2011 135i (e82) overheating issue

[marc999]

I am experiencing issues with overheating and I'm wondering if it's related to the water pump or the thermostat. Here are the details. Please help !

the current outside temperature are just below freezing right now.

The car will overheat and the heater won't blow anymore hot air when this happens.

8:10 car drives normally and the coolant temperature is around 90C. The heater start blowing cold air.
in traffic, outside temperature is -2C and the radiator fan is ON
8:11 coolant temperature is at 96C
8:13 coolant temperature hovers between 99 and 104C ( driving 40km/h )
8:14 coolant temperature rises from 106 to 109C
8:15 coolant temperature rises from 114 to 120C
8:16 coolant temperature reaches 125C and the car goes to limp mode. I stop on the side of the road.
8:17 stopped on the side of the road, I turn the engine off and back on a minute later and the temperature hovers between 82 and 87C
8:20-30 drove to work while the temperature hovers between 80-89

Do you think it's the water pump or the thermostat ? Why does it drop back way down when I turn it off and back on ? Just trying to change only the needed parts to save costs. I've read a bunch of threads on here and I haven't seen anybody mentionning the heater blowing cold air.

*** UPDATE 2018-11-28

changed the thermostat (only) over the weekend hoping to fix the issue.
Still not fixed. Car goes to limp mode after 15-20 minutes of low speed driving (40-60 km/h)
before it starts overheating, I loose the hot air coming out of the vents (it's winter here)
when it goes to limp mode, a quick off and on of the engine will bring the coolant temperature to normal and the hot air comes back in the vents.
Last night I noticed the fan would up and down every 30-45 seconds while idling in the laneway.

coolant was changed and bleed while doing the thermostat. The fan works and blow really hard and the pump sounds ok (while I was doing the bleeding procedure)

*** UPDATE 2018-12-10 ***
after changing the water pump, the issue is finally fixed.

thing to keep in mind:
-if the fan is acting up if the car is not even overheating, it points to a faulty pump

-the coolant was flowing through the over-flow hole in the tank but kinda smoothly. When the pump was changed, the over-flow was flowing noticeably faster and with a lot more pressure. Almost spitting out at times.

-When doing the bleeding procedure (max temperature / min fan speed / accelerator 100% for 10 seconds) the sequence would start normally and then the fan would start full speed and wouldn't stop for the rest of the bleeding procedure. Actually the bleeding procedure wouldn't stop on its own even after 20 minutes (at which point I stopped it myself turn the car off)

- When doing either thermostat or pump, do both. They usually die in the amount of time / mileage and it's a pain to get to and change (I did that twice). Since I was doing it myself it was only my own time that I was *wasting* but at least I didn't have to pay somebody to do it.

-while you have the pump and thermostat out, check that the oil pressure control valve is not leaking. It is located in front of the engine right above the water pump and it's a pain to access when everything is in place. While the pump is out, it's much easier. The o-ring is worth about $8 CAD and is fairly easily replaceable. Mine was leaking.

Thanks to all of responded. Next up is the valve cover gasket sometime later in the winter or in the spring. It's already leaking...

thanks

Marc

[TT1351]

Thermostat, bad reservoir cap, air in system, has to be bled differently than older cars. Just my thoughts

[marc999]

Originally Posted by TT1351

Thermostat, bad reservoir cap, air in system, has to be bled differently than older cars. Just my thoughts

how do I know if the reservoir cap is bad ? no leaks
I did bleed the system using the max temperature / minimum fan speed / gas pedal 100% for 10 seconds. When I did that, the fan was full blast for 15 minutes while the coolant was circulating in the reservoir.

[TT1351]

When warm you should hear air whoosh out when removing the cap. Also massage the upper hoses to ensure the air is removed. Had same issue on 91 iX, blew cold air, temp gauge was on the way up, was air in the system.

[marc999]

Originally Posted by TT1351

When warm you should hear air whoosh out when removing the cap. Also massage the upper hoses to ensure the air is removed. Had same issue on 91 iX, blew cold air, temp gauge was on the way up, was air in the system.

I heard the whoosh when opening up. Cap is good. I did the air bleeding process for like 15 minutes. Should have cleared the air in the pipes ?!?

[marc999]

everything is pointing towards a bad thermostat. I just ordered one and I should be installing it this weekend. Hopefully that resolves my issue.

[buzz92]

Sounds like the thermostat is acting up, hope the new one resolves the issue.

