Heat issues?

[MrGator]

Hey everybody, looking for some assistance. I just bought a 2002 525i. The heat coming from the vents seem mildly warm even tho I turn the control setting up to 90. The temp gauge always stays right at dead center once at operating temp. The antifreeze was a bit low. Topped it off. Hasn't seemed to help much. Not exactly sure where to turn to next. I was a tech at Acura, so my experience with BMW is minimal. Thought I would try some good BMW minds that may know the car's tendencies a bit better than me. Thanks in advance fellas.

[osc911]

Heater control value is a common issue. Repair kits are available or replace. OEM part is expensive but best.

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[JimLev]

How's the heat from the flow vents when set at 90?

[MrGator]

How's the heat from the flow vents when set at 90?

Luke warm at best

[taz.]

Try first to bleed the cooling system, you will find Diy's on youtube.

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[rdl]

Does engine RPM make a difference?
If the lack of heat is at idle only, the auxiliary water pump may be inop. It's job is to augment flow through the heater core at low RPM. It's located on bottom left of the fan shroud.

A heads up on rushing into replacing or repairing the heater control valve. In most cases problems in the valve or the heater control system result in too much heat, i.e. the default is to fully open and the HVAC panel must apply control to reduce heat/temp from maximum.

Are both sides of the vents at the same temperature, or is one warmer/cooler than the other?

[riverdadd]

i have a simple suggestion, may not be your situation, but i thought i'd trow it out there.... In the center of the dash, between the hvac output, there is a dial that goes from blue to brown..... blue is more outside air, brown is more cabin air. if its cold outside and your dial is set to blue, the heat will be diffused with outside air, thus colder

[DennisG01]

The blue to red tempering button in between the center dash vents would be my first suggestion, as well - especially since it sounds like this is your first go around with this vehicle and you may not have noticed/been aware of that.

Then, if bleeding doesn't help (air pocket stuck in the heater core), backflush the heater core as it may be clogged. You should be able to get a real good idea of how clear it is by uisng a hose. I haven't done it on my own BMW, but have done it on other vehicles. I have "heard" that it's hard to get to the nipples at the firewall. It might work better to follow the hoses back and use those (if possible).

There's nothing really "insanely" different to this than what you're used to - meaning, plumbing is plumbing is plumbing - so go with what you already know.

I would think the aux water pump should be relatively easy to check for operational?