97 BMW 528i Heater Control Valve Replacement - Which One?

[spec1sef]

My 97 528i was blowing cold air constantly and I tried to fill coolant and bleed the system but nothing made a difference then I touched the heater hoses going into the firewall and all three of them were cold. Took apart the heater control valve and both rubber boots on the plungers are bad. One is gone the other one doesn't look like it seals. Could this be the cause?

I also noticed there was barely any coolant falling out on the pipes when I took them off of the heater valve. Which tells me it wasn't circulating thus causing the car to over heat. I tried everything from raising the front end bleeding it letting it cool for a day then topping it off next day.

My real question though is which Heater valve would work on the car. I don't want to spend $350 on a new one. On ebay I see some going for $100 or less but they don't have the auxiliary water pump attach to it and mine does. But the listing says it fits my car?

[shadowpuck]

well, you need the right part for your car. ebay listings are notoriously inaccurate for what part fits what car.

go to realoem.com
put in the last seven of your vin
find your part

best price i can find on the OE part is $400 at bmwdirectparts.com

so, the symptoms include - no heat, car overheating. what is the status of the rest of the cooling system?

[spec1sef]

I bypassed the heater valve using a T fitting and I am still not getting heat. My next guess is thermostat stuck closed?

[shadowpuck]

so, the symptoms include - no heat, car overheating. what is the status of the rest of the cooling system?

let's start with the basics.

[dworthy]

+1 Yes, start with the basics:
How long does it take to overheat?
How old is the water pump?
What else have you done on the cooling system?

[bmwdirtracer]

+2. Your 20 year old car is overdue for its SECOND complete cooling system replacement: Thermostat, water pump, expansion tank and cap, radiator, hoses, plastic coolant pipes under the manifold, and the fan clutch.

[Sleepyhead97]

I would agree, sounds like your thermostat is not opening or the pump is not circulating. If you have not replaced at least the water pump and thermostat by now, you are way past due. These are critical items, and very easy to change out. As far as which one to buy, Depend on your budget honestly. What can you afford? Some parts you must buy OEM, or atleast very high quality (As in original equipment manufacturer). As far as this particular part (heater valve), on my parents I bought a 59 dollar china part, and it worked fine.


***
For your 97, unfortunately it looks like a high dollar part. But that doesn't matter at this point, if you do not have heat at the valve there is a big problem with your circulation.

When it comes down to it, I think a used part with a warranty will be better than forking out 400 bux for a POS valve that you probably Dont need. There are rebuild kits, I would try to rebuild it before I buy a new part. So--Used, Rebuild, then New (if you are so desperate).

[ross1]

That valve ought to be the same and should work fine. No need to replace the aux pump as long as it is working.