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'02 BMW 525i Temperature gauge wont go past 1/8

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akshatp

Diamond Member
My initial thoughts are a bad thermostat, but wanted to ping you experts before I take my car to a shop.

If you take a look at the picture, the needle never moves past this point. I drove for an hour this morning and that was as far as it went.

http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/akshatp/20090412.jpg

Being as it was 35 degrees F this morning, it is a good thing I have a heated steering wheel and heated seats!!!

I set the heat to 90, and the air blowing was barely warm. I ended up turning it off.. the breeze was making it colder lol

TIA for any replies.
 
Sounds like a bad thermostat. AFAIK, they stick open so you don't lose cooling, but obviously full on cooling in normal conditions is too much.
 
Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
Sounds like a bad thermostat. AFAIK, they stick open so you don't lose cooling, but obviously full on cooling in normal conditions is too much.
Click to expand...

Ugh.. Any idea how difficult or easy it is to change the thermostat on this car?
 
Definitely sounds like a bad thermostat. Can't say how to change it, but on most cars follow the Upper Radiator hose to the engine. T-Stat should be in the housing at the end of the hose. You will likely need a new gasket, unless your housing uses a rubber O ring. And after you replace it and top off the coolant (50/50 mix coolant & distilled water) you will need to bleed out any air in the system. This is done at the highest point in the system.
Note a check of Mitchell repair guide says this is a 1.7 hour job at $85 or so per hour .. The part itself should be under $15 plus the cost of coolant.
 
Originally posted by: drnickriviera
How many miles do you have on the car? You know about the cooling system issues with the BMW's?
Click to expand...

Just passed 112,000 on the odo... I dont know about the cooling system issues... Can you please elaborate while I do a google search? Thanks!
 
For most cars a thermostat replacement is something that anyone that can turn a wrench can do themselves if they just take their time. I'm not sure about your BMW but you should be able to do it yourself. Just be careful not to leave spilled antifreeze around. Dogs and cats might drink the stuff because it tastes sweet. Try to catch all you can and clean up any that you don't catch.
 
check out bimmerforums.com
radiator, water pump and expansion tank need to be replaced (expansion tank and pump definitely not so much for the radiator). I'm not sure why the germans like to use plastic in the cooling system. Plastic impeller on the water pump. wtf, who thought that was a good idea? Luckily the parts aren't very expensive. You should also look at replacing the transmission fluid and filter. BMW and ZF are now suggesting it be changed at 100k miles. Apparently 100k miles = lifetime. If you want to get it back into tip top shape, look at the shocks and suspension bushings.

How do you like the 2.5L? I'm considering a E39 wagon. I'm not sure how well the I6 performs in the bigger chassis. What kind of mileage do you get? How's the performance? Doesn't seem to be too big of a economy hit to go to the 540.
 
Originally posted by: drnickriviera
check out bimmerforums.com
radiator, water pump and expansion tank need to be replaced (expansion tank and pump definitely not so much for the radiator). I'm not sure why the germans like to use plastic in the cooling system. Plastic impeller on the water pump. wtf, who thought that was a good idea? Luckily the parts aren't very expensive. You should also look at replacing the transmission fluid and filter. BMW and ZF are now suggesting it be changed at 100k miles. Apparently 100k miles = lifetime. If you want to get it back into tip top shape, look at the shocks and suspension bushings.

How do you like the 2.5L? I'm considering a E39 wagon. I'm not sure how well the I6 performs in the bigger chassis. What kind of mileage do you get? How's the performance? Doesn't seem to be too big of a economy hit to go to the 540.
Click to expand...

Expansion tank was changed not too long ago due to a crack. Radiator I will hold off on for now.

the 2.5L is okay, not as much oomph as I would like. If I had to buy again, I would get the 530 at minimum.
 
Originally posted by: drnickriviera
check out bimmerforums.com
radiator, water pump and expansion tank need to be replaced (expansion tank and pump definitely not so much for the radiator). I'm not sure why the germans like to use plastic in the cooling system. Plastic impeller on the water pump. wtf, who thought that was a good idea? Luckily the parts aren't very expensive. You should also look at replacing the transmission fluid and filter. BMW and ZF are now suggesting it be changed at 100k miles. Apparently 100k miles = lifetime. If you want to get it back into tip top shape, look at the shocks and suspension bushings.

How do you like the 2.5L? I'm considering a E39 wagon. I'm not sure how well the I6 performs in the bigger chassis. What kind of mileage do you get? How's the performance? Doesn't seem to be too big of a economy hit to go to the 540.
Click to expand...

^ nailed it. Then there's that fan that will eventually try to get out of there with your hood closed. 😕

The 2.5 isn't bad around town, until you get on the highway and want to accelerate at speed. Get the 540 if you have a heavy foot... tourings are hot. :heart:
 
Originally posted by: RiDE
Originally posted by: drnickriviera
check out bimmerforums.com
radiator, water pump and expansion tank need to be replaced (expansion tank and pump definitely not so much for the radiator). I'm not sure why the germans like to use plastic in the cooling system. Plastic impeller on the water pump. wtf, who thought that was a good idea? Luckily the parts aren't very expensive. You should also look at replacing the transmission fluid and filter. BMW and ZF are now suggesting it be changed at 100k miles. Apparently 100k miles = lifetime. If you want to get it back into tip top shape, look at the shocks and suspension bushings.

How do you like the 2.5L? I'm considering a E39 wagon. I'm not sure how well the I6 performs in the bigger chassis. What kind of mileage do you get? How's the performance? Doesn't seem to be too big of a economy hit to go to the 540.
Click to expand...

^ nailed it. Then there's that fan that will eventually try to get out of there with your hood closed. 😕

The 2.5 isn't bad around town, until you get on the highway and want to accelerate at speed. Get the 540 if you have a heavy foot... tourings are hot. :heart:
Click to expand...

Another 540 lover here 😀 m62 engine is fun to work on, if you're into that stuff anyway. I have an '00 540iA Sport and love it -- though I'd probably go manual if I was to get it again. The auto/steptronic is nice for sure, but the auto tranny is kinda finicky and expensive to maintain ($400 DIY fluid change).

Anyway, don't skimp on the cooling systems, bimmers are notoriously sensitive to overheating. You can get a world of problems from letting it go over. And RiDE is absolutely right about the fan clutch. Save yourself the worry and just replace it. Use OEM brands only though. I bought a budget one for mine last january and the damn thing sounded like a jet cuz it was so stiff. I replaced it 6 months later with OEM and it's back to being quite (well... as quite as a V8 can be 😀 ).
 
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