Quote:
Originally Posted by 97Dakar
hey, guys, I have a 1997 m3. the car is solid but today was taking pics, had the car running. Saw the temp gauge was a bit more than half but it started to cool down once I drove for a bit. drove it home after it sitting for an hour and it didn't heat up at all, even let it run for 5- 10 mins once I got home and it didn't move.
the car has an aluminum thermostat.
Not sure if any other parts were replaced. need some of your guy's advice!!!!!!!!!
where can i buy a new cooling kit? and what parts do you guys recommend for me to solve any cooling issues with my e36? Thanks, in advance
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No such thing as an aluminum thermostat, its just the housing.
When was the last time the coolant was changed? There could be a lot of crud in the system from neglect, especially if green coolant was used, thus blocking the thermostat, causing it to stick partially closed.
Do you have an extra electric puller fan? Or are you running fdm? Or do you have a fan clutch?
If you are running FDM, make sure you at least have a 4 cylinder temp switch to kick the fan on early.
Second electric fan, set to lower on temps
Fanclutch, make sure its operational. With a hot engine at idle it shouldn't stop. stick a rolled up news paper to it, if the blades stop its dead, if it chops the paper up, it still stiff. It should be blowing lots of air at idle and warm
Personally my cooling system: CSF Racing rad, HPS silicone hoses ( complete cooling system, not just the rad hoses) , Stewart Waterpump, behr Thermostat stock temp ( once its open its open, lower temp thermostat won't do crap on the street except maybe raise your emissions), m44 lower temp fan switch, alloy thermostat housing, alloy mishimoto expansion tank, mishimoto expansion tank bracket and 2800cfm fan, mishimoto fan controller, fan clutch delete and bmw blue coolant. I can be at 5-6k up the 2000ft incline on hwy 74 behind my house with zero issues.
Its an investment, but one that you won't be replacing anytime soon.
If that fails, at the very least, flush your cooling system and make sure your fan clutch is good, your rad is not brittle ( your engine mounts aren't torn as this will ruin the rad and more by tugging on the return hose as well as making the fan clutch explode)
A good flush can do wonders if there rest of the parts are in newish shape, but if you have a old oem plastic cooling system, I highly advise replacing it, as it truly is a ticking time bomb