2013 bmw 320i xDrive thermostat malfunction symptoms

[x3L2004]

It is -30 degrees here

The car barely heats up even though I’ve been driving for hours. Car engine is ice cold to the touch. When starting car after it’s been out in the cold for a while it cranks for 5-6 seconds straight when I press the engine start button. Car does not accelerate beyond 120km/h even if i press all the way down on the gas pedal.

Just had it scanned by my mechanic it shows ‘thermostat jammed open’.

My question is are these all symptoms of a faulty thermostat?


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[bmwdirtracer]

The "barely heats up" and code of "thermostat jammed open" are double proof that your thermostat is jammed open. The long cranking time will be something else. Did your mechanic use a BMW specific scan tool, or a generic OBD code reader? (If the latter, there are quite possibly other, BMW specific codes he can't read.) Have the thermostat replace, and if the car has more than ~70,000 miles, you should likely replace the water pump at the same time. Make sure the system gets bled correctly; a generic mechanic likely won't know how to do this.

[x3L2004]

The "barely heats up" and code of "thermostat jammed open" are double proof that your thermostat is jammed open. The long cranking time will be something else. Did your mechanic use a BMW specific scan tool, or a generic OBD code reader? (If the latter, there are quite possibly other, BMW specific codes he can't read.) Have the thermostat replace, and if the car has more than ~70,000 miles, you should likely replace the water pump at the same time. Make sure the system gets bled correctly; a generic mechanic likely won't know how to do this.

Hi Chris

That’s what I was thinking. The only symptom that didn’t make sense was the long cranking time. But could it be that system is unable to sense temperature and over cranks?

The scan tool was an advanced tool and said just that: thermostat jammed open

My concern is the cranking and now the water pump.


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[bmwdirtracer]

Fix what you know is broken, and add what you know needs to be added, for the given mileage. Then deal with what remains.

[x3L2004]

Ok here’s the scoop guys. I went in to have the thermostat changed and everything was ok for a couple days then bam the same issue. Engine ice cold, no hot air blowing into cabin and loss of power at higher gears.

Took it back and he said there was an issue with the thermostat so he changed it again. And for the starting issue (cranking for 5-6 seconds randomly throughout the day) he said he had to relearn the valvetronic starting and ending positions.

So I got the car and bam next day SAME ISSUE again. Engine ice cold and no hot air blowing in and loss of power. What the hell is going on ? Any ideas guys? Oh and the check engine is on and he scans it every time and fixes what it tells him. Last time it said thermostat because I was present but not sure the first few times.

What in the world ? Three thermostats in a row in less than 2 weeks ? There’s gotta be something messing it up here ...


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[MarcoZandrini]

What brand of thermostat was repeatedly installed? Hopefully the thermostats weren’t from the local parts store. These engines’ cooling systems are critical to proper performance and long life. Installing aftermarket cooling system parts is strictly verboten.

Chris, does this thermostat have a heater element? If it does, could the DME erroneously be turning the heater element on, thus forcing the thermostat fully open?

[jclausen]

Yes , heez there is a fault present for the thermostat change the thermostat

[x3L2004]

Yes but this will be the 3rd thermostat I honestly don’t think it’s the thermostat itself I think something is causing it to fail. What else interacts with the thermostat?

@marco he used the Mahle kind he said it’s the oem supplier but it was an after market parts supplier he got the two thermostats from. The third which he’s gonna get will be from the dealer


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[White94RX]

You should have taken it to the dealership. There's a warranty extension on the thermostat. So it would have been fixed properly, with an OEM part, the first visit, for free.

[x3L2004]

You should have taken it to the dealership. There's a warranty extension on the thermostat. So it would have been fixed properly, with an OEM part, the first visit, for free.

I am aware of the warranty extension on the coolant thermostat but it doesn’t apply to Canada for some reason. Bummer. Plus dealership is very expensive anyway I’d rather take it to an Indy.


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[White94RX]

Didn't know that. But you get what you pay for. You're on the third thermostat and it's still not fixed. Maybe the extra you'd pay at the dealership would have been worth the hassle. Or maybe not.

[x3L2004]

Didn't know that. But you get what you pay for. You're on the third thermostat and it's still not fixed. Maybe the extra you'd pay at the dealership would have been worth the hassle. Or maybe not.

I’m pretty sure the dealership would have done the same. They would scan it, it says thermostat as the error code and they would just change it. I read up on the warranty extension for the thermostat in US and it was precisely because the dealership encountered so many issues of people coming in and changing their thermostat for the nth time that they awarded the ‘warranty extension’ only. Dealership here I imagine would have done the same and just repeatedly changed the thermostat too. I mean he’s got the same if not a German scanner tool that can read as much detail as the dealership most likely.


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[White94RX]

What I'm getting at is that you said he used an aftermarket part both times and now he's going to use an OEM part. The dealership only uses genuine BMW parts. It would have been a one time fix. I've never had to replace a thermostat a second time.

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[x3L2004]

What I'm getting at is that you said he used an aftermarket part both times and now he's going to use an OEM part. The dealership only uses genuine BMW parts. It would have been a one time fix. I've never had to replace a thermostat a second time.

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When I spoke to the mechanic he said the thermostat is the oem supplier is the same make as the one he bought (Mahle) but he suggested to order one from the dealership to see if it’ll make a difference. We’ll have to try it I’ll update you guys on what comes of it. Might take a few weeks to see if any issues come up.


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[dworthy]

BTW Behr is the OE supplier to BMW for that thermostat not Mahle. Mahle is a German aftermarket part supplier, and normally good quality, so I am a bit surprise for it to fail like that.

[x3L2004]

BTW Behr is the OE supplier to BMW for that thermostat not Mahle. Mahle is a German aftermarket part supplier, and normally good quality, so I am a bit surprise for it to fail like that.

My vehicle is a 2013 320i xDrive are all the thermostats the same oem manufacturer or can they have changed over the years?


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[dworthy]

Normally there is only 1 OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) for each part, and sometime there can be 2, as an example the Alternator, Bosch and Valeo on some models.

As far as I know there is typically only 1 for most BMW cooling systems: Behr/Hella.

Other companies can make parts for BMW's, however quality control may not be upto BMW standards. Before BMW puts its stamp on it, it will get additional testing completed. They also have a lower threshold allowance for failure, that is why you may see on some OEM parts, the BMW roundel has been ground off.

[White94RX]

Or there could be a different problem such as the wiring or the DME

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[dworthy]

If ISIS was used, it would tell you that.

[x3L2004]

If ISIS was used, it would tell you that.

What’s that? A reader machine ?


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[dworthy]

ISIS is the diagnostic tool used by the dealership. It has test plans and such that will go thru all the step needed to test the circuit, DME, ect to ensure everything in between is proper.

[x3L2004]

Ok so my mechanic said he scanned again and read the bmw codes and says the engine is under temperature

He said that the coolant thermostat is OK and that the only other thing that could be the culprit is the transmission oil cooler heat exchanger unit which is another thermostat he said

Geez, anyone have a diagram or price on this for a 2013 BMW 320i xDrive? Or where I can get one? Did a google search but either this part is common for a lot of vehicles BMW makes or I can't find one specific for my model

So I'm going to pick up the car now. He said I can still drive it. What do you guys think? What could the consequence of it be to drive with a malfunctioning transmission oil cooler heat exchanger unit?

EDIT: NVM. found it. Part #: 17217600553

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=17_0638

[bmwdirtracer]

Didn't I see, in your other thread, that the fan is going at full tilt?

You are going to the wrong technician. I don't know anyone that throws three damned thermostats at a car, still hasn't fixed the actual problem, and tells the customer to "go drive it".

The problem is not the heat exchanger. I'd guess that you have a bad fan, or a bad water pump. There should be other codes in the DME, and as Darin noted, you should be using ISTA (ISIS) for diagnosis and testing.

I'd have put a water pump on it when you changed the thermostat the first time....because you were there, and it's a failure item. That said, there's usually a code when it fails. If there's no code for the water pump, and the fan is going full tilt, I'd say that your fan is bad. (It has full time power and ground, and the DME (engine computer) tells it how fast to go, via pulse width modulation. A good diagnostic computer can command the fan to go at different speeds. If you command, say, 50%, and the fan still turns at 100%, replace the fan.)

[x3L2004]

Didn't I see, in your other thread, that the fan is going at full tilt?

You are going to the wrong technician. I don't know anyone that throws three damned thermostats at a car, still hasn't fixed the actual problem, and tells the customer to "go drive it".

The problem is not the heat exchanger. I'd guess that you have a bad fan, or a bad water pump. There should be other codes in the DME, and as Darin noted, you should be using ISTA (ISIS) for diagnosis and testing.

I'd have put a water pump on it when you changed the thermostat the first time....because you were there, and it's a failure item. That said, there's usually a code when it fails. If there's no code for the water pump, and the fan is going full tilt, I'd say that your fan is bad. (It has full time power and ground, and the DME (engine computer) tells it how fast to go, via pulse width modulation. A good diagnostic computer can command the fan to go at different speeds. If you command, say, 50%, and the fan still turns at 100%, replace the fan.)

Hi Chris. Thanks for the reply. Right now the check engine light is off and the fan isn’t going full tilt. Everything seems normal now. It’s only when temperature is below 0 I get the light on, fan goes full tilt ON and loss of engine power experienced over 100 km/h speeds. Could it be that the water pump is freezing or something ?

Edit : just took it to my other bmw mechanic and was able to see the history of reads using the ISTA. We saw engine temperature reporting -1000 degrees Celsius and thermostat jammed open in the history but nothing showing right now actively. Just bizarre that I experience the issues only when temperature gets cold below freezing.

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[MarcoZandrini]

Yikes! 1000*C! That’d burn the paint off the hood. I think you have 2 separate problems.

The thermostat issue is, as pointed out, the installation of a non-factory part. Did the tech give you the defective thermostat? If so, fill a big pot with water and immerse the thermostat. Bring the temperature up to see when the thermostat opens.

The issue could be electrical. You’re up in the cold so I’m wondering if your battery is acting up. How old is the battery? These cars are rolling computers and whacky voltages cause whacky issues.