Fans on max, red overheat warning, limp mode

[no6thgear]

Soon as I turn on the car, fans go on max cool even if the car is dead cold. It will let me drive it, then after 5-10 when the oil temp went past 160 it gave me a yellow coolant light.

Soon after red.

I needed some coolant and initially thought I had a leak. Luckily I happened to pull into a NAPA. Filled it up, drove down the street, light comes on again, limp mode again. I check the coolant level and its fine.

let it sit until cold now. Turn car on, fans are running at max on radiator.
I limp it home, stopping and letting it cool until warning goes off each time (I was relatively close)

It was at this point I realized I have a JB4 and can change the gauge to water temp.

The car will get to 250 when the warning lights come on, not go past.

I thought it was coolant temp sensor initially, because fans are on full blast soon as the car turns on. But I can't find info on where that is ANYWHERE. I searched for hours.

After searching I'm seeing it is probably the water pump, with a possibility of thermostat but if your in there doing the work on a 66k mile car....might as well do the pump too.

Anyone have experience with these symptoms and can point me to the right direction? Looks like ECS is the most affordable water pump for around $420...NAPA in my town wants 900 dollars.

[135Pats]

Waterpump and Thermo, 100%.

Get the package from Turner or ECS, and take it to a good indy. A dealer will happily take well over $1K in labor alone for the job, it's a PITA but not that big of a deal.

DO NOT drive the car! Get it towed and obviously flush the coolant when you pull everything. It's a good time for a turbo swap if you have all that crap off the car

[no6thgear]

Oh yeah I am definately doing the job myself. I've done engine swaps etc. before so this would be no sweat. I have a lift I can use too.

I really hope the turbos are not shot at 67k miles. An RB setup would be nice, but I'll use this for practice for when I get to that point.

Now just wondering what smaller upgrades I can do while in there.....hmm

[Miko226]

Water pump is dead... What is your ODO Count?

[no6thgear]

assuming you mean odometer, its at 66k. I figure even if its not the water pump, its time to do it anyway.

[headsup7up]

yeah, its your waterpump. Mine just had it happen last month. im still under warranty though so i brought it down to New Country, they called me back after having the car for a day to tell me they were going to replace my turbos while they had it haha

[Pig Farmer]

Originally Posted by no6thgear

Now just wondering what smaller upgrades I can do while in there.....hmm

To get to the water pump, you'll need to drop the center section of the sway bar. No need to remove the end links, just unbolt the two center bushings and let the sway bar swing down. If you plan on swapping out your sway bar, this may be the time since it will be halfway removed. Obviously you will need to replace the coolant, so this is a good time to think about what mix you want to run and any additives like water wetter. Probably a good time to change the oil since the under tray will be removed. And since your there, you may want to remove your intercooler and flush it with diesel to remove the oil that accumulates over time. Follow the diesel flush with a dish detergent and water flush and use a shop vac to speed up the drying time. Oh, don't forget to prime the electric water pump.

[no6thgear]

Just ordered over the phone from ECS tuning. I swear I'd go somewhere else if they weren't much cheaper for the genuine bmw water pump. They won't allow shipment to a different address on your first order, and the sales guy sounded like his dog died today and was rushing and told me he was on commission.

Poor Experience overall. Just wanted to let everyone know.

[Lmaiuri]

ECS is hit or miss. Is there a reason you didn't see if you could get your water pump and thermo covered? Might be a good idea to invest in a fidelity warranty. All of my pumps are covered for a 100$ deductible.

[miiipilot]

Same happened to me last month.

It was the water pump.