convinced myself it was shot and I'd booked a bay at the DIY garage for 3 hours so I thought I'd swap the new one in anyway. Off the car and the old one looks almost new. See below. Hey ho. :roll:

But Jesus Christ on a bike, I'll never do that job again! Had to book an extra 2 hours! Fortunately it was pretty quiet and I could stay in the same bay. Got a hand with the exhaust from one of their mechanics too which was a god-send!

While I was topping up the coolant I thought I'd have a crack at the CDV. I watched the youtube vids and made sure I took some clamps to close off the hoses while I wrestled the valve out. Had a teeeny ikkle spillage and had to scrounge some dot 4 from the garage but they were very obliging. I managed to draw a small crowd of curious onlookers while I was there too! lol
Car drives noticeably better now, especially in 1st and 2nd gear. Top.

Anyway, as Machinemonkey Matt once advised me: it's character-building to have a crack at doing things yourself! Credit to him for that sound bit of advice! Job's a good'un.
:thumbsup:

IMG_20191128_234523.jpg
 
thx frederico. coming up to 140k now. i reckon it was poss also replaced before my ownership. it doesnt have a bmw logo on it.
still good to have a new one on though. good learning experience. wont do it again tho. lol
:lol:
 
So since swapping in the new stat a few weeks ago it's solved the engine overcooling issue I was experiencing and it's great to have some decent heat in the cabin for winter!

Starting out on a journey the cabin becomes nice and toasty after 10 mins or so with the dial set at 22 degrees. However, I've noticed on a few long trips recently that an hour or so into the drive that I have to crank up the heater dial quite a bit to maintain the cabin temp.

Any ideas?
Symptom of a failing heater core?
 
firebobby said:
Air lock ?

I've bled and checked the coolant a few times now til the bleed screw overflows and it seems legit.
No harm in checking again tho.
But would an air lock contribute to a lack of heat exchange through the heater core? Would have to be a pretty big and static pocket of air I would have thought?

Should add that I do not have any leaks anywhere and haven't had to top up the coolant level since last check 2 weeks ago.
 
Chris_D said:
firebobby said:
Air lock ?

I've bled and checked the coolant a few times now til the bleed screw overflows and it seems legit.
No harm in checking again tho.
But would an air lock contribute to a lack of heat exchange through the heater core? Would have to be a pretty big and static pocket of air I would have thought?

Should add that I do not have any leaks anywhere and haven't had to top up the coolant level since last check 2 weeks ago.
Yes, an air lock moving through the heater matrix will give low heat.
I think it helps if you have to raise the front of the car to get all the air out and have the heater on hot Chris.
 
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