N52 Fan on and leaking

C

Citizen-Erased

Member
Hi all

On the odd occasion since January my car has had the fan on full tilt at start up, almost always when the car is fully warm. Goes off after a few seconds or if the car is restarted.

Recently this issue has come much more to the front of my mind. Sounds and looks waterpump related to me but wanted to ask here as I'm still very new to bmw.

A few weeks back a colleague told me that I had a leak, when I went outside I noticed that my car a small puddle under the front drivers wing, directly under the fog light. Checking the coolant it was a little low ( no light) so I replaced a few ml of fluid and then drove the car home. No coolant loss occurred and no leak seen.i had covid and was badly for a month or so and the car wasn't used other than a 1000 yard trip to the shop.

I drove it to work yesterday and noticed that the heaters didnt get fully hot on my return trip. Still no coolant loss in the tank but a small puddle appeared on the drive over night. I test started the car this morning and the fan was going full throttle so I turned it off and stole the Mrs golf.
IMG_20220322_074457.jpg

Is this likely to be the dreaded pump or is it possibly a radiator etc? The coolant leak isn't near the pump, it's about 1ft further forward.
 
I'm not sure about the issue you are having with the fan, but looking at your photo you seem to have lost the headlamp washer! That'll be where the fluid is coming from.

If your electric water pump is dying the temperature gauge usually goes way up pretty quickly, and there should be a fault code stored in the OBD so getting those read would be worthwhile.
 
Hi Tidy,

Its been missing well over a year, never had this issue. I have used the washers on the trip, so possibly. Ill try and dye the washer fluid and see if it is screen fluid.
 
Citizen-Erased said:
Its been missing well over a year, never had this issue. I have used the washers on the trip, so possibly. Ill try and dye the washer fluid and see if it is screen fluid.
Click to expand...

Oh that's strange. :?

If it is washer fluid you should be able to tell by checking the level in the reservoir.

When I picked up my current car the fluid level warning light was on. When I got home I filled it and the next day there was a big puddle at the front corner of the car - that's when I realised the headlamp washer was leaking!
 
The fan on startup is normally water pump related, lots of info on here, and other threads, need to get a code reader on and the codes should show if it is that :thumbsup:

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=133163

The water leak could be completely unrelated, unfortunately you may have 2 separate issues HTH
 
As above, it sounds like the electronic pump is failing & these are the symptoms i had with my n52 engined z4.
I wouldn’t drive it until it’s been sorted or you could get stranded!
Rob
 
Thanks Smartbear, Andy,

It wont be being driven until its sorted, may or may not tackle that myself depending on the quotes I get back.

Are there any common leak paths in that area? Its certainly coolant.
 
Citizen-Erased said:
Thanks Smartbear, Andy,

It wont be being driven until its sorted, may or may not tackle that myself depending on the quotes I get back.

Are there any common leak paths in that area? Its certainly coolant.
Click to expand...

Bmw charge £500+ for these pumps but the same pierburg item is available for £250 or so if you look around, it’s pretty easy to diy in an hour or two :thumbsup:
Rob
 
The fan on at start-up could be normal with a warm engine for air con cooling.
 
Zulu4 said:
The fan on at start-up could be normal with a warm engine for air con cooling.
Click to expand...

It’s doing the same thing from cold though & the heater isn’t getting properly hot either, the pump is definitely under suspicion :?
Rob
 
Yeah, to confirm the fan turns on, dies down, comes back again. This is very new behavior and happens to coincide with the water appearing under my bumper.

The heater is always warm but it tends to go hotter then cooler, certainly ive had it on full hit when driving around in the limited mileage I did coming home and down to the shop when I was ill etc.

Ive made inquiries locally about the cost. £500 all in sound about right?
 
Citizen-Erased said:
Ive made inquiries locally about the cost. £500 all in sound about right?
Click to expand...

Sound quite cheap tbh. Is that using a Pierburg pump, and also is the thermostat getting changed at the same time?
 
Argyll Andy said:
Citizen-Erased said:
Ive made inquiries locally about the cost. £500 all in sound about right?
Click to expand...

Sound quite cheap tbh. Is that using a Pierburg pump, and also is the thermostat getting changed at the same time?
Click to expand...

Hi Andy, parts to me is £280 all Inc.

However best price I've had so far is £700 which seems very high given its a 2-3 hour job from what I gather.
 
Citizen-Erased said:
Argyll Andy said:
Citizen-Erased said:
Ive made inquiries locally about the cost. £500 all in sound about right?
Click to expand...

Sound quite cheap tbh. Is that using a Pierburg pump, and also is the thermostat getting changed at the same time?
Click to expand...

Hi Andy, parts to me is £280 all Inc.

However best price I've had so far is £700 which seems very high given its a 2-3 hour job from what I gather.
Click to expand...

It’s a 1-2 hour job, it’s easy to diy and save a bundle of cash.
Rob
 
Citizen-Erased said:
Argyll Andy said:
Citizen-Erased said:
Ive made inquiries locally about the cost. £500 all in sound about right?
Click to expand...

Sound quite cheap tbh. Is that using a Pierburg pump, and also is the thermostat getting changed at the same time?
Click to expand...

Hi Andy, parts to me is £280 all Inc.

However best price I've had so far is £700 which seems very high given its a 2-3 hour job from what I gather.
Click to expand...

I paid just over £313 for mine and got a mates rate fitting around £100 including coolant
 
When I had a new pump fitted to my E91 325i (same N52 engine) in 2018 by a local Indy I was billed £541.20 all in, so £700 sounds a bit dear to me.

If you have a look at the "Dealer feedback" section on here you may find a local Indy, or if you say where you are someone may be able to recommend one.
 
Yeah, my current garage was found through here. 5 quotes, on all occasions I was getting 680 - 700 inc VAT. Refusal to fit customer parts from all involved, which is frustrating given I could have saved myself around £200. :headbang:

Hopefully, this is the last issue ill be having other than the simple ones.

Out of interest, is the front bumper something thats coming off ?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom