Engine Temp? - BMW Forum

crazy91318 · 08-30-2006, 09:37 PM

another question guys I am still new with the 325i but just wondering does anyone else's temp gage go to the half way mark and just stay there doesn't matter what driving condition or out side temp. Mine hits the half way mark and stays there till the car is has sat over a couple hours and drops back down. Like any other car that I have drove usualy the temp gauge drops when the T-stat has opened up so I am wondering is this comon with these or do I need to start looking into a new thermostat or possible water pump???

WarNox · 08-31-2006, 02:20 AM

yeah that is normal. it'll stay at or just below the half way mark from when its heated up and the whole time the car is working, then after the engine has had time to cool down it'll drop, not that u can see that tho.

Ivan · 08-31-2006, 03:19 AM

mine has always stayed right smack in the middle too

crazy91318 · 08-31-2006, 06:33 AM

ok cool

rej487 · 08-31-2006, 09:08 AM

ya, no deviance with mine either... that's normal.

you need to start worrying when its NOT doing that! =)

Teh Prof · 08-31-2006, 04:16 PM

Basically, it's a dummy gauge in many respects. The good folks at BMW decided their owners would get nervous if it fluctuated according to true temperature. If the needle ever, ever starts to move seriously over to the right, stop the car and turn it off immediately, because it needs to be seriously hot to do that.

drz · 08-31-2006, 06:22 PM

Middle is good

Quote:

Originally Posted by M3UOND

Basically, it's a dummy gauge in many respects. The good folks at BMW decided their owners would get nervous if it fluctuated according to true temperature. If the needle ever, ever starts to move seriously over to the right, stop the car and turn it off immediately, because it needs to be seriously hot to do that.

In general, what BMW is doing is avoiding "over-educating" the drivers. If the car is in good temperature range, it will stay in the middle. However, it is not the end of the world if it goes up.

At one point, I didn't have a functional auxiliary cooling fan, so the needle would go up a little ways every so often if I forgot to turn the A/C off while idling. Of course, I was not alarmed because I knew exactly why the engine was getting warm. All I did was turn off the A/C, and if the needle was a little way to the right, I would make sure to get some air flowing into the radiator by driving for a short while at 40mph or faster.

Watch out also if the gause stays on the cold side. Your thermostat may be stuck open.

In general, middle is good. Anything else warrants a little troubleshooting.

MiguelACA · 09-01-2006, 12:15 AM

hmmm...on my 318 it always stayed in the middle, but on the 325 it goes past it a little, enuf that its noticable, but not enuf to freak out, maybe about a mm past the middle...but like ur cars, it just stays there, never moves...

drz · 09-01-2006, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiguelACA

hmmm...on my 318 it always stayed in the middle, but on the 325 it goes past it a little, enuf that its noticable, but not enuf to freak out, maybe about a mm past the middle...but like ur cars, it just stays there, never moves...

You may have to bleed some air out of your system. How long agao was the coolant flushed? I don't know if thermostats get stuck partially open, but maybe that happened to yours. Also, you could have a clog in your cooling system. Then again, maybe it is just that hot where you are, but I think the vooling components should do the job.

MiguelACA · 09-01-2006, 01:33 PM

i thnk my brother did all that when he had the car, as for it being hot, well i do live in south texas..maybe thats it?

suprainhabit · 11-03-2006, 10:24 PM

Make sure that everything is working properly and the coolant is clean. I've used Redline Water Wetter in multiple cars with good results. You can use a couple bottles with distilled water is you are racing, but it offers NO anti-corrosion properties as well as NO anti-freeze properties. It will, however, drop the operating temp a fair amount.

Mike C · 12-05-2006, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drz

Middle is good

Watch out also if the gause stays on the cold side. Your thermostat may be stuck open.

In general, middle is good. Anything else warrants a little troubleshooting.

Well, all I can say is...It pays to search. I was just going to post a question about my wife's 98 323is. The needle doesn't even come out of the blue mark. She told me all last winter that her car doesn't put out any heat. We drove 38 miles home yesterday without one bit-o-heat! That sucked. I looked at the temp guage, still in the blue after driving on the freeway for 20 minutes. I figured it was a stuck open thermostat. Looks like I;ll have to order one...

Thanks...
Mike C