car was idling for about an hour, got in,HIGH TEMP - BMW Forum

bimmerfan620 · 05-03-2004, 08:10 AM

ok, friday night, I had my car sitting idle for about an hour in a driveway, i got in ready to leave, and I saw the temp gauge light, red was red and bright, and the needle was up high.. I started driving slowly, it cooled down after about a mile, and ran just over the normal spot it's in... this didn't ever happen again to me after that, but on the way home from work, I watched it go up a tiny bit higher than normal, nothing scary, and sat there for about a couple miles... then it went back down... only did that a few times, and it hasn't gone way up just yet.. any ideas if this is the water pump going or the thermostat sticking and not opening all the way? I read that the bearings in the water pumps go over time but I should see evidence of sepage underneath the car in that area..... helps appreciated..

dutchbmw · 05-03-2004, 08:43 AM

Check the water pump belt, coolant fluid level, or read out engine codes!

jllphan · 05-03-2004, 09:29 AM

I just have one question, why in the hell would you leave your car running in your driveway for an hour?

007ben · 05-03-2004, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jllphan@May 3 2004, 08:09 AM
I just have one question, why in the hell would you leave your car running in your driveway for an hour?

Perhaps this is why BMW says don't warm it up.

dutchbmw · 05-03-2004, 11:54 AM

jllphan, a good one!

bimmerfan620 · 05-03-2004, 08:31 PM

it was in the driveway for an hour because i was trying to save my relationship about 20 feet from it and it didn't even click to turn the car off..

Sandor18 · 05-03-2004, 08:34 PM

Well whats more important, your pimped out vehicle or some bitch your not going to marry anyway.

jllphan · 05-03-2004, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sandor18@May 3 2004, 09:14 PM
Well whats more important, your pimped out vehicle or some bitch your not going to marry anyway.

Easy on the guy, now!

Love can make even the most sound of mind do some pretty lame s@#t!

I guess I should have figured as much...

camnipotent · 05-03-2004, 08:49 PM

My girlfriend is my car.

jrhaile · 05-04-2004, 01:31 AM

SAVE THE CAR!!!!!!!

bimmer_boy · 05-04-2004, 01:53 AM

I've punched holes in walls and doors, broken glass windsheilds, and even beat guys down over females. They make us do crazy things. It's like their insane feminine thinking rubbs off on us in those intense situations. Maybe that's just our Testosterone? I don't know. Anyway, goodluck fixing the car bro! lol

tiger8mush · 05-04-2004, 11:02 AM

After u fix your ride, be sure to send her the bill!

schilke · 05-04-2004, 11:14 AM

used Since no one has replied to this guy any technical info (except 1), here are my opinions:

1 - Water pump failures generally cause the temp to go up while driving.

2 - A stuck thermostat could be the problem, except that the water temp sender is located on the radiator (on the 6's at least) so a high temp out there implies water flow. (However, maybe just enough...) Its still a good idea to change this out.

3 - How are your fans? The hydraulic ones wear out after a while and are a large source of cooling air when idling. If you have a/c, you may also have an electric fan that may not be cycling on or off.

Cooling problems suck.

jllphan · 05-04-2004, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by schilke@May 4 2004, 11:54 AM
used Since no one has replied to this guy any technical info (except 1), here are my opinions:

1 - Water pump failures generally cause the temp to go up while driving.

2 - A stuck thermostat could be the problem, except that the water temp sender is located on the radiator (on the 6's at least) so a high temp out there implies water flow. (However, maybe just enough...) Its still a good idea to change this out.

3 - How are your fans? The hydraulic ones wear out after a while and are a large source of cooling air when idling. If you have a/c, you may also have an electric fan that may not be cycling on or off.

Cooling problems suck.

As much of that is common knowledge around here, so is the fact that the most poorly designed aspect of BMW cars is the cooling system.

I hope your comment with regards to cooling system issues (cooling issues suck) was derived after buying a BMW.

As for seapage, it is not a rule of thumb to see this prior to failure, if you notice further issues with the temp gage (not from leaving it idling for an hour), you may wish to change the pump as I'm sure you already know.

thekid · 05-04-2004, 01:27 PM

well no one has said this, but check your radiator fluid levels. If it's low check for leakage. Fan is easy to check, let the car idle and see if it turns on. If it doesn't turn on in say five minutes but turns on later I would say thermostat.