[marc999]

Originally Posted by buzz92

Sounds like the thermostat is acting up, hope the new one resolves the issue.

Should get it Thursday and Install it Friday night ... will update when done.
Dealer (in Ottawa, Canada) was asking way too much so I ordered from rockauto.com

[buzz92]

Originally Posted by marc999

Should get it Thursday and Install it Friday night ... will update when done.
Dealer (in Ottawa, Canada) was asking way too much so I ordered from rockauto.com

Good luck. A couple of dealers here quotes an "arm and leg" rate for simple installation as well.

[marc999]

*** UPDATE ***
see first post to keep this thread as clean as possible for future reference

[MeeChin]

this actually happened to me last year. turned out my turbo seals went bad, leaked oil over the water pump causing the pump to short. this of course makes the coolant not circulate which is what caused the hot air to start blowing cold in the middle of winter and overheating leading to limp mode

wound up replacing the turbo and pump.
hopefully it is just the pump in your case

[marc999]

Originally Posted by MeeChin

this actually happened to me last year. turned out my turbo seals went bad, leaked oil over the water pump causing the pump to short. this of course makes the coolant not circulate which is what caused the hot air to start blowing cold in the middle of winter and overheating leading to limp mode

wound up replacing the turbo and pump.
hopefully it is just the pump in your case

thanks for the info. Hopefully it's just the pump. It has never been changed and I have close to 60 000 miles

[marc999]

*** update ***
after changing the water pump, the issue is finally fixed.

thing to keep in mind:
-if the fan is acting up if the car is not even overheating, it points to a faulty pump

-the coolant was flowing through the over-flow hole in the tank but kinda smoothly. When the pump was changed, the over-flow was flowing noticeably faster and with a lot more pressure. Almost spitting out at times.

-When doing the bleeding procedure (max temperature / min fan speed / accelerator 100% for 10 seconds) the sequence would start normally and then the fan would start full speed and wouldn't stop for the rest of the bleeding procedure. Actually the bleeding procedure wouldn't stop on its own even after 20 minutes (at which point I stopped it myself turn the car off)

- When doing either thermostat or pump, do both. They usually die in the amount of time / mileage and it's a pain to get to and change (I did that twice). Since I was doing it myself it was only my own time that I was *wasting* but at least I didn't have to pay somebody to do it.

-while you have the pump and thermostat out, check that the oil pressure control valve is not leaking. It is located in front of the engine right above the water pump and it's a pain to access when everything is in place. While the pump is out, it's much easier. The o-ring is worth about $8 CAD and is fairly easily replaceable. Mine was leaking.

Thanks to all of responded. Next up is the valve cover gasket sometime later in the winter or in the spring. It's already leaking...

[Katkarot]

Tres Bien!

Great update. Glad you got it resolved.

Did you do the work yourself? If so, how long did it take you?

Good luck on the overhead gasket. I already had to fix that on my car.

There are many articles and threads on that already but if you need any advice, let me know.

Originally Posted by marc999

*** update ***
after changing the water pump, the issue is finally fixed.

thing to keep in mind:
-if the fan is acting up if the car is not even overheating, it points to a faulty pump

-the coolant was flowing through the over-flow hole in the tank but kinda smoothly. When the pump was changed, the over-flow was flowing noticeably faster and with a lot more pressure. Almost spitting out at times.

-When doing the bleeding procedure (max temperature / min fan speed / accelerator 100% for 10 seconds) the sequence would start normally and then the fan would start full speed and wouldn't stop for the rest of the bleeding procedure. Actually the bleeding procedure wouldn't stop on its own even after 20 minutes (at which point I stopped it myself turn the car off)

- When doing either thermostat or pump, do both. They usually die in the amount of time / mileage and it's a pain to get to and change (I did that twice). Since I was doing it myself it was only my own time that I was *wasting* but at least I didn't have to pay somebody to do it.

-while you have the pump and thermostat out, check that the oil pressure control valve is not leaking. It is located in front of the engine right above the water pump and it's a pain to access when everything is in place. While the pump is out, it's much easier. The o-ring is worth about $8 CAD and is fairly easily replaceable. Mine was leaking.

Thanks to all of responded. Next up is the valve cover gasket sometime later in the winter or in the spring. It's already leaking...

[Matt@EuroJerks]

Mine just shat the bed too. (same symptoms) Mine was at 59k miles. Got the refresh kit from FCP Euro. I will have a shop put it in, I don't have the patience or time.