my 1990 535 is overheating at idle

[luckyguy98]

on and on with this problem.... had the headgasket and water pump replaced 2 yrs ago still overheated had it out with the shop almost $2500.00 later, i got fed up and put it in storage. recently got it out thinking that since it is overheating at idle, reading that it might be the fan clutch i replaced it.... still overheating I'm wonering what's next on the check list? I love this car it's got 340k miles on it and has been i the family since new but this overheating think in texas in summer is about to wear me out. what else can i do aside from taking it to bmw and paying them my left arm and right leg to try to fix it? can anybody help?

[da_bull]

Thermostat and/or bleeding the coolant system might be a good and cheap place top start. If its sat for two years, I'd want to replace the coolant while I'm at it. These cars take MULTIPLE times of bleeding the coolant system before they are right. Hope that helps...

[darkhorse737]

^ yup...

it's summertime ;-) try and remove thermostat; load coolant(plain water will do to test) make sure you bleed and make sure you purge any air pockets from ur cooling system. Best way is to squeeze the hoses while you bleed to help purge the air. Squeeze the hose/s and hold them one last time before u close the bleed screw. And retry...

... you still have overheating after that... invest in a new radiator...:-)

[Classic320i]

OK let try the least expensive fixes first! 1. Cant not stress the importance of bleeding/purging air out of the coolant system. 2. Replace the coolant system pressure cap ( check for gasket and seal on the cap for cracks or tears without a tester you cannot chk for the amount of pressure it will hold) 3. If you have a stuck ( closed) thermostatic it would overheat all the time! 1 & 2 has been checked and passed, Problem would be internal. 3. Check your tail pipe when running in morning, if there is any coolant in the combustion there be vapor and most like you can smell it! Otherwise I recomend you find a shop with a well season mechanic that is experiance w/ Bmw over heating problem it shouldnt take him no more that 1 hrs to pin point the problem.. ( Taking it to a BMW shop wont help if the mechanic are not season it like a dart game to them if not!

Good Luck!

[luckyguy98]

thanks to both of you! i took both of your advise flushed and replace the coolant squeezing out as much air as possible. the car is sitting in my driveway idle-ing for 20 minutes and it is 90 degrees + in johnson city texas
temp on the car is straight up in the middle thank you both again for shaing your knowledge and experience

[da_bull]

glad that helped. I should have given you this link at first. It's a good read: BMW E34 Website : Coolant replacement

[gabriel418]

I Feel Your Pain Lucky I Had The Same Problem Didnt Spend As Much Money As You But After Changing My T-stat And Water Pump Which I Did Myself I Think The Only Problem Was Bleeding The System After That My Needle Stayed In The Middle 180-185 Degrees I Love My Bimmer