heater inside not massively warm - airlock?

storminmike · Post by **storminmike** » Wed Oct 26, 2011 9:33 pm

Facelift 3,0d

It does get warm inside but not scorching....even when the settings are wound up, engine temp is in the middle but never seems to race up but it's not tardy. Never heard the fan run in engine but then it is a bmw so it might be hush quiet.

Is this a stuck thermostat airlock or par for the course?

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 4:30 pm

Sorry to state the obvious but have you accidentaly adjusted the rotating heater settings next to the fans (not the digital adjustment display on the centre console). You'd be amazed how many people have had a similar problem and not realised that these were on blue etc.

AW8 · Post by **AW8** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 5:15 pm

Maybe also worth checking coolant level &/or completing a bleed procedure for same just in case yoyu have an airlock that has compromised the heater matrix

Thinking on my feet here & happy to be corrected by anyone who knows better.

storminmike · Post by **storminmike** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 8:48 pm

[quote=""Pete""]Sorry to state the obvious but have you accidentaly adjusted the rotating heater settings next to the fans (not the digital adjustment display on the centre console). You'd be amazed how many people have had a similar problem and not realised that these were on blue etc.[/quote]

Not that I noticed....it's more around my feet that it just feels,,,,,,warmish....not hot. I guess there aint hot cold wheels down there?

reminds me of the aircon at work....it asks me what mode I'd like summer/winter....who gives a toss....I just say hot or cold....how much simpler could it be

[quote=""AW8""]Maybe also worth checking coolant level &/or completing a bleed procedure for same just in case yoyu have an airlock that has compromised the heater matrix

Thinking on my feet here & happy to be corrected by anyone who knows better.[/quote]

Is there any "super bleed" technique....water looked ok? It had dropped a little over months but none seen in the oil or on the floor

PS For a diesel It does get warm on the guage quick ish....maybe not that quick though...or I might be imagining it

AW8 · Post by **AW8** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 10:47 pm

No superbleed procedure at all.

I would

1. Check level is ok

2 Start from cold with cap removed, heater on full and on demist only.

3. Stay at front of car & ook for good coolant circulation by collant flowing into header through vent pipe.

4. Once it starts to get warm & before it gets hot & overspills from the filler tighten same up.

5. Continue to keep engine running.

6. Go to the bleede screw at top of header tank and very gradually turn the screw anti clockwise. You shoiuld not need to undo it fully- indeed a minor turn should open the valve.

7. Coolant should emit/expel from the vent screw......tighten it again

8. Keep engine running & every minute or so slightly release the vent screw for a couple of seconds at at a time.......your aim is to expel any air in the system.

9. Repeat as 8 maybe levaing it open a little longer ans allowing minor flow.

10. Once (8) done several times & with engine still runing you should have a warmer heater (if an airlock was the problem).

11. Switch off engine and let coolant sytem cool down.

12. Once coolant has cololed a little, (30 mins), maybe top up, run again with heatewr on demist and slacken bleed screw again. Do this once or twice until it expels slight flow of coolant for just to ensure no air in sytem.

13. Keep an eye on colaltn level in next week or so.

I am by no means a mechanic and my procedure repetitive - perhaps excessive or not best method, however, it has worked for me more than once.

AW8 · Post by **AW8** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 10:52 pm

Just a thought - I am not familiar with webasto/aux heating function/issues on the 3.0d so perhaps someone can offer more specific advice in that area.

Also happy if someone has a better or simpler bleed procedure.

Good Luck

storminmike · Post by **storminmike** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:56 pm

[quote=""AW8""]No superbleed procedure at all.

I would

1. Check level is ok

2 Start from cold with cap removed, heater on full and on demist only.

3. Stay at front of car & ook for good coolant circulation by collant flowing into header through vent pipe.

4. Once it starts to get warm & before it gets hot & overspills from the filler tighten same up.

5. Continue to keep engine running.

6. Go to the bleede screw at top of header tank and very gradually turn the screw anti clockwise. You shoiuld not need to undo it fully- indeed a minor turn should open the valve.

7. Coolant should emit/expel from the vent screw......tighten it again

8. Keep engine running & every minute or so slightly release the vent screw for a couple of seconds at at a time.......your aim is to expel any air in the system.

9. Repeat as 8 maybe levaing it open a little longer ans allowing minor flow.

10. Once (8) done several times & with engine still runing you should have a warmer heater (if an airlock was the problem).

11. Switch off engine and let coolant sytem cool down.

12. Once coolant has cololed a little, (30 mins), maybe top up, run again with heatewr on demist and slacken bleed screw again. Do this once or twice until it expels slight flow of coolant for just to ensure no air in sytem.

13. Keep an eye on colaltn level in next week or so.

I am by no means a mechanic and my procedure repetitive - perhaps excessive or not best method, however, it has worked for me more than once.[/quote]

sorry for the slow reply....only just got in

well I'll have ago tommorow after qualifying or F1....i've plenty of diesel so i'll give it a go

I think I might have a wee amount of air as the temp doesn't always feel constant....perhaps as air passes through. The variation aint massive as I've seen this before on older cars when there's precious little waterin the system

cheers for your comments

mike

AW8 · Post by **AW8** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 8:04 pm

No Prob's

storminmike · Post by **storminmike** » Sat Oct 29, 2011 8:12 pm

[quote=""AW8""]No Prob's

[/quote]

post mortem

took lid off....water in the form of a little jet did appear in the tank filler hole when the egine was running

the water got warm....eventually after say 4 mins....wasn't scorching but then pressurising with the lid closed would allow +100 degrees C so I didn't expect it to be kettle hot right away. Gauge rose to just above blue during this time but still away from mid point

I closed the cap when the water was lets say getting to near burning temp. Opend the bleed screw a few times at 2 min intervals

The water by the way when the cap was off never showed any signs of splashing over the top but idling may not have generated that sort of heat anyway

Observations

I have 2 fans......one on the front which I've never seen run....the one nearest the engine and a bit hidden was spinning and could not be stopped or slowed (granted I never tried before the engine was run) which puzzled me as my e36 had a viscous coupling

Am I over cooling here or does that fan spin all the time?

PS it was warm inside at 25degrees c set point on heater

AW8 · Post by **AW8** » Sat Oct 29, 2011 9:27 pm

Thanks for update.

1. Was heater air hot after bleeding & when engine had been running say 20 plus min's & with set on max ?

2. As above was temp needle to middle ?

If engine had been running for a good while, needle well below middle & heater still not emitting hot air I would possibly suspect a themostat problem.

If temp needle rose to middle then perhaps you still have an airlock or maybe a problem with heater matrix. As stated beforee I am unfamiliar with the webasto set up & symptoms from it being problematic.

Don't want to speculate further as getting out of my comfort zone, keen to avoid talking nonsense or giving duff info.

I would still try bleeding again a couple of times or maybe more.....If still no joy I would probably give up & take it to an indy...........then again that is relative to my limited knowedge & confidence compared to more experienced others.

Oh & btw I think the second fan you refer to is the auxillary fan. Mine is a V8 petrol but my aux fan supports the a/c as well as generally keeping it a bit cooler under the bonnet. Mine is driven by an electronic motor and has it's own switch.

Really hoping someone else will chip in here as I am sure there will be other with better info &/or thoughts on this.

Anyone else care to contribute please ????

kkodal78 · Post by **kkodal78** » Sat Oct 29, 2011 11:14 pm

The way i bled when i had to change the waterpump on the 540i was fill it when cold and leave the bleeder open. Keep filling till seing coolant coming out of the bleeder. Once the coolant visible than close is and squeze and release the hose that is going into the engine block. If coolant level dropped fill it again and open the bleeder once again to make sure coolant is coming out. Start the engine and add coolant if necesary once you see the coolant return to reservoir than open the bleeder again to see if any more air comes out. Once the tempature gauge moves to the middle you should hear the fan speeding up. I did the cold bleeding a couple days in a row and never had overheating.
The fan in the front is auxilary fan which kicks in when you have the A/C is on and stays on till you turn off A/C. Hope this helps
Have you had the heater valve checked?

shadrack · Post by **shadrack** » Sat Oct 29, 2011 11:45 pm

if the temp never gets much past the blue i would say your thermostats stuck in the open position

storminmike · Post by **storminmike** » Sun Oct 30, 2011 8:09 pm

Reply to all...thanks

Was heater air hot after bleeding & when engine had been running say 20 plus min's & with set on max ?
Hot.....err warm but bot burn your feet off

As above was temp needle to middle ? It was and does go to the middle

If engine had been running for a good while, needle well below middle & heater still not emitting hot air I would possibly suspect a themostat problem.

again it does go to the middle when I've driven for say 5 mins...sat on the drive after 7 mins or so it was only 1/4 way or put another way haf way towards mid point...perhaps I'm expectiing too much after all it's not doing any work...the engine that is

I think I'm perhaps expecting more than is possible in reality
The engine warms up...perhaps slower than I think it should do....but then again it's rarely fell (it crept a tad lower ages ago then came back to norm again). The engine has never ever gone past centre despite either generous pace or sitting in motorway parked traffic

The heater does make the cabin warm but it's never seemed capable of making me break into a sweat even if wound right up. Slightly too warm with litle of any headroom would be more apt

The force of air is strong and almost viscous with the aircon on but more like strong heavy breeze without

maybe there is a blocked filter to the warm air flow into the cabin or is it the same route regardless?

your comments are most appreciated though and I've enjoyed tinkering

will have aa look at the fan as I believe its supposed to be viscous to see if it free wheels when cold....that's if it should

storminmike · Post by **storminmike** » Sun Oct 30, 2011 8:12 pm

[quote=""shadrack""]if the temp never gets much past the blue i would say your thermostats stuck in the open position[/quote]

it does go to dead centre but thanks for the comments. I just feel it's too slow getting there IMO but that's all it is...an opinion and perhaps the rise rate is the norm and a red hearing to all this

PS thanks to all on the extra fan info

storminmike · Post by **storminmike** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 9:22 pm

more news and pointers required please

the weather turned a bit colder now and it's quite apparent despite messing with the bleeding that the temp gauge does go to centre slowly...but it struggles to stay there

About town or 70 mph on the motorway and I can feel the temp gauge straining to reach and stay dead centre.

The car's warm inside but not roasting unless pushed with all fans gung ho and the temp wound up

When I ran it to bleed the other day with the cap off from cold there was a fine jet squirting across the cap opening. When warmer (but not burning) the water jet was bigger but not splashing about. Does this sound normal to you?

I've a feeling this is thermo related, although not cheap as a part I guess and no way perhaps as easy as old fords to whip out is there aything to loose by swapping it?

Any how to's also would be most welcome to see how much messing there is.

thanks...Mike

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