need help with cooling system
 

i just did a minor rebuild to my m42 and just got it all reassembled. i tried to bleed the cooling system just now and over heated.. just over half.

heres my problem. my electric radiator fan isnt kicking on at all. jumped the fan and its fine high and low works. now how can i check my relays? OH andddd my fuses are kinda confusing me. on the fuse pannel it says that 16 and 41 are my aux fan. fuse 16 is a 5amp and thats fine but fuse 41 isnt even in my car... at all. supposed to be a 30amp and i have nothing. is this something that my car doesnt have like my lumbar support? i dont have lumbar support but my pannel lists it.

also the temp sensor? is it possible that went bad? im thinking no since its reading on the temp guage. am i right?

finally as i was trying to bleed the system i never got heat. i followed the proceedure correctly with car inclined and bleeder screw and cap of and yada yada yada. im no stranger to cooling systems on e30s and the horror stories they all have but idk about these e36/5s.

someone snap their fingers and help me please lol.

thank you
russ

How did you jump the fan exactly?

I test the fan by pulling the plug on the fan switch on the side of the radiator and jumping the center pin to one side then the other. The fan should kick on then assuming it is plugged in. If it is not plugged in you should be able to easily hear the relay's clicking when you jump the pins on the fan switch connector.

Even if the fan is not working the car should still cool fine as long as it is moving. Have you tried driving it?

FWIW my radiator fan never kicks on unless it's summer, the car is fully warmed up and it's sitting for 5+ minutes after warmed. So if you're starting the engine from cold and expecting it to come on in a minute or two, I don't think it should. I replaced my sensor and relay once thinking there was an issue. After replacing that stuff it still didn't come on at idle. It only came on after the above conditions so I think that's the way it's supposed to work. Other guys on here have had fan issues and know more than me. Hopefully someone else can help or confirm.

Also, I've had the best luck bleeding the cooling system by revving the engine. I think even the BMW TIS says to rev it. I usually hold the revs at 3,000 RPM or so for a good 15 seconds with the bleed screw loose. It makes a terrible mess but seems to do the trick. Trying it at idle RPM does nothing for me - nothing will even come out of the bleed screw doing that.

Good luck!

How I tested the fan was by disconnecting the fan connector and taking 2 makeshift test wires off the battery to the fan. Both high and low settings work. I don't understand what your saying about the relays. Does the car need to be running to here them click? And yes when I bought it I drove a good 15 miles with no issues but had very little heat and the radiator hoses were ballooning up. So I wanted to replace the waterpump. And thats just what I did. Even still obviously no heat and still ballooning is happeneing bit I still haven't bleed the coolant properly just yet. Why, because no radiator fan and afraid of overheating.

If hoses are ballooning then check thermostat

Brand new thermostat but not oem I'm thinking it may be stuck

What is the open temp on the new thermostat or hoses could be weak maybe the terminal isn't opening at the proper temp range

When the thermostats on our cars go out, they usually stay open.

What temp should I have on the thermostat?

But its a brand new one and im hoping it may be just stuck closed. I'm REALLY hoping that's my issue for a lukewarm kinda cold lower radiator hose