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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 7
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No heat on street driving ('96 328i)
I do not get any heat while driving on streets.
Heating only works when driving on freeways or highways (no traffic). Where should I start troubleshooting? thanks Samlop |
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01-24-2011, 10:29 PM
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 180
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Check your coolant level and confirm you are not overheating and losing coolant.....if its low, it doesn't cirulate inside the car and thaen you get cold! Other item to check is the thermostat.....if this always open, then you could have over cooling and lack of heat.
My dad would go through the process of removing the thermostat and holding it in a pan of water on the stove, with a thermostat to check it opens before the water boils.......but its easier and cheap to just change it! |
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01-25-2011, 03:20 AM
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bostongrun
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Does the temp gauge on the dash go the 12 oclock position?
Does the upper radiator hose fell warm after the engine gets up to temperature? If the engine isn't getting up to temp that could be your issue. You don't need to yank the thermostat out to test it. You just need to feel the upper radiator hose and see if feels hot after a while. The thermostat holds water in the block until it gets to temp and then it releases it through the upper hose for cooling in the radiator. If the thermostat is stuck open the water will not get hot enough in the block. At idle you have less combustion in the engine so its producing less heat. When you are at higher rpm you have more combustion and more heat. In my opinion if you were low on coolant the engine would be overheating pretty quick and that would not explain why you have heat some of the time. |
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01-30-2011, 07:28 PM
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bostongrun
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Arn't you the guy who just redid your cooling system?
You must have done something to make this happen. Think cause and effect. Did you correctly bleed the cooling system? See Waynes article on replacing coolant. Maybe you got a bum thermostat that won't close its unlikely but not impossible. Did you forget to put the thermsotat back? If you put it in backwards it never open and you would over heat or at least run really hot. Did they sell you the wrong temp like a 160 degree instead of a 190? Sometimes they use 160s for performance. |
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01-30-2011, 07:51 PM
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Registered
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Florida
Posts: 668
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I just went through this, a recent post around christmas I think. in my case it was the heater control valve. I changed it and have more heat than I have ever had, idling, running, doesn't matter, and we have had the coldest winter in Florida since forever it seems like.
Try this, leave the engine running with the heater turned all the way up, pop the hood after a long drive, and check the temperature in each side of the valve, the in and out should both be hot. If not unplug the connector and see if you have voltage. if you do no,t it probably isn't the valve. If you do, and the outlet is not as the inlet hot the valve could be bad.
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74 911 targa blk on blk, Carrera fend., tires & whls. gone, missed 85 325e bought new, totaled after 20 years & 465K miles, trouble free service. 01 Ford Ranger 4dr stpsd 4wd. I drive,here 88 325i convert. only 98k miles,gone, sold 93 325i.here, 98 Z-3 roadster. gone, 08 128 cabro gone |
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01-30-2011, 08:18 PM
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bostongrun
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If it was the heater control valve, why would he have heat when the car was at high rpm? I wouldn't think the heater control valve would operate independent of engine load.
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02-02-2011, 04:54 AM
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| Tags |
| heater , troubleshoot |
