Low Temp?

[Mothman]

Today when I was driving I noticed my Temp Gauge was staying under half for about 30minutes (while driving on the highway). Then it moved halfed way, but when I exited and stop at a red light it started to drop again. When When I got to school and got out my car it smelled like my car was running really hot. :no:

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks!

[motorwerk]

Today when I was driving I noticed my Temp Gauge was staying under half for about 30minutes (while driving on the highway). Then it moved halfed way, but when I exited and stop at a red light it started to drop again. When When I got to school and got out my car it smelled like my car was running really hot. :no:

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks!
Sounds like you need to check your thermostat (it may be getting stuck). With my first car (BMW 320i), I'd have to check & or replace the thermostat because it wasn't opening/closing. Also, check your radiator hoses for leakage. Hoses wear down after time and need to be pressure checked and/or replaced. Good luck...motorwerk

[MEDIA PUSHER"]

mine usually runs a little cool, or maybe I should say takes a long time to come up to the middle, I've never really thought much of it though, is it really something to be concerned over?

[m44ic]

mine will be at half in city driving but when I get on the highway it will cool back down almost into the blue or cold.

[lkwd318ti]

Mine is like that too. During driving in the city, my temp is usually at half, but on the freeway, it goes back down to 1/4. I thought that my temp guage was broken too.

But this is what I think. I think that it cools down because you're going faster and more cool air gets into your car...
Ever since, it didn't really cross my mind to think about it.
About the whole thing with the car smelling as if it were really hot, I think that's normal too. My car does that sometimes too. My brother's car does that burning smell too (he has an e46 323i), so after that, I thought it was pretty normal too.
(hopefully it is normal, but as of now, I think it is)
-Randy

[bmwpwr]

Youve got a bad thermostat. Get it replaced and your needle will stay in the middle where it should be all the time

[MEDIA PUSHER"]

Youve got a bad thermostat. Get it replaced and your needle will stay in the middle where it should be all the time

How bad of a problem is that, and how much would it cost?

[Mothman]

Thanks for the info, I will order a new one! Outie!

[sikbrik]

Be sure when you replace the thermostat that you bleed the cooling system...if the car is getting hot but reading cold, there's an air pocket in the system. BMW's are a PITA to bleed and sometimes it takes a few tries to get ALL of the air out. But you probably need a thermostat, too. It's a common culprit and an easy DIY fix. Good luck!

[cali-ti]

those whose temp is going under half when you're up to cruising speed, you either have air in the system or a bad thermostat. you should get it fixed because it'll run rich when it's below normal operating temp reducing gas mileage and burning up your cat. thermostats are like $17 from pelicanparts.com, believe cca discount from dealer should be similar.

[Mothman]

I don't know if this had anything to do with it, but yesterday I went to change my airfilter and noticed that it was not secured on tighlty. It had a 3" gap near the top left. I replaced the airfilter then secured it and drove home. When I did I noticed the Temp Gauge started acting normal. (Dang it Jiffy Lube.) Could that be the reason why I was running cold? So far it has been running normal again.
:blink:

[cali-ti]

i wouldn't think it would as i believe the temp guage is driven off the coolant temp not air temp. possible your stuck thermostat became unstuck. keep an eye on it and if it happens again, replace thermostat. this would be my recommendation. we have some who are probably professional or near professional mechanics who may recommend something else.

[robcarync]

id stay thermostat...

my car was doing the same thing...running cool and such...i got a 19 dollar thermostat from some european performance shop and installed it...and it worked beautifully...

it was getting stuck, making it run rich...

[m44ic]

yeah, my thermostat is stuck open so I am going to bumper to bumper after school to get one

[Mothman]

Thanks for the info everyone, I changed it out and it is running normal again!

[cali-ti]

how much fun was it to bleed the air out of the system? this is one thing i've yet to do, but i'll get to when i change out my water pump and hoses (fun fun).

[Mothman]

I am changing out all my wires and hoses after finals! Thanks for the web site info. I didn't want to lose my spot at the computer will imput the vin number and download the pictures to I can do a major tune up, and wire change. Hey Cali-ti are you in the southern part of Cali. I am looking for junk yard that my house a few wrecked 318ti's with black interior. The carpet kit for black was crazy! Someone told me there might be a place in Oceanside, Ca. I have to look in the yellow pages. Thanks for the info.