Thermostat/Temperature Guage broken?

[durnadupa]

Ok, so now that chilly winter weather is upon us in good 'ol New Jersey it seems that something is wrong... You know the temperature guage in the car, in the guage dash area (don't know the technical term). Well I is constantly in the Blue area, which I assume to be bad, very bad. It takes an incredibly long time to just have the car warm up as well... Most of the time while I drive the temp. guage is still in the blue...
Is the thermostat broken? If so, how can I fix it? I plan on doing this tomorow if its simple, so please help! Do I need to buy any specific parts or what?
thanx

[aceyx]

that's pretty much the same problem i was having, which was fixed by replacing the thermostat.

it's a fairly easy fix (simple bolt on replacement), just make sure you use a penetrating spray (kroil, pb blaster) on the bolts and be gentle with the hoses (twist while pulling).

draining the coolant is the biggest time consumer to the entire operation, but won't take more than 3 hours total even for a first timer.

you'll need the thermostat (the gasket should come with), a gallon of coolant, a gallon of distilled water, and tools (10mm, 13mm sockets, 3" extension, handle, flathead screwdriver)


where are you in jersey? i'm visiting my parents in fort lee and i'd be willing to lend a hand wed or thur if you need it. i've got a different motor, but i can't imagine it being that much different an operation.

[1996 328ti]

Your gas gauge is OK though?
I had a blown fuse causing the water temp and gas gauge not to work.

[durnadupa]

Yeah my gas guage is fine, so I am pretty sure it is just the thermostat...
Aceyx I am in Lodi, that is 10 miles from Fort Lee. I actually got pulled over and ticketed on my way to Fort Lee cuz my gf lives there... thanks for the offer to help me, but my dad made me take my car to a mechanic to get it fixed. I will end up paying big bucks when I coulda just done it myself, however my dad is stubborn and refuses to let me do it or help me. But thanks again for the offer, have fun on your visit... Fort Lee is a place with lots of things to do nearby.

[aceyx]

tell your dad i'm a mechanic :biggrin:

that's a bummer, but on the upside you're getting a guarantee on the work. make sure he uses bmw coolant; there's some people saying that bmw spends a lot of money on radiator research (?) so it's worth it to buy the stuff they sell. it's about the same price anyway.


anywho, i'm not a real stranger to fort lee. i lived here 4 years ago when i was taking time off from my undergrad to take classes at columbia. spent more time in the city, but still had a cool time around here.

you weren't at the GSP yesterday were you? i saw like 5 ti's there.

[durnadupa]

Haha, ok well I got it back today actually. They said they drained an air bubble from the cooling system? Does that make any sense, I mean I am new to this entire thing so I have no idea. They said that it should work fine now, but I am a little skeptical.

As a matter of fact I was at GSP, did you happen to see a Boston Grun 318ti? I was there only for a little bit to pick up a few friends...

[motorsport]

that is possible, but if you do the thermostat you don't actually have to drain the coolant. just take the inlet hose off the engine. whatever drains out drains out just fill the reservoir when you are done